Acknowledgments, Archaeology of Castle Rock Pueblo

Acknowledgments

The Castle Rock project and this publication would not have been possible without the support of many individuals and institutions. The publication of this report in electronic form represents a dramatic break with archaeology's long tradition of printed site reports. This new format was chosen in an effort to produce site reports that were more timely, accessible, useful, and economical. This pioneering effort demanded years of nearly blind faith on the part of our many supporters and a belief in our ability to succeed. This faith is sincerely appreciated and was, I hope, deserved.

Long-term encouragement and financial support for this project was provided by the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center's Board of Trustees, Life Benefactors, President's Circle members, Legacy Society members, Chairman's Council members, and other members. A special thank-you to current board members Nancy Clark Reynolds (board chair), Betsy M. Alexander, Charmay B. Allred, Sue Anschutz-Rodgers, Richard G. Ballantine, Albert G. Boyce, Jr., Gene M. Bradley, Richard A. Davis, Raymond T. Duncan, Robert D. Greenlee, Anne Grunau, William J. Huff, C. Paul Johnson, Thomas P. Lanagan, Ricky R. Lightfoot, William D. Lipe, Jack A. MacAllister, James M. McCaffery, W. Bruce Milne, Peter M. Pino, Stuart Struever, Scott R. Tipton, Gomer W. Walters, and Gordon P. Wilson, and to former board members who served during the course of the Castle Rock project—George W. Bermant, Margaret T. Bixler, Albert L. Blum, John Colonghi, Robert W. Cox, Marjorie Crosby, Wendy Fisher, Peggy V. Fossett, Bruce A. Grimes, Alden C. Hayes, Clayton R. Jackson, Stephen H. Lekson, John O. Lohre, Mark O. Lynton, Marianne O'Shaughnessy, Burton R. Rissman, Michael D. Searle, Sidney J. Taylor, William R. Thurston, Gerald L. Vincent, Edward B. Wasson, and J. Stanley Yake. A generous and deeply appreciated bequest from Dorothy Warren McEachern provided essential financial support for Crow Canyon's research and education programs during this project.

Past and present members of Crow Canyon's research advisory committee offered valuable advice and support during excavations and also during the years of developing, designing, and producing the electronic site report. Committee members included the following individuals: Sue Anschutz-Rodgers, Wendy Benjamin, Alan Bloom, Robert Bryant, Robert Cox, Nance and Barbara Creager, Marjorie Crosby, Jane Dillard, Sidney and Sandra Edwards, George Feldman, Tim Finlay, Charlie Fischer, Peggy Fossett, Carole Gardner, David and Charlotte Gibson, Robert and Diane Greenlee, Alden Hayes, John Hopkins, William Lipe, Rena Martin, Neil McCallum, William and Jean McLaughlin, Lois Minium, Robert Mohrman, Tito Naranjo, Stuart Patterson, Jim Porter, John Pryor, Burton Rissman, Irene Schulze, Michael Searle, Lynnette Seward, Darrell Skarsten, Larry and Sandy Tradlener, Ernest Vallo, Gerald Vincent, Gomer Walters, Edward Wasson, Ron and Sharon White, Robert Wickham, and Gordon Wilson. Thanks also to our Native American advisory group for their thoughtful input and suggestions regarding the Castle Rock project and report.

Partial funding for the production of this electronic site report was provided by a State Historical Fund grant from the Colorado Historical Society. The Society's recognition of the value of electronic publication is appreciated. Additional funding was provided by the Alden C. Hayes Research Fund, established in memory of long-time Crow Canyon supporter and former board member Al Hayes. Al was one of the Southwest's preeminent archaeologists, and his lifelong commitment to research and the publication of research results continues to serve as a model and an inspiration.

An immense debt of gratitude is owed the many hundreds of students and adults who participated in Crow Canyon's research programs from 1990 through 1994. These people, working closely with Crow Canyon staff members, provided most of the field labor, assisted with the processing and analysis of field materials, and provided necessary funding for the project. They endured harsh digging conditions with enthusiasm, curiosity, and goodwill, and their contribution is deeply appreciated.

Castle Rock Pueblo is located on U.S. Bureau of Land Management land, and excavations were conducted under Archaeological Resources Protection Act permits from the Bureau's San Juan Resource Area Office in Durango, Colorado. Thanks are due Sally Wisely, resource area manager, and Kristie Arrington, resource area archaeologist, for their assistance and cooperation. Special thanks to Kristie for her forbearance, understanding, and encouragement during the long process of electronic site report design and production. Thanks also to the staff of the Anasazi Heritage Center, former director Shela McFarlin, and current director LouAnn Jacobson, for contributing to the success of this project.

