Emery County Historical Society Presents the “Other” Archaeology of Castle Valley

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Emery County Historical Society members gathered together to listen and learn about the “other” archaeology of Castle Valley, the historic archaeology, Thursday evening at the Museum of the San Rafael.

The evening began with the Braun Family performing three songs. Dallan, Landon and Jesse Braun sang “Chickery Chick,” “Maresy Dotes” and “The Three Little Fishes.”

Guest speaker, nationally respected archaeologist Charmaine Thompson, from the Manti-La Sal National Forest taught the members through a slide show presentation how the archaeology of Castle Valley’s artifacts, foundations and other remains of historic period sites can provide insights into the lives of our immediate ancestors.

“So, why do we do historical archaeology?” she asked. “We do it because Congress has told us that the historical, cultural foundations of the nation should be preserved as a living part of our community, life and development in order to get a sense of orientation for the American people.”

Thompson explained that by exploring different historic sites, people are able to determine how the site was set up, such as where people lived and where they worked. She said that a person would be able to determine who lived there and what the occupations were of the people who lived at the site.

She also stated that many of the historic sites around the area have been disturbed or items have been removed from the site. Charmaine encouraged people to leave the sites as they find them so others visiting can have the same experience.

“Sites are puzzles, try to figure out what happened there and when it happened,” Thompson said. She encourages people to learn more about different historic sites by “connecting the dots with the stories.”

To learn more or volunteer to work with Thompson, visit www.sha.org, www.passportintime.com or www.utaharchaeology.org.

 

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