Hope Archaeology, Inc

If you ever get a chance to brave the trail up to Kirwin, Wyoming along the Wood River, I highly recommend it.

PS: Bring a good 4-wheel drive and wait until the rivers calm down quite a bit.

Megan Roberson, Vicki Varnum, and Greg Rouse hard at work circa 2012 somewhere around the Greybull River, west of Meeteese.

Going through some old work photos and came across this old gem. Sheba was a pretty good field hand when it came for finding decaying animal remains!

Shout out to the hard women and men working on our fieldwork this year, from Billings to Devil's Tower, and next onto the Snowy Mountains and the Bighorns. Thank you all!

Just because we are documenting cultural resources doesn't mean we should ever ignore fuzzy bunnies.

Professional archaeology entails a lot of interesting fieldwork and the opportunity to explore many places you never knew existed. But it also entails paperwork. Lots and lots of paperwork. Here is a single copy of a report we just finished (pint purely for scale).

Live up to your license plate Bozeman

For those of you in the Bozeman area, or those who are just interested in historic preservation, here is a fantastic article from a friend and colleague whose presence in the community will be greatly missed. Thanks Courtney.

bozemanmagazine.com October 15 was my last day as Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Bozeman. Rather than the usual article about a place or person important in our community’s history, this article is a soliloquy on the state of cultural resource preservation in Bozeman and Gallatin County. In short,

I know, it has been forever since I put anything here, I'm the worst. Moving along, here is testimony given to me and the other board members concerning the Madison Buffalo Jump you may find interesting.

"PRESERVING AND PROTECTING OUR
NEAREST STATE PARK HANGS IN THE BALANCE

(Statement of Bill Goold, Organizer and President of Friends of Madison Buffalo Jump Before the Gallatin County Historic Preservation Board – November 16, 2015)

Thank you very much for the opportunity to briefly address you today. My name is Bill Goold and I am speaking to you today on behalf of Friends of Madison Buffalo Jump. We are a local, community-based non-profit. We are the principal volunteer organization dedicated to serving and supporting Madison Buffalo Jump as a state park for posterity and the sharing of all its stories as an irreplaceable and beautiful part of Montana’s diverse cultural heritage and natural landscape.

Our mission is to promote stewardship and preserve, protect, and share the cultural, natural, educational, and archaeological heritage and recreational benefits of the Madison Buffalo Jump State Park for the enrichment of all people.

Sadly, an ominous cloud of uncertainty continues to hang over the future of the nearest state park to Bozeman and our surroundings. Three years ago, the Montana State Park System announced in a press release that it was seeking public comment on foregoing management control of Madison Buffalo Jump State Park, located just 27 miles northwest of here. In contravention of a pre-existing 1965 state law that remains in effect, this looming proposed interagency move would relinquish control of this precious place to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), which is required by the state constitution that was adopted in 1971 to generate yearly income from all public trust lands from grazing fees, timber sales, and/or oil and gas royalties. Worse yet, private developers envision possibly buying the site for residential development of luxury homes.

Incredibly, the official stance of state agency officials continues to be that this state park can be preserved as is, only if the Montana State Park System pays an annual lease fee to DNRC.

How can this be? Currently, Madison Buffalo Jump State Park is comprised of 638.4 acres of land, some of which are designated School Trust Lands. DNRC owns 617.5 acres, while 20.9 acres are owned by the Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Commission (FWP) as part of the Montana State Parks System. A 2012 legislative audit determined that FWP henceforth should pay DNRC an annual leasing fee of $4,272 plus an annual inflation escalator for use of the property in order to compensate the School Trust Fund which, in turn, benefits public schools, colleges, and universities across the state. The problem is the cash-strapped Montana State Parks System does not receive any line item appropriation to finance operation and maintenance costs in the state budget from one year to the next, thus having to rely primarily upon vehicle registration fees as its biggest
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source of funding. Consequently, while FWP is willing to continue to pay operating costs (personnel and maintenance) at this state park, it cannot afford and does not want to be compelled to pay an additional annual leasing fee to the DNRC in perpetuity. Neither was that the expressed intent of the two ranch families who agreed in 1965 to exchange the Madison Buffalo Jump and surrounding acreage only if the site remained a state park in perpetuity and solely under the jurisdiction of the Montana State Parks System.

