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History
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From our roots in our predecessor organization, the Arizona Division of the Institute for American Research, to the founding of the Center for Desert Archaeology in the summer of 1989 and on up to the present day, preservation archaeology has guided our efforts. This timeline highlights some of the key projects and programs that were instrumental in building the Center into the preservation archaeology organization that it is today.
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William Doelle establishes the Arizona Division of the Institute for American Research, a nonprofit organization with headquarters in Santa Barbara, California. Its purpose is to study Tucson Basin prehistory through contract archaeology as well as research grants and private donations.
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Photo Adriel Heisey |
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1982-1983
The Institute investigates the Valencia Site, a large Hohokam ballcourt village along the Santa Cruz River in the southern Tucson Basin. This important site has revealed evidence of over 10,000 years of Tucson's prehistory, including a Clovis point, several Archaic/Early Agricultural period pithouses, and an extensive Hohokam occupation.
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As a result of the Institute's efforts, and with the assistance of grants from the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), the Valencia Site is added to the National Register of Historic Places. A listing on the National Register attests to the preservation value of an archaeological district or site.
1984-1985
A grant from SHPO supports the 10-square-mile Southern Tucson Basin Survey that recorded 107 archaeological sites. |
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An interpretive mini-museum is developed for Fairfield Communities to display the results of excavations at a Tucson townhouse development. |
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The Archaeology in Tucson membership program is established. With its main purpose to conduct active research and promote public involvement in archaeology in the Tucson area, the program offers a newsletter, field trips, regular meetings, and opportunities for members to volunteer on research projects. Membership dues begin at $10 a year.
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1986-1987
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An exhibit on Clovis hunters is prepared as part of the archaeology exhibit for the Foothills Mall Museum. This innovative museum attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually during its existence. |
| Archaeology in Tucson volunteers survey over 2 1/2 square miles in Catalina State Park, just north of Tucson. Twenty-nine new sites are recorded and additional information is collected from 13 known sites. In the mid-1800s, Francisco Romero built his stone-walled ranch buildings atop an ancient Hohokam village in what is now the park. Now known as Romero Ruin, this prehistoric site was founded between A.D. 200-450, and reached its peak in occupation between A.D. 800-1000. |
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1986-1998
The Archaeology in Tucson newsletter is published. This quarterly newsletter highlights current research, education, and preservation activities of the Institute for American Research, 1982-1988, and the Center for Desert Archaeology, 1989-1998. |
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A reconstruction of elements of a small Hohokam settlement--including a pithouse, a ramada, and an outdoor kitchen--is created for Del Webb Corporation to display the results of an excavation on their property north of Tucson.
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1987-1989
Center volunteers survey six square miles and record 130 sites southwest of Tucson around Gunsight Mountain, the northwestern peak of the Sierrita Mountains. Sites discovered provide excellent undisturbed evidence of human activity and occupation in the area since 7500-5000 B.C. This survey work culminates in the nomination and listing of the Gunsight Mountain Archaeological District to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. |
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