Newsletter of the Archaeological Society of Central ... - State of ...

Newsletter of the 

Volume 17, No. 2 

Archaeological Society of Central Oregon 

Volume 17, No. 3 May/June 2010 

THURSDAY, MAY 20 SPECIAL MEETING OF THE MEMBERSHIP, 

POTLUCK SUPPER AND RETURN ENGAGEMENT 

OF DR. PATRICK O’GRADY 

ASCO welcomes the return of Dr. Patrick O’Grady, staff archaeologist at the University of Oregon’s 

Museum of Natural and Cultural History, as our featured speaker for the May 20 th special meeting 

and potluck dinner. What better way to celebrate than to share a potluck dinner with Pat whose cur‐ 

riculum vitae lists one of his primary research interests as “hunter‐gatherer subsistence practices and 

early Holocene cultural trends in the Great Basin of western North America?” 

Pat earned his B.S. (1996), M.S. (1999), and Ph.D. (2006) from the Uni‐ 

versity of Oregon (UO). He has served on twelve UO field schools since 

1994, first as a student, then as an assistant, supervisor, and instructor. 

His UO field school instructor profile describes Pat’s Ph.D. research Be‐ 

fore Winter Comes: Archaeological Investigations of Settlement and 

Subsistence in Harney Valley, Harney County, Oregon as “an examina‐ 

tion of mid to late Holocene multi‐elevation land use patterns encom‐ 

passing wetland to upland settings within a large, well watered valley in 

the Great Basin.” For several years now, Pat has presented some of the 

results of his field school research through our ASCO programs. He 

taught the 2009 UO field school at the Sheep Mountain Clovis site last 

year and hopes ASCO members will be able to visit the field school 

again this year. ‐‐ Jo Radeker 

For members, and their families and guests, we offer our annual pot luck supper before the meeting. 

Bring a dish to share, your beverage if you desire something other than coffee or tea (spirits may not 

be consumed in the building), and we will provide the rest. The doors will be opened by 5:30 PM for 

set‐up, and dinner will begin at 6 PM. The public is invited in at 7 PM for our meeting and program. 

As usual, the meeting is held at the Central Oregon Association of Realtors building, 2112 NE 4 th 

Street, Bend. 

Proposed Bylaws Change 

After supper and before Dr. O’Grady’s presentation, we will be asking for a vote of the membership 

on a change to our bylaws. The proposed change is to paragraph 5.2 which specifies the date for a 

grace period for new memberships that will carry into the next year. The date is currently Septem‐ 

ber 30 and we are proposing to move the date back to August 31 to accommodate new fall member‐ 

ships. Contact any board member if you have questions about this proposal. 

May/June l 2010 Midden 1

The Don Zettel Photography Challenge 

Santiam Wagon Road ‐ ca 1910 National Archives photo 

ASCO members are challenged by Sisters RD archaeologist Don Zettel to find this exact view of Mt. 

Washington from the Santiam Wagon Road. Don believes it was taken from the Willamette side and 

somewhere east of Sand Mountain. The prize of a one year ASCO individual membership will be 

awarded for the new photo that most closely lines up with this circa 1910 photo. The judges will be 

a professional photographer and Melea Keene, ASCO Vice President. Entries may be digital or film 

copies, which can be emailed, mailed, or hand‐delivered to Don at the Sisters Office, to be received 

not later 4 PM on October 15. Photos should not be larger than 5X7 and digital file size should be 

kept at 1.5 MB or less. Get in touch with Don if you have any questions. His contact information is 

on the last page. The Sisters Ranger Station is located at the west end of Sisters at Pine St. and 

Highway 20; their mailing address is P.O. Box 249, Sisters, Oregon, 97759. The winner will be an‐ 

nounced at the November General Meeting and the winning photo will be published in The Midden. 

Best of Luck! 

News Flash!! Dr. Dennis Jenkins will speak at the High Desert Museum on 

Saturday, May 8, at 1 PM. Call the Museum for details. 

Thanks to Joyce Kesterson for this info. 