In the 1962, a National Park Service Study described the Madison Buffalo Jump as ‘classic’ and having ‘exceptional value.’ It is very carefully selected terrain where Plains Indian tribes-people on foot, up until the early 19th century, drove bison herds over cliffs or steep terraces to be killed and dressed.

The Madison Buffalo Jump is surrounded by high limestone bluffs and overlooks the Madison River Valley to the west. To cite just one benefit, Hikers enjoy scenic beauty and panoramic views throughout the park, while also learning to appreciate its extraordinary archaeological and historical significance, having been used as far back as 2,500-3,000 ago by ingenious Indian hunters.

In the past, souvenir seekers plundered bone deposits and other relics, especially before the state park was established 50 years ago. Nevertheless, other unique cultural features remain such as tipi rings, stone cairns, drive lines, eagle catching pits, fasting beds, and the like. Just 18 months ago, a distinguished team of university experts completed the first comprehensive cultural survey on site in half a decade and concluded that this singular place is loaded with artifacts that could them busy for the rest of their professional lives.

Equally important, this is a spiritual place for at least 14 different tribal nations in Montana and surrounding states with ancestral ties to the Madison Buffalo Jump. It a rare and nearby natural wonder, and an irreplaceable part of Montana’s multicultural heritage stretching back thousands of years. It should be secured and preserved now and for posterity.

As a problem-solving community, we need to come together quickly to identify all options for saving and preserving this historic, irreplaceable outdoor treasure, keeping it fully accessible to the general public, including tribes-people, scholars, researchers, students of all ages, hikers. It must be preserved and protected from harmful grazing or short-sighted private sector development by default.

In this regard, let it not be said of us that we know the monetary price of nearly everything and the value of little or nothing."

Gallatin County, MT - Historic Preservation Board

If you have a business, and would enjoy a massive amount of affordable marketing in Gallatin County this summer, here is your chance to be a sponsor for our 3rd annual Historic Tour of Gallatin County this summer. For a couple hundred dollars, you can have your name on thousands of pieces of marketing material that will be given out around the county. For more information, follow the link below, or feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Thank you.

gallatin.mt.gov Historic Preservation Board

The Official Site of Gallatin County Montana

I write a short blurb for Gallatin County most months, and the link is attached below. Also, at the bottom of the webpage is a grant application for those interested in preserving a heritage property in the county.

gallatin.mt.gov Welcome to the Official Website of Gallatin County Montana

Lewistown ranch family's land contains treasure trove of plains Indian rock art

missoulian.com LEWISTOWN (AP) – Growing up on a ranch outside Lewistown, Macie Ahlgren used to enjoy playing at a creek that ran through the ranch, near a rock wall.

MHS Cased Images

pinterest.com Selection of cased ambrotypes, daguerreotypes and tintypes from the Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives. To order a reproduction, download our order form at https://mhs.mt.gov/research/services/repros/howtoorder.aspx or contact Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives at (406) 444-4…

Locals find clues to 1807 fur fort's location

I love to see the community involvement in this research.

billingsgazette.com The exact location of the earliest Euro-American settlement in Montana has been a mystery for more than 100 years, but some Billings folks think they could have found clues to

Russia in color, a century ago

Russia, a century ago. (Take the dumb little two question survey to see them all).

boston.com With images from southern and central Russia in the news lately due to extensive wildfires, I thought it would be interesting to look back in time with this extraordinary collection of color photographs taken between 1909 and 1912. In those years, photographer Sergei Mikhailovich Prokudin-Gorskii (1...

Crowdfunding the past: is this the future of archaeology? : Archaeology News from Past Horizons

This could be very helpful for project specific research on individual sites. It could only cover a less than 0.1% of the work that is mandated by the law; however.

pasthorizonspr.com The rise of crowdfunding in the United Kingdom has taken another step forward as UK-based DigVentures launches the world’s first archaeology crowdfunding platform.

Pluto's Gate Uncovered in Turkey : DNews

I always figured it was in south central Idaho.

news.discovery.com The ancient Plutonium, a poisonous cave found in Turkey, was believed in Greco-Roman mythology to be the portal to hell.

