Show SHOULD UTAH HAVE AN MUSEUM Utah Has the Best Field in the the Country to Study the Habitat of Early Cliff Dwellers Are you interested in the study of early American races If you are not you are not truly American The human race will find no more interesting subject for scientific scientific scientific research than the human race itself For several ye years rs past the American Society has been making excavations excavations excavations ex ex- in different part of the world in inthe inthe inthe the hope of finding data concerning historic historic historic his his- man Most 1 of this work has been confined confined confined con con- fined to the old world and American archaeology archaeology archaeology arch arch- particularly that of the Southwest vest has been sadly neglected As a result of this neglect southeastern Utah possibly the best field for research in inthe inthe inthe the entire West rest has been nearly stripped of its wealth of museum specimens As one ides Sides over the cedar covered mesas or through the sand carpeted canyons one is astonished astonish d at the ruthless destructive work of pottery hunters hunters' and vandals In the course of a days day's ride one will pass a hundred hundred hun hundred hun hun- dred ruins and find the burial mounds of each carelessly thrown throw v open their tops covered covered covered cov cov- ered with bleached bones an and v J the le fragments of beautifully decorated J pottery ott y The pottery pottery pottery pot pot- tery hunters of this ge gene gene- generation ration have looked so closely upon these a ancient dwellings through financially narrowed eyes that Utah today is almost bereft of the evidence of its once prosperous civilization It is a cutting truth that Utah people in order to study the early inhabitants of their state must go to London Berlin Derlin Vienna and Constantinople Several large collections collections collections are also to be found in eastern cities All of these assortments amounting to half halff halfa a dozen carloads have been taken from San SanJuan SanJuan Juan county Not only have collectors gathered gathered gathered gath gath- ered up all the possible pottery of the ancients ancients ancients an an- but they have even destroyed the dwelling places places- in their frenzied efforts to win the almighty dollar Should this practice practice practice tice continue Not until the past year have steps been taken to prevent a repetition of past vandal vandal- isms At that time the state legislature passed an act making it a misdemeanor to dig in ancient ruins on state property without without without with with- out a permit A few years previous congress passed a similar law governing United States territory Notwithstanding these statutes a few people in our frontier towns occasionally occasionally occasionally occasion occasion- ally put their shovels into these prehistoric f r. r j I II I f. f r I I ITo J V 7 I h- h To Do or Not to Do burial mounds The laws have been made but there is no one on the ground to see that they are enforced A continuation of this practice lessens Utah's chances for a collection of the remains of her early people Such a colle collection tion is in the making For Forthe Forthe Forthe the past three years the Utah branch of the American Archaeological Society has sent senta into the the- south southern of the a sum n w vr party n part state The results of these r ar arto are art artto to become a part of the University mus museum um A scarce hundred pieces are to be found on Oil the shelves s at present yet this is not enough Five times this amount can be secured by systematic digging in the out-of-the- places way t to H C cc c During the past summer ro cS c J pr c h c on Cummings and two s Lockhart Lockhart Lockhart Lock- Lock hart and Neil J Judd udd we e in charge of an expedition which wor i izuma bet o fn te zuma and Alkali canyon in Santy San Sall h otti ty Sixteen rooms and three ceremonial chambers were excavated by the party at one pueblo At several other ruins the burial places were opened As a result z of the summers summer's work some thirty pieces of whole pottery pottery pottery pot pot- tery will be added to our youthful collection Professor Cummings and his associates received av no remuneration for their services their interest t being whole wholly with the University niver it The success of past expeditions expeditions expeditions has been due to the generosity of a few Continued on of page 4 Courtesy of the Republican 0 v Should Utah Have an Museum J Continued from page pave 1 Salt Lake citizens In order that this work should not meet with failure more Utah people should interest themselves in it and no one has so goo good l an opportunity as the University students themselves They have havethe havethe havethe the fruit within reach so to speak Will Till they gather it Utah must have a collection of its archaeological archaeological archaeological rem remains ins Before it is too late Utah people should collect the evidence whereby future generations may learn of the early history of their state |