Book 2.indb - Pacific Coast Archaeological Society

Pacific Coast Archaeological Society History
Stephen O’Neil
Founded as a non-profit scientific, educational, and
advocacy organization in 1961, the Pacific Coast Archaeological
Society (PCAS) was guided by avocational
archaeologists and historians dedicated to the protection
and study of cultural resources within Orange County
and surrounding areas. The formation of the organization
coincided with a time of rapidly increasing local
population and the expansion of residential and commercial
developments. This growth precipitated a sense
of urgency among the new organization’s members. They
forged a collective response by drafting an outline of
what would become PCAS’s major activities – salvage
excavations, educational meetings, and publication of
a newsletter (Smoke Signals) which disseminated the
results of field work, explained proper field methods, and
announced guest speakers and upcoming events.
Almost from its beginning, PCAS was active in the field,
excavating sites in the coastal area and in the Santa Ana
Mountains. Surveys were conducted to record sites, and
record forms were subsequently filed with the UCLA
Archaeology Department, a for-runner of today’s Information
Centers. To support the integrity of its field work,
the Society promulgated a Code of Ethics. During the
time when field work was a primary activity, prospective
PCAS members were required to attend three monthly
meetings and to be sponsored by a member. This was
seen as a way to ensure the ethics and commitment of
new members.
Early in its history, PCAS began a long relationship
with the Bowers Museum where PCAS monthly meetings
were held and where artifacts and records from the
organization’s field work were stored. The decision was
made to publish a scientific journal, the Pacific Coast
Archaeological Society Quarterly, and the first issue was
published in 1965. The Quarterly welcomed contributions
from both professionals and avocationalists, and
the majority of articles dealt with the material manifestations
of the