13 accused of 'stealing the history of this state'

Bastards.

orlandosentinel.com A two-year undercover operation has broken up what officials said was an extensive, statewide ring of individuals trading in illegal historical artifacts, largely from Native American sites.

Archaic Native Americans built massive Louisiana mound in fewer than 90 days, research confirms

That is a lot of dirt to move.

phys.org (Phys.org)—Nominated early this year for recognition on the UNESCO World Heritage List, which includes such famous cultural sites as the Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu and Stonehenge, the earthen works at Poverty Point, La., have been described as one of the world's greatest feats of construction by an arc...

Kentucky: Heritage Council - Archaeological Myths and Misconceptions

In case anyone wonders what an archaeologist does and does not do, this is a pretty good, simple breakdown.

heritage.ky.gov Because of former archaeological practices, misrepresentation in the media, and long-time stereotypes about people of the past, people often have inaccurate ideas about what archaeologists do and the societies that they study.

Peru temple 'up to 5,000 years old'

Pretty sweet find.

bbc.co.uk The remains of a small temple believed to be between 4,000 and 5,000 years old are discovered at an archaeological site near Peru's capital, Lima.

Montana State Parks :: Public Comment Sought on Turning Back Management of Madison Buffalo Jump Stat

The last day to comment! My comment is posted below.

"The Madison Buffalo Jump holds significant research potential into the local prehistory of the Gallatin Valley. Turning this significant cultural resource over to the DNRC would not only limit the opportunity for research and understanding, it would expose the site to avoidable, detrimental disturbances. The Madison Buffalo Jump's potential to reveal information important to local and regional history should preclude it from consideration for this action. Not only do we risk damaging an important archaeological resource, we also risk missing the opportunity to utilize this site as a teaching tool, and a tourism draw that has to potential to positively impact the local economy.

Shane Hope
Hope Archaeology, Inc
Bozeman, MT"

stateparks.mt.gov Montana State Parks is seeing public comment on forgoing management control of Madison Buffalo Jump State Park, located near Three Forks. This move would turn control back to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC), the agency with majority land ownership. Public comment ...

Comparing Yellowstone River maps highlights Josephine lore

Nicely done.

billingsgazette.com On a small trail in Riverfront Park, where the snow is pockmarked by deer tracks and a lone bicycle’s tires, a brown plaque marks the location where the steamboat Josephine tied up to a cottonwood tree on June 7, 1875.

As some of you know, Hope Archaeology has moved its office to Bozeman, MT. If anyone has any questions, or requires a cup of coffee next time they are through Bozeman, please feel free to look us up.

Thank you,

Shane Hope

Defense.gov News Article: Face of Defense: Archaeologist Among 'Lincoln' Extras

http://www.defense.gov//news/newsarticle.aspx?id=118566

www.defense.gov FORT LEE, Va., Nov. 16, 2012 – Bryce Stanley, an archeologist at the Regional Archaeological Curation Facility here, digs history -- literally.

Scott's ship found off Greenland

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19288188

bbc.co.uk The wreck of the ship that carried Captain Robert Scott on his doomed expedition to the Antarctic a century ago has been discovered off Greenland.

Cache Of Severed Hands Discovered In Ancient Egyptian Palace

gadling.com Archaeologists digging at the ancient Egyptian site of Tell-el-Daba have made a grisly discovery – sixteen severed hands. They were all right h

'Earliest' sign of modern culture

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19069560

www.bbc.co.uk The earliest unambiguous evidence for modern human behaviour is discovered by an international team of researchers in a South African cave.

Evidence that human ancestors used fire one million years ago

Fire good.

sciencedaily.com Scientists have identified the earliest known evidence of the use of fire by human ancestors. Microscopic traces of wood ash, alongside animal bones and stone tools, were found in a layer dated to one million years ago at the Wonderwerk Cave in South Africa.

Ancient Artifacts on Display in MSU Library Exhibit

If you find yourself in Bozeman...

montana.edu

Beer and bling in Iron Age Europe

Same as it ever was...

sciencedaily.com Celtic burial mounds in southwest Germany, offer a glimpse of how Iron Age people lived in a time before written records were kept. Using both old-school archaeology and new technology, the researchers were able to reconstruct elements of dress and ornamentation and also social behavior of those asp...