Upcoming 2010 Activities 

Historic Homesteads of Cove Palisades SP Tour/Thursday, May 6 

May Special Meeting & Potluck Dinner/Thursday, May 20 (Dr. Patrick O’Grady) 

Columbia River area trip/weekend of June 11‐12 

Site Recording Training/June 19 

Crescent Lake PIT/Session 1, June 22‐24; Session 2, July 13‐15 

Survey Training/July 9 

Paisley Caves tour with Dennis Jenkins and Mark Swisher, July 16‐17 

Demaris Lake Backpack Trip with Don Zettel/August 7‐8 

September General Meeting/Thursday, September 16 

Oregon Archaeology Celebration/month of October 

November General Meeting/Thursday, November 18 (Dr. Jim Keyser) 

Family Picnic/TBD 

“A Klamath is Never Afraid” - Perry Chocktoot, March 18, 2010 

If it were possible to devote this entire issue of The Midden to it, there still wouldn’t be enough 

room to transcribe all the notes I took during Perry’s talk at ASCO’s last General Meeting. I feel 

completely and totally inadequate even trying to touch upon what he gave us that night. First 

of all, he was not feeling well; yet he drove from Klamath Falls with the support of his wife to 

meet with us. As he taught us the story of his people, no one could tell, so completely hidden 

was this from his audience. That he found the will to come is a tribute to his strength of spirit, 

and his gift of sharing truly honored us. 

Perry’s sense of humor was evident right from the beginning. He delighted us with an ‘ice 

breaker’ story about a brave who took three horses and went looking for a wife among the vari‐ 

ous bands camped around Crater Lake. The story has maidens, one who could process a big 

stack of wocas in a day, a questionable ‘father’ who told him that these maidens were his sis‐ 

ters, and a wise mother who cleared it all up in the end. It was a very good ice breaker indeed. 

Then, Perry told the Klamath story. His people were always here, since the beginning of time. 

Their traditional stories mirror what is known in modern science. The Gmukumps creation 

story tells of two bones laid down for each of the separate peoples ‐ the Modocs, the Paiutes, 

and the Klamath ‐ and violent impacts to the land as part of that story, correlating so perfectly 

with and incorporating the ancient eruption of Mt. Mazama. We learned the name for the 

birthplace of the Creator, the Gomeski or “Cave Place.” 

He told of more recent times, including the establishment of the Klamath Reservation by treaty 

in 1864, when two of his direct ancestors were primary motivators among the treaty signers. 

He described times when the government interfered, when many things did not go well for the 

tribes, such as in 1886 when traditional ceremonies were banned. However, with families such 

as the Browns, the Davids, and the Chocktoots, the Tribes have maintained their cultural heri‐ 

tage against such formidable odds. Sadly, the last fluent speaker died in the late 1990s, and yet 

the oral traditions are still being passed on. 


Perry spoke eloquently about the loss of habitat throughout the region including the lower end 

of Klamath Lake, a very sacred place and once home to millions of geese. His heart was heavy 

when he told about Tu’am, the sucker fish that has always been a key traditional food of the 

Klamath, its designation as an endangered species in 1987, and how he and his people are 

working so diligently for their return. He mentioned performing the Sqam Ceremony, once 

prohibited, and how they pray so fiercely to bring the fish back. Perry discussed events sur‐ 

rounding Captain Jack of the Modoc and how he is viewed as an honorable man who was sim‐ 

ply fighting for justice. We learned about the lodges they lived in: winter was for split lodge 

poles, tule mats and mud; summer was cattail and tule. He gave us names for some of the 

mountains, sacred because the higher you go, the closer you are to the Creator: Keys y’ ayn’ a 

dat means ‘Snow on Mountain’ (Mt. McLaughlin); Tsum tsum ni means ‘Flat on Top’ (Mt. 

Shasta); moon y ’ayn’ a means ‘Big Mountain’ (Pelican Butte). Crater Lake, Giiwas ‐ “This 

place stayed secret for a long time. You never go there to play. This is a place where you 

pray.” 

