Field Schools
From the Centennial Exhibit (Haury Bldg, 2nd floor)
Theme Image:
ASM Tad Nichols Folder 5, No. 11, Field camp at Kinishba Pueblo, 1935. Photographer: Tad Nichols. Courtesy of Arizona State Museum, University of Arizona.
On Display:
Pinedale Polychrome bowl from Bailey Ruin. Excavated by the University of Arizona Archaeological Field School, Silver Creek Archaeological Research Project, directed by Dr. Barbara Mills.
Share Your Field School Memories
Do you have a field school memory you'd like to share? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Comments
Grasshopper 1979
I was a camp aide with my best friend Bruce Ashby. My fond memory of the experience was that although we were minimum wage employees, we were included in the night time seminars. We washed dishes, dug latrines and garbage pits, maintained generators, and drove truckloads of supplies from Nicks Market in Show lo. I was most impacted by the realization that some students there did not know how to use a shovel. They literally did not know how to dig nor flip the dirt off.....it apparently needs to be taught.
Grasshopper Field School
Cheryl [White] Munson and I, UofA Anthro undergraduates, attended the first Grasshopper Field School together. We were so excited and green. I remember how kind Dr. and Mrs. Thompson were to us newbies, and gently taught us to dig, trowel and sift, help build the camp, clean and sort artifacts, shower in a canvas covering, and everything else, that as city kids we had never done before. And they forgave us our occasional teenage rowdiness. It was an amazing experience, and one which I can never forget. Cheryl went on to be an archaeologist at the University of Illinois, and I became an attorney. However, over the years I have participated in the occasional volunteer dig, including while I was in Italy. And now, back in Tucson I've come full circle as a Volunteer and Docent at ASM. My husband and I love attending the lectures, receptions and trips and learning more about the Southwest. I do believe that I owe more to Dr. Thompson and my experiences at the Field School than I will ever know or be able to give enough thanks to both him and the Anthropology School. And my Grasshopper trowel has a place of honor with our collection of Native American arts and crafts!
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