Collection M 202:
San Juan Basin Archaeological Society (Durango, Colo.) records inventory

Years this material was created: 1975-2002 (bulk 1985-1999)
Quantity: .5 linear shelf feet (in 1 document case) 
 © 2003 by Fort Lewis College Foundation, Center of Southwest Studies account

Links to Contents

Preface	Introduction/ Scope and contents	Administrative info	Historical note
Container list		Center of Southwest Studies collection inventories	Center of Southwest Studies

These are records and documents pertaining to the San Juan Basin Archaeological Society.  The records include site reports, newsletters, grant proposals, and (forthcoming) photographs.

Historical note
The San Juan Basin Archaeological Society (SJBAS), established in 1979, is a vital amateur group that has assisted in much local archaeological research and has helped Florence Lister publish two books on area archaeological sites.

The original San Juan Basin Archaeological Society was begun in the 1930s as an active group of amateur archaeologists in the Durango area.  The chapter carried out a series of sit surveys and excavation within the city limits and in Ridges Basin in cooperation with Fort Lewis College.  World War II was the primary cause of the group’s closure in the 1940s.

In 1978, Chuck Brockway and Helen Daniels decided to revive the original organization, which led to a series of meetings in early 1979 devoted to setting up such an organization.  In March 1979 the SJBAS submitted a successful petition to become a chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society.  Mr. Brockway served as the first president.  Later, the group adopted the kokopelli figure as its logo/ emblem. 

These are the group’s three major objectives: to learn about archaeology, especially the pre-history of the Four Corners locale; to combat the vandalism of historic artifacts; and to cooperate with and provide assistance to professional archaeologists working in the region.  Currently (2004) the group includes monthly lectures and ten to twelve field trips each year.  Public education about vandalism, as well as opposing various forms of industrial development effecting archaeological sites, is one of the  group’s primary efforts.  The SJBAS also works closely with the U.S. Forest Service to inventory remains and to conduct site surveys.

Source: Email attachment from John Sanders, SJBAS Vice-President and Newsletter editor since 1985.

Administrative information

Arrangement note:  Series are numbered consecutively.  Box numbers start with 1; folder numbers start with 1 in each box.  The series are organized from highest hierarchical level to lowest; from most general to most specific.  Items within each series are arranged chronologically, unless noted otherwise.  The boxes are numbered in one single numbering scheme starting with 1.

Acquisition information:  This collection was begun with the Center of Southwest Studies' accession 2002:11002, donated by the Society on November 4, 2002.

Processing information:  This collection was arranged and described by student archival assistants and J. Todd Ellison, Archivist, in September of 2003.  This inventory was produced by Todd Ellison in September of 2003.  The historical sketch was prepared by archival assistant Olivia Everett, December of 2004.

Container list

Box 1	Folder description
Folder 1	Colorado Archaeological Society constitution as revised 1975, and code of ethics as revised 1978.
Folder 2	San Juan Basin Archeological Society bylaws, first draft compiled by Chuck Brockway, adopted Apr. 12, 1979 and amended through Sept. 11, 1980.
Folder 3	San Juan Basin Archeological Society newspaper clippings, 1979-.
Folder 4	The San Juan Basin Chapter and How it Grew: historical sketch/ by John Sanders, 1985 June.
Folder 5	San Juan Basin Archeological Society chapter activity programs and field trips lists, 1979-2001.
Folder 6	San Juan Basin Archeological Society outings ethics and liability affidavit form, ca. 2001.
Folder 7	San Juan National Forests cultural resources report: Animas and Dolores Districts: field assessment of the Rico-Rockwood Wagon Road/ by Louis Newell, with comments by Robert York, report of field work done Summer – Fall of 1985, 1986 January.
Folder 8	The scattered artifacts of Falls Creek: report of a research project…, 1994.
Folder 9	Falls Creek Project #94-02-127 Colorado State Historical Fund Mini-Grant project proposal and project records, 1994.
Folder 10	Cannonball Ruins (McElmo Canyon, Montezuma County, Colo.) preservation assessment grant proposal and letter to Chris Zeller, 1998.
Folder 11	Machinery Bottom Site (Colorado River, near Loma, Mesa County, Colo.) investigation of some historic mining artifacts, report, 1999 May.
Folder 12	The Moki Messenger: newsletter of the San Juan Basin Archeological Society, 2002 October.
Folder 13	"War in the Southwest, War in the World," article by Stephen H. Lekson, in American Antiquity (Society for American Archaeology, Vol. 67, No. 4, 2002), pages 607-624.

These collections are located at the Center of Southwest Studies on the campus of Fort Lewis College.  Interested researchers should phone the archivist at 970/247-7126 or send electronic mail to the archivist at: Ellison_T@fortlewis.edu .   Click here to use our E-mail Reference Request Form.  The Center does not have a budget for outgoing long-distance phone calls to answer reference requests, so please leave us your email address if you wish to receive a response from the Center.

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