Perry is active in trying to preserve his traditions. He sponsors a culture camp and teaches the 

children all the old skills. He has served on the Tribal Council and he is actively working on irri‐ 

gation agreements that will benefit everyone who lives in the Klamath Basin. And, he does 

wonderful talks such as this to people like us who want to know and understand. Thank you so 

much Perry! ‐‐ Susan Gray, and apologies for all the omissions and any inaccuracies 

We would like to clarify ASCO’s long‐standing 

policy on including family members and 

guests on our field trips. All the trips are of‐ 

fered to ASCO members on a first come, first 

served basis. Family members within family 

memberships who are listed on the ASCO ap‐ 

plication form are considered full ASCO 

members for these purposes. Guests can be 

included only after ASCO members and their 

official family members are offered the slots, 

and only for trips not designated ‘for mem‐ 

bers only’ due to sensitivity or number limita‐ 

Field Trips Policy 

tion. These are rare but do happen. The pol‐ 

icy for guests is that they may come on one 

trip as a guest. They must become a member 

to participate further. Some trips are not ap‐ 

propriate for children or persons with certain 

limitations, but we do try to accommodate 

everyone as well as we can. It is incumbent 

upon everyone who wants to attend a field 

trip to read The Midden and watch for an‐ 

nouncements regarding these events because 

they tend to fill up quickly. 

Trip update: 

Pictograph Trail field trip to the Columbia River: Changed to June 11‐12 and is full. 

Paisley Caves trips: Friday, July 16 is full with a wait list; guided tour of Picture Rock Pass 

petroglyphs has been added. Saturday July 17 trip: Space Available 

If you have any questions about the availability of slots for any of the above trips, contact Jean 

Drayer (email preferred). 

Demaris Lake trip with Don Zettel has been expanded to August 7 and 8 with an overnight at 

the lake. Contact Don for details and to sign up. See the last page for contact info. 


Fort Rock Cave Field Trip Wows First Time Visitors 

You could have heard a pin drop while 

Paul Patton related two sides of the 

story ‐ the current science on the one 

hand and the ancient Paiute creation 

legend on the other, both powerful 

and convincing. I would love to relate 

the Paiute story here, but as Paul re‐ 

minds us, that story is for the Cave 

only, and that is where it shall remain. 

Ancient traditions, modern science, 

never ending vistas, glistening flakes, 

and new animal signs – were all there 

to be absorbed and remembered. 

OPRD Interpreter Paul Patton relates the stories 

Fort Rock Cave is the site of the discovery of sagebrush 

sandals that predate any other known footwear on earth 

(so declared expert Petr Hlavacek of the Technical Univer‐ 

sity in Brno, Czech Republic in 1999). Approximately sev‐ 

enty‐five fire singed sandals resting together beneath Ma‐ 

zama Ash were found in the 1930s. Oldest shoes ON THE 

PLANET!! Think about it. Fort Rock Cave is one of the 

coolest places anywhere and it’s just around the corner 

from YOU! 

Steve Allely replica sandals 

Afternoon at Fort Rock Cave (Paul Janssen photo) 

ASCO has more than one important connec‐ 

tion to the Cave. It was long‐time ASCO 

member and native Oregonian Patricia 

O’Day’s grandfather, Walter Perry, who 

guided Luther Cressman to the Cave in the 

1930s. More recently, former ASCO member 

and Cave steward Rich Barber, who passed 

away prematurely in 1999, was instrumental 

in brokering a very successful deal between 

the owners of the cave property, Gordon and Virginia Wanek, and the Archaeological Conser‐ 

vancy. This led to donation of funding by Cycle Oregon and purchase of the 20‐acre Cave prop‐ 

erty by the Oregon State Parks Department (OPRD) in 2000. Formal dedication of the Cave took 

place that summer, which means there is a ten‐year anniversary approaching. Several ASCO 

folks participated as members of the Fort Rock Advisory Group that structured the property 


management procedures and developed the interpretive story. With the assistance of other 

stakeholders, OPRD has been hugely successful and the Cave is being stewarded in a respectful 

and protective manner. 

