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ARCHAEOLOGY DAY STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING

An important meeting of the Archaeology Day Steering Committee will be held on Wednesday, November 10 at 6:30 PM at the Christian Community Services office located at 309 San Juan Avenue in Alamosa. Members of the committee are exploring ways to make us more effective in archaeological education efforts in San Luis Valley schools, Mike Blakeman, Environmental Educator for the Rio Grande National Forest, will attend the meeting to lead a discussion pertaining to improving methods of teaching various grades of students.

One of the stated primary goals of the SLV Archaeological Network has been and remains to be to increase the quality and number of educational efforts in area schools, where archaeological education is often lacking. There has been a demonstrated need for this type of activity and several members have been doing what they can to fulfill the need. The upcoming meeting will explore how we can train and utilize more SLV Archaeological Network members to provide quality archaeological education experiences throughout the San Luis Valley. Please come and play an active role in your San Luis Valley Archaeological Network. For more information please call Loretta Mitson at 589-6740.

RIO GRANDE HOTEL EXCAVATION IN CREEDE

"WERNER'S SAFE KIDNEY & LIVER CURE", "PAINE'S CELERY COMPOUND", "WAKEFIELD'S BlACKBERRY BALSAM", "NEW YORK PHARMACAL ASSOCIATION LACTOPEPTINE", AND "ASTRASK'S MAGNETIC OINTMENT" all sound like they would be worse to take than the afflictions they are intended to cure. In spite of the way they must have tasted, not to mention the side-effects experienced, the above were apparently the way miners in Creede treated their medical woes in the 1890' and early 1900's, The above collection of bottles were found up to 60 cm below the surface in a coal ash/trash dump area behind the Rio Grande Hotel, one of Creede's oldest buildings, Also found in the latest excavation effort were a fragment of "Royal Ironstone China", a perfume bottle, a copper broach decorated with black onyx, and a whiskey bottle.

As you will remember from a previous Archaeo-Update the Rio Grande Hotel, dating from 1892, was initially a hotel for railroad employees, then a general boardinghouse for miners, and later a home for two prominent Creede families, Two one meter X one meter excavation units yielded a variety of artifacts in the evident layers of coal ash. Artifacts found consisted of etched window glass, a brass eyeglass nose piece, a dresser handle, apricot and peach pits, extract bottle fragments, a cuff link, a silver serving spoon, and medicine bottles in addition to the above. Of note were a"Bigelow Kickipoo Indian Oil " bottle dating to 1895 and a "Dr. Kilmer's Swamp Root Kidney, Liver, and Bladder Cure" bottle, also dating to 1895. The relatively large number of evidently butchered bones of cow, hog, and chicken found along with the pits of peaches and apricots will be used to help determine the changing diet of people using the property through time, The study of chronologically diagnostic artifacts will also supply clues to living conditions as well as transportation and supply networks through time in the town of Creede.

The collected cultural material will be analyzed this winter and volunteers are needed to help with the formidable task. If you have an interest in helping with the analysis please call Vince Spero at 852-6242 or 873-5916.

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