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5-13-08 - DAAS Lecture - Dave T. Kirkpatrick

Bits and Pieces from the Past: The Stories of Marjorie F. Lambert

Marjorie Lambert, archaeologist, ethnologist, and museum curator, worked at the Museum of New Mexico for 32 years. As a student of Edgar Lee Hewett, she earned a Masters of Arts degree at the University of New Mexico in 1931. Hewett was a founder of the Museum of New Mexico, School of American Research, the Department of Archaeology and Ethnology at UNM, and Highlands University. In her position, she worked with many notable Southwestern archaeologists, ethnologists, linguists, and historians, including Sylvanias Morley, John P. Harrington, Kenneth Chapman, and Alfred V. Kidder, and Matilda Coxe Stevenson. From these men, she heard many stories about the early field work in the Southwest. Fourteen of these stories were published in 1990.

A recently discovered unpublished manuscript by Marjorie Lambert includes an additional 26 stories that provide a personal and often very humorous insight into the lives of these pioneer Southwestern archaeologists, ethnologists, and linguists. A selection of the stories will be presented.

David is an Associate Director of Research and Public Education with Human Systems Research. He has been active in New Mexico archaeology for over 30 years.

Meeting in the Good Samaritan Auditorium - 3011 Buena Vida Circle, Las Cruces, every second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. from September through May. Annual dues of $15.00 for individuals, $25.00 for families. Mailing address: P.O. Box 15132, Las Cruces, NM 88004.

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5-15-08 - Pete Eidenbach

American archaeologists began to recognize and identify prehistoric American Indian astronomical sites during the late 1970s. One of the first of these sites found in the southwest was near Sierra Blanca Peak in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico at an elevation of 10,600 ft. Mark Wimberly and Pete Eidenbach would later identify a second, related, site on the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Both sites, Wizard’s Roost and Wally’s Dome, could be attributed to the Jornada Mogollon, circa A.D. 1000.

Sadly, continuing investigations resulted in Mark’s death after a helicopter crash, but Pete has continued to investigate sites left by our ancient astronomers in the southern New Mexico region. Pete will present a slide show about the sites, followed by a short presentation about the emerging history and archaeology of virtual worlds such as Second Life.

Pete Eidenbach is a professor of archaeology at the Alamogordo branch of New Mexico State University, and has been doing archaeology in this part of the Southwest for over thirty years.

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9-19-08 - EPAS Hall of Honor Banquet - Brad Vierra

 

More to follow at a later date.

 

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10-16-08 - EPAS Lecture Mike Bilbo

THE FIRST DRAGOONS AND FORT STANTON CAVE

Mike Bilbo

In 1855, a patrol of the 1st Dragoons from Fort Stanton, NM Territory, explore a large limestone cave located about one mile north of the fort. Their horses tied up & under guard, the men slowly & carefully make their way down the steep, loose entry sink talus. At the drip line the musty smell of the cave assails them. Down they descend into a dark, dank cavern for the first time - the first white men to explore this cave. Down into the gloom, carrying bulky whale oil lamps, ropes, haversacks, tin canteens, their heavy .44 caliber pistols belted around their waists & maybe carrying their musketoons, too. These men are young, but they're veterans - tough 'ombres all right - they've been in some fights with Apaches & Comanches. They take it slow & cautious, their lantern lights flickering dimly on the walls, casting grotesque shadows all about. Following a main passage, the patrol treads first through mud & water, & then up onto massive piles of limestone blocks covered by white, powdery rubble - one of them mutters, "Shore and tis the Gates o' Hell."  Another:  "Nein, das ist der Backbone oaf zee Teufel."  Devil's Backbone, an apt name in an appropriate place. "Knock it off & keep your eyes & ears open!" hisses the corporal. They continue the scout. Caving is a part of their duty, they must understand all aspects of the topography they are to patrol in the coming years. 

Within a few months & perhaps weeks, of establishing Fort Stanton, New Mexico Territory in April-May of 1855, members of companies B & K, 1^st Regiment, U.S. Dragoons, journeyed almost one mile into the third largest cave in New Mexico, Fort Stanton Cave (FSC) is located about 1½ miles NE of the fort. We know this because their signatures with units & dates were discovered by the author in 1975 &, together with Marion Grinstead, determined from post returns just who these men were. There is no known record of this journey, but the route & eventually the signature site are well-known to cavers, who have been documenting every aspect of the cave for 40 years, including the most recent discovery, Snowy River.  Earl Pittman, however, has recently found the description of an 1856 journey into the cave, as related by a Confederate soldier, who was apparently once in the Dragoons or Infantry at Stanton.

Bilbo has managed the cave as a BLM cave specialist for seven years & remains part of the ongoing research efforts, in particular, documenting 18 known locations of historic signatures throughout the cave, including those of the 1877 Wheeler Expedition, which are another mile beyond the Dragoon site. In addition to recording, he also works toward restoration efforts at the various sites & has addressed to caving & archaeological audiences on the issue of distinguishing between historic writing & graffiti, so that such historic writing or signature sites will not be destroyed during otherwise well-meaning restoration projects, not just in FSC, but other sites throughout the U.S. This presentation thus examines the Dragoon Site, its documentation, preservation & significance in relation to other aspects of Fort Stanton Cave National Natural Landmark, & caving then and now.

Mike Bilbo Works for BLM in recreation planning & cave management. He was raised in El Paso, TX & has mostly lived in southern to central New Mexico. While in Nevada for 5 years, he managed Burning Man permit & the 1997 Supersonic Jet Car Land Speed Record (Mach 1.2).  He returned to NM BLM in 2001 to coordinate Snowy River science & mapping trips in Fort Stanton Cave National Natural Landmark. Currently he assists in management of   Ft. Craig National Historic Site & several other sites, such as:  the Box, San Lorenzo Canyon & Socorro Nature Area, & serves as the Albuquerque District cave-karst specialist. He works with user groups & BLM resource specialists to provide recreational opportunities, while working to protect natural & cultural resources. Socorro Field Office lead for off-highway vehicle (OHV) use & geocaching.  Avocational interests are caving, historic writing & rock art research, American military reenacting/living history & Spanish Colonial living history, 1570-1830

Chair, Boots & Saddles New Mexico Interagency Initiative

BLM Assistant Manager, Fort Craig Historic Site, BLM – Socorro Field Office

Member, El Paso Archaeological Society since 1968

Member, Co. A, 1^st Regiment, New Mexico Volunteers (reenactment unit), since 1988

Member, Co. C, 4^th Regiment, Texas Mounted Volunteers (reenactment unit), since 2001

Member, Southeast Coalition of Authentic Reenactors (SCAR - reenactment unit)

Co-founder, La Sociedad de la Entrada, Spanish colonial living history group, since 1985

Member, National Speleological Society since 1974

2008 Secretary, Southwest Region, National Speleological Society

Leave No Trace Master Educator (1994) and Treadlightly Master (2003).

New Mexico State Advocate for Leave No Trace (www.lnt.org)

 October 18th - Bilbo will lead a field trip to Ft. Stanton Cave and several nearby rock art sites.