Show I. j Archeology r. r of Alkali Ridge I i By John Otis Brew BrewA A B Book O Review The Peabody Museum of Harvard Harvard Harvard Har Har- vard me the above entitled book with their compliments compliments ments because of my Interest interest and and nd publication of f that interest In the archeology of Utah This Is ii a book sent free and I feel highly complimented Let me first say on the subject I missed Alkali Ridge by one year and miles I was within eight miles of It U a a year before they started but knew nothing of oC it ft Had I known I would have visited their working force force force- I wish that fun had tak taken n me there a year later and the eight miles would have be been n nothing I had just come from a five-day five visit to Mesa Verde and wishing to jaunt a bit had gone south to Blanding I was alone in a n sort of top heavy coupe model car not properly adaptable I I to very poor roads I stopped at atthe atthe atthe the filling station at af Blanding and after getting gas said to the owner owner owner own own- er Can I make it to the Big Bridges Brid Brid- ties es with this car car He lIe walked allaround allaround all allaround around it it asking question as to condition power serviceability etc and said Probably you can make it all right but Mister you are arc alone in case of trouble and theres there's plenty plenty plenty- a long walk If there were two cars to your party Id I'd say yes I inquired about other things close but bat that man l bew nothing of the personal interest to me of Alkali Ridge even if he had known of work beginning there next year year year- which no doubt he So that's how I missed I I the fhe Augustine and the other Big I Bridges and also haw I missed Alkali Ridge One year and eight miles The Peabody Museum conducted research work at Alkali Ridge In Dec 1931 again In 1932 and again again a- a gain the final work in 1933 Brew gives a history over several pages of all that has been printed about that area area condensing all references es of the preceding 25 years into o one n e comprehensive summation This spot Is fairly close to Mesa Verde so Includes the names of oC workers in that nearby area the Wetherills I dined with Mrs Wetherill in the Escalante Hotel at Cedar City and also met her son vitally interested in the subject Pepper whose large monograph on Pueblo Bonito I have Dr Cummings Cum- Cum whom old timers here will remember when he was with the University of Utah Kidder Neil Nell Judd Nusbaum whom I met at Mesa Verde A. A A. A Kerr whom I Imet Imet Imet met several times Julian H. H Steward Steward Stew Stew- ard with with whom whom I was out in the geld in Millard County several times and in Clear Gear Creek Canyon t Indian Sun Dance near Roosevelt Brew Drew says that Cimmings left leCt only two short generalizing papers that Kerr left no published record of his work which can he be described described de de- described de- de scribed only as pot hunting And between the lines a great silance as to lack of output by Utah sources es s of their work in our state which ts is s perfectly understandable to toome toome ome a deep regret to others There Thee js indeed is-indeed indeed a certain paucity of oC published record of archeological al work done in Utah by To some this is unexplainable The purpose of oC this expedition was to get information roughly within the period to 1100 A. A A D. D He ties this dating into the work by Tree Ring Dating showing that the actual houses were built in plus or minus 10 years and several to Then fixing what was found during the time the houses were lived in They found kivas which are very important Refuse mounds which of course yielded cultural exhibits Many burials Pit houses Living rooms looms The sipapu From these sources a fine presentation is made textually and pictorially of Stone implements axes and kindred articles ornaments of all kinds Bone objects utility and adornment adornment adornment a- a weaving tools Pottery much very fine pottery and well illustrated Gourds as containers and as dippers or ladles They found evidences of the great drought of 23 years from 1276 to 1299 12 9 Then follows in the volume the I superb presentation of plates illustrating il illustrating il- il finds sites houses burials bur bur- pottery of many shapes and uses some to be suspended from cords around knobs on them big little and beautiful shapes Some of this pottery polychrome painted painted paint paint- ed very nicely Superb illustrations of such in color What we might call plates or bowls saucer- saucer like nicely decorated And as to shapes every shape conceivable The small ladles ae very interest interest- ing The designs include geometrical geometrical and animal forms with a few men-forms men included Study the examples examples examples ex ex- ex- ex amples of corrugated neck ware left on for decorative purposes On Plate a form is given that is almost exactly like likel a l piece I found near Moab And big pots similar to those I photographed photographed photo photo- J graphed 11 there The T study of pottery pot pot- tery illustrated Is very interesting and highly informative Arrowheads Arrow Arrow- heads of course are shown Slab houses like found near Moab t me-t metates metates ates celts like the one in my case Awls some with eyes many with with- out Awls are usually of bone Little Little Little Lit Lit- tle objects in in bone so some e circular I and drilled in the center And skulls to show occipital flattening And a photo of an arrowhead imbedded imbedded imbedded im im- im- im bedded in a human vertebra the end of tragic a event The book is too scientific for tor popular popular popular pop pop- ular use but as as as' asa a reference book to ones one's library highly valuable I One little thing which adds a I great charm to the book the many plates in the back are arc of the col J col I I method of reproduction no noh h tone half tone screen rendering a certain soft very pleasing illustration tion which can be examined under undera a glass to best advantage The collotype presentation gives a plate of great faithfulness full Cull deI detail de de- tail tall and these Uiese examples are beautiful beau beau- beautiful examples of that pl pleasing process tee |