Our ASCO group was split into two tours on 

April 29, required by the limitation of ap‐ 

proximately 10 people at the Cave at a time. 

It was bitterly cold but the morning cloud 

cover gave way to sun in the afternoon; the 

wind still cut right through your parka. The 

clouds made glorious formations, and deep 

desert colors and contrasts. No one stayed 

away; everyone who said they would come, 

did, which gratified trip coordinator Jean 

Drayer. The Fort Rock Valley Historical 

Homestead Museum opened for us, and by 

special request, Paul pointed out the picto‐ 

graphs on Bell Rim so that folks could visit 

them on their way out of the valley. Day 

trippers included: Janet Cowart, Bill Camp‐ 

bell, Burt and Carol Douglass, Jean Drayer, 

Susan Gray, Susan Jackson, Paul Janssen, 

Carol and Hal Keesling, Kate and Ed Kennel, 

Ted and Joyce Kesterson, Mike Logan, Paul 

Logan, Phil and Janet Roberts, Ruby Swanson, 

and Danielle Takla. Here are some of their 

comments on the trip: 

Hats Off To Jean. This was our first ASCO outing and Jean made sure that 

we were fully briefed on the adventure. We thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated 

Paul's presentation. 

I really liked the tour. Paul did a great job of explaining the archeology and relationship 

to other work now ongoing in Oregon and elsewhere. 

Other than the freezing cold, the trip to the cave was very interesting. Had it not been 

so cold I would have liked to learn about the other types of artifacts found in the 

cave that Paul brought. The pole with the depths marked on it was a great visual! It 

was a great trip. 

There was another agenda at work last week. State Parks is looking to bolster its small cadre of vol‐ 

unteer interpreters to help tell the story to visitors, and Paul would really love to have ASCO in‐ 

volvement once again. Tours are always done with multiple interpreters; it’s not a solo flight. 

If you are interested, you can reach Paul by office phone at 541‐923‐7551 or email at 

paul.patton@state.or.us 

Recommended reading: Luther Cressman’s The Sandal and the Cave, the preeminant book on the 

subject, especially the newer edition that is prefaced by Dr. Dennis Jenkins of the University of 

Oregon; Archaeology of Oregon by Dr. Melvin Aikens, also of the UO; Cressman’s autobiography A 

Golden Journey – Memoirs of an Archaeologist; and Editor Les Joslin’s life of Walt Perry, Walt Perry: 

An Early‐Day Forest Ranger in New Mexico and Oregon. 

Term to know: Amanabani – Paiute word for ‘ribcage of the people,’ a traditional name for the Fort 

Rock Valley 


ASCO LOGO PRODUCTS ON SALE AT THE MAY 20 MEETING !! Look for Marlene Shaw. She will be 

offering our remaining wearable logo products at a staggering savings of 40%. 

A VERY SHARP LITHICS TRAINING 

ASCO can’t thank the Forest Service and BLM folks enough who conducted Lithics Training on Sat‐ 

urday, April 17. These incredibly dedicated professionals, including training organizer and ASCO ad‐ 

visor Sisters District Archaeologist Don Zettel, Crescent District Archaeologist Leslie Hickerson, 

Prineville BLM Archaeologist John Zancanella, and LeRoy Steece, factotum and master flintknapper, 

pooled their resources and combined skills to give ASCO one of their most tactile and, may I say, 

FUN classes to date. Attending ASCO members included: Valarie Anderson, Susan Gray, Chris Hort‐ 

ing‐Jones (herself an archaeologist, but she sat among the students), Pat O’Day, Janet and Phil Rob‐ 

erts, and Dale Tigner. 

What made this class so totally engrossing were its many thoughtful touches such as having an ex‐ 

pert flintknapper (LeRoy) create tools and flake examples during the discussion, demonstrating each 

type down to the teeniest late stage edge finishing flake. 

