EXCAVATIONS AND SURVEY AT FLORENCE. AZ

I WORKED FOR THE BLM IN ARIZONA AFTER GETTING MY MA. ONE OF OUR PROJECTS WAS TEST EXCAVATING A LARGE HOHOKAM VILLAGE SITE INSIDE OF THE PRISON IN FLORENCE, ARIZONA. WE SPENT ABOUT 4 DAYS HERE AND FOUND SEVERAL BURIALS AS WELL AS MANY TYPES OF POTTERY SHERDS AND GROUND STONE TOOLS. THIS SITE WAS TESTED BECAUSE THEY WERE INSTALLING SOME TYPE OFNEW FACILITY FOR THE PRISON.

WE HAD HELPERS FROM THE PRISON. THEY MOVED SOME OF THE DIRT AND HELPED US WITH BOXING AND BAGGING THE ARTIFACTS. IT WAS INTERESTING TO EXCAVATE THIS AREA AS I HAD NOT EXCAVATED IN PHOENIX BEFORE, AND THE BURIAL BONES WERE VERY DIFFICULT TO PRESERVE INTACT. WE MOVED THESE ARTIFACTS TO OUR BLM FACILITY. THERE WERE ANIMAL BONES AND WE SAVED SOIL FOR IDENTIFYING POLLEN ANALYSIS. SOME OF THE PRISONERS WERE NATIVE AMERICANS.

I ALSO CONDUCTED SOME SURVEYS NEAR TOMBSTONE WHERE I NOTED A NUMBER OF POTTERY SHERDS AND TEMPORARY CAMPSITES. I REMEMBER THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH GLASS AND RECENT GARBAGE DEBRIS, THAT IT SEEMED AS IF THE RESIDENTS DID NOT TAKE CARE OF THEIR PROPERTY. THERE WAS NOTHING TOO SIGNIFICANT ABOUT THIS SURVEY, HOWEVER, THE TOWN OF TOMBSTONE IS INTERESTING.