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

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
May/June l 2010 Midden 6