Leslie brought a representative sample of artifacts from the Crescent District and discussed their sig‐ 

nificance. A new aspect to lithics training was added by special request, and John Zancanella dem‐ 

onstrated the proper way to draw lithic finds, 

acknowledging that photography still doesn’t capture 

it all. Something new to almost everyone in the room 

was that proper illustration of facets starts with the 

sun coming from the upper left, something like 11:00. 

Keep in mind that the best pencil to use is a 

mechanical one that allows for a good angle as you 

are tracing the outer edge of your tool, making for 

more accuracy. These hints come from an 

archaeologist who used to make a living as an illustra‐ 

tor. 

ASCO members Janet Roberts, Pat O’Day and Valarie 

Anderson with LeRoy Steece and Leslie Hickerson 

If you know Leslie at all, you won’t be surprised that she developed a 

“Jeopardy” contest to test the recall of the students. It was held at the 

end of the day, of course. Some people shine when they are saturated 

with information and are eager to give it back in the form of the right 

question. Others couldn’t read their notes fast enough, aren’t so good 

under pressure, or were just too tired to think straight. At any rate, Team 

A, which included Janet and Phil Roberts, and Pat O’Day, took home the 

prize – bragging rights. Thanks for all the great hand‐outs, notebooks, 

and mechanical pencils and to Phil Roberts for the photography. 

‐‐ Susan Gray 

Don Zettel scores Jeopardy 


For those of you who have not met LeRoy Steece, this is definitely a man we would like to see back 

in the ASCO fold (he couldn’t make our Thursday meetings). He is a long‐time La Pine resident, who 

retired in 1994 from nearly 30 years of public service, most of it with the Forest Service in Oakridge 

and Crescent, Oregon. He returned to college to finish his BA in Anthropology after retiring. 

LeRoy Steece demonstrates expert flintknapping 

(Note the Bluetooth technology ‐ what a contrast) 

LeRoy was the first permanent employee at the 

Crescent District to work in the Heritage Program, 

having come from the timber department in the 

late 1970s. He is an excellent flintknapper and con‐ 

tinues to advocate enforcing the laws protecting 

cultural resources. Despite his "approaching senior 

status" age, LeRoy could probably out walk and out 

work many people half his age. Crescent District 

Archaeologist, Leslie Hickerson, gained invaluable information from working with LeRoy during her 

first three years at Crescent. Since retiring, LeRoy has continued his interest and support of agency 

archaeologists, while also pursuing his many other interests and staying involved in his children's 

and grandchildren's lives. ‐‐ Leslie Hickerson 

Crescent Lake PIT Project is Full: Crescent Archaeologist Leslie Hickerson reports that all posi‐ 

tions are filled with five ASCO folks and seven others recruited through PIT. An information packet 

will be emailed to the ASCO participants before the end of May. 

The Oregon Archaeological Society has come out with a new book! 

Rock Art of the Oregon Country - Honoring the Lorings’ Legacy 

Collected Papers in Oregon Rock Art, James D. Keyser and George Poetschat, Editors 

Rock art studies include recording and interpretation of the images as well as 

ethnographic research into their use and purpose. These collected papers honor 

Malcolm and Louise Loring, pioneer rock art researchers who provided the first 

comprehensive documentation of hundreds of sites in the Oregon Country. This 

work carries on the tradition of the Lorings by recording new sites and providing 

documentation on the sites they recorded. 

Ordering Information for “Rock Art of the Oregon Country” 

Price: $15 For mail orders please add $4.00 for shipping and handling, plus $2.00 for each addi‐ 

tional book. Wholesale prices available. Please contact Cathy Poetschat (poetschat@msn.com) 

Please send checks (no credit cards please) to: The Oregon Archaeological Society, P.O. Box 13293, Portland, OR 97213 


Please welcome Carol Swift as your new Historian! 