Many thanks are due the entire Crow Canyon staff. The coordinated efforts of all departments of the organization contributed greatly to the success of the Castle Rock project. Many staff members, both archaeologists and nonarchaeologists, offered valuable suggestions on the interpretive sections of this report. Their comments greatly improved the content and readability of those sections. Several individuals served as executive director or president of the organization during the years of the Castle Rock project: Ian (Sandy) Thompson, Gerald Vincent, Stephen Lekson, Gene Bradley, Bruce Grimes, and current president Ricky Lightfoot all supported the research at Castle Rock in many ways. Sandy Thompson deserves special acknowledgment for his unique contribution to the project; Sandy was director of research when the institutional decision was reached to move from printed site reports to electronic publications, and he was probably the most passionate and articulate advocate of that move. Also deserving of special thanks are William Lipe, Richard Wilshusen, and Mark Varien, each of whom also served as director of research during the project and supported the project in many ways. William Lipe helped design the Castle Rock research and provided intellectual guidance throughout the project. The first two years of excavation at Castle Rock were conducted as part of the Sand Canyon Site Testing Program, which was designed and implemented by Mark Varien for his doctoral dissertation research.

Ricky Lightfoot contributed to the success of this 10-year project in countless ways. He served as project director during the five-year fieldwork portion of the project. Later, as vice president of programs, and then as president and CEO of the organization, Ricky provided intellectual guidance and moral support during the inception, design, and construction of the electronic report. He also coauthored several additional publications on the results of Castle Rock excavations.

Heartfelt thanks to the field staff, including James Kleidon, who served as field assistant during the first two years of excavation, and William (Brad) Hafford, who was an intern as well as a seasonal assistant. Other interns at Castle Rock were Paul Blomgren, Melissa Churchill, Lisa Collins, Donna Glowacki, Janet Hagopian, Scott Ortman, Robert Patton, and John Stoetzel. The following people served as volunteers at the site: Donna Bargoil, Kari Chalker, Catherine Elson, Melissa Gould, Betty Havers, George Havers, Michael Knepler, Marty Koons, Andrea Parkes, Christopher Pierce, Mark Varien, Francis Welch, and Richard Wilshusen. Special acknowledgment is due Marty Koons, Betty and George Havers, and Catherine Elson, who cheerfully labored for many unpaid hours at the site.

The members of Crow Canyon's education staff deserve special recognition for their valuable assistance and support, especially during those blistering, hectic, gnat-filled days in the field--Cindy Bradley, Sue Breyan, Marjorie Connolly, Elaine Davis, Paul Ermigiotti, Herb Folsom, Megg Heath, Sara Kelly, Lew Matis, Robert Wagner, Pam Wheat, Beth Wheeler, and Steve Williams. Thanks also to education trainees Leland Jim and Adam Trask for their assistance at the site. The laboratory staff provided excellent technical and analytical support for the project. First Angela Schwab and then Melita Romasco very capably directed the analyses of materials by staff members Wendy Benjamin, Adele Bigler, Cindy Bradley, Melissa Churchill, Claudia Clemens, Mary Etzkorn, Laura Heacock, Joe Keleher, Steve Lakatos, Aleta Lawrence, Lew Matis, Jamie Merewether, Scott Ortman, Christopher Pierce, Louise Schmidlap, Maggie Thurs, and Jim Woodman, as well as interns and volunteers too numerous to mention by name. Analysts Karen Adams, Jon Driver, and Scott Ortman produced superb macrobotanical, faunal, and artifact sections, respectively; they also graciously, even enthusiastically, changed their reporting style so that their sections would dovetail more elegantly with the style of the electronic site report. Thanks to Louise Schmidlap and Melita Romasco, who designed the format of the report, to Neal Morris for creating the excellent AutoCAD maps, and to Ginnie Dunlop for digitizing the 1,400 Castle Rock color slides. Editor Jane Kepp improved the interpretive sections substantially. Fred Blackburn provided a great deal of useful historical material on Castle Rock. Finally, a huge debt of gratitude is owed Lee Gripp for contributing his considerable computer talents and know-how in the construction of various portions of this work.

Recognition is due Peter McCartney, Michelle Hegmon, and Sarah Schlanger for their advice and encouragement in the early days of design and construction of this publication. Christopher Pierce deserves mention as one of the first and most outspoken advocates of electronic publishing; he turned many of the staff into advocates.

The design and construction of this electronic site report are largely the result of the concerted efforts of a dedicated, conscientious, creative, detail-oriented, and hardworking group of Crow Canyon staff members and consultants known collectively as the database development team, or DDT. I was privileged to serve on this team with fellow-members Melissa Churchill, Mary Etzkorn, Art Rohr, Melita Romasco, Louise Schmidlap, and Lynn Udick. Crow Canyon's decision to publish site reports electronically was reached in January 1996. Between then and February 2000, the team met many times to courageously inch forward toward a product that had no precedent and no clear definition in anyone's mind. The decisions that had to be made regarding the design, structure, and content of the databases and other portions of this site report were difficult and nearly infinite in number. Discussions were long and exhausting, although to the credit of everyone on the team, tempers never flared. There was also never any guarantee that the final product would be of a quality and format that the archaeological profession would recognize. However, my colleagues on the DDT are justifiably proud of this product, and they deserve a great deal of acknowledgment for the immense amount of work that this pioneering effort represents.

Click here for a detailed list of staff, interns, and volunteers who worked on the Castle Rock project (1990 through 2000).