Glen Canyon Archeological Survey, Part III

Prior to 1957 little was known of the archeology of the area in and near the Glen Canyon of the Colorado River in southeastern Utah and northern Arizona. Difficulties of logistics and access limited a thorough survey and study in the area.

Archeological sites were recorded, however, as early as 1869. John W. Powell (1875) noted the ruins at both White and Red canyons during his pioneering explorations of the river. In 1932 Julian H. Steward, then at the University of Utah, recorded 25 sites in the main canyon during a two week reconnaissance (Steward, 1941; Birney, MS). During the 1930's the Rainbow Bridge-Monument Valley expeditions made sev~ral boat trips down both the San Juan and Colorado rivers and recorded several sites (Beals , Brainerd and Smith, 1945 , 5; Hargrave, 1935, 23~ ... In 1952, under the auspices of the Museum of Northern Arizona, Gene Foster began a series of surveys in the canyon area. This activity was continued in 1956 and 1957.

In 1957, the University of Utah, under contract agreement with the National Park Service, initiated intensive survey and limited excavations in the Glen Canyon proper and surrounding areas (Lister, 1958; Gunnerson,1959 b). A similar operation on a larger scale was continued during the 1958 season (Fowler and others ,1959; Lipe MS).

The present report is concerned with the final phase of the University of Utah survey, which was continued during the 1959 season. The survey was concentrated in the upper Glen Canyon, between Hite, Utah, and the confluence of the San Juan and Colorado rivers. The field operation was concerned with two objectives: one, to complete the survey of the Glen Canyon proper, the lower part of the canyon having been surveyed during the 1958 season; and two, to enter from the river and thereby complete the survey of both sides of the canyon, including areas inaccessible to the land-based surveys of the 1958 season.

This report is descriptive in nature, following the format of previous survey reports on the Glen Canyon area. The section on pottery analysis was written by Florence C. Lister, who analyzed the majority of the ceramic collection. However, I assume responsibility for impressions and generalizations drawn from this and other data. Such generalizations must be regarded as tentative, subject to conformation or rejection by the excavations completed or planned in the area. We have tried, where possible, to note similarities to and differences from the findings in the surrounding areas, both of survey and excavation. However, the majority of the data is drawn from surface finds only.

Originally the information in this record was migrated into tDAR from the National Archaeological Database Reports Module (NADB-R) and updated. In 2014, as part of its effort to improve tDAR content, the Center for Digital Antiquity uploaded a copy of the document and further improved the record metadata.