Thank you, Donors 

BILL AND RUTH BANCROFT 

BILL AND BONNIE BOYD 

DEBRA BOYER 

HAROLD BRAINERD 

WILLIAM CAMPBELL 

PAUL CLAEYSSENS 

CATHERINE ELLIS 

MYRNA FRESHWATERS 

SUSAN GRAY 

ALISON HAMWAY 

JAN AND JOHN HODGERS 

LARRY AND CONNIE MARSHALL 

PATRICIA O’DAY 

JOAN QUIGLEY 

LARRY AND JO RADEKER 

MONICA SCHREIBER 

TOM AND PHILLIS TEMPLE 

JOHN ZANCANELLA 

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETINGS 

MARCH 25 

BUDGET ISSUES WERE ADDRESSED AND PLANS MADE FOR RESOLUTION 

PLANS FOR ROCK ART TRAINING ARE BEING DEVELOPED 

OUR BYLAWS ARE UNDER REVIEW; CHANGES WILL BE PROPOSED TO THE MEMBERS 

LOGO PRODUCTS WILL BE DISCOUNTED TO RECOVER OUR EXPENSES 

APRIL 30 

WE HAVE 21 NEW MEMBERSHIPS THUS FAR FOR 2010 

Welcome 

New ASCO Members!! 

William Anderson 

Leslie, Carly, & Beno Bottarelli 

Robert David 

Nancy & Larry Green 

Selene Hutchison-Zuffi 

Melissa Morgan 

Paul Patrick 

Ruby Swanson 

Danielle Takla 

FORT ROCK TRIP WAS HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL; ALL PLANNED FIELD TRIPS ARE 

PRACTICALLY FILLED (SEE ARTICLE IN THIS ISSUE) 

WE WILL SEEK LEGAL REVIEW OF OUR LIABILITY COVERAGE 

PROPOSED BUDGET CHANGES WILL BE PRESENTED AT THE NOVEMBER MEETING 

WE WILL FOLLOW UP ON MEMBERS’ INTERESTS AS INDICATED ON THEIR APPS 

A NEW VOLUNTEER AGREEMENT WITH THE FOREST SERVICE IS BEING DEVELOPED 

THE BOARD WILL BE MORE RESPONSIVE TO AGENCY REQUESTS FOR PROJECT INPUT 

CAROL SWIFT HAS AGREED TO ACCEPT THE POSITION OF ASCO HISTORIAN 


ASCO 

Website: www.ascoinfo.org 

Address: P.O. Box 8146, Bend, 97708‐0146 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 

PRESIDENT: Dale Tigner, 541-504-9594 

dalered.05@gmail.com 

VICE PRESIDENT: Melea Keene, 541-923-3756 

keene@myhomefed.com 

TREASURER: Marlene Shaw, 541-389-8811, 

dmshaw@q.com 

RECORDING SECRETARY: Jean Drayer, 

541-593-1314, jeand@clearwire.net 

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY: Vacant 

MEMBER AT LARGE: Susan Gray, 541-330-6326, 

s_gray@bendbroadband.com 

PROFESSIONAL ADVISOR: Don Zettel: 

Home, 541-923-6054, dzettel@bendcable.com 

Office, 541-549-7708, dzettel@fs.fed.us 

COMMITTEES 

PROGRAMS: Jo Radeker, 541-382-6491, 

rad@bendcable.com 

Asst: Marlene Shaw 

PROJECTS: Vacant 

FIELD TRIPS: Jean Drayer 

EDUCATION: Melea Keene 

PUBLIC OUTREACH: Melea Keene 

STEWARDSHIP/VOLUNTEER COORD: VACANT 

MEMBERSHIP: Jean Drayer 

HOSPITALITY: Marlene Shaw 

OREGON ARCHAEOLOGY CELEBRATION: 

Leslie Hickerson, 541-433-3200, 

lhickerson@fs.fed.us 

OTHER POSITIONS: 

HISTORIAN: Carol Swift 

541-617-8754, swifts@bendbroadband.com 

LIBRARIAN: Jean Drayer 

WEBMASTER: Art McEldowney, 

artmac2.gmail.com 

MIDDEN EDITOR: 

Susan Gray: s_gray@bendbroadband.com 

Asst. by Leslie Hickerson, Jean Drayer 

and Jo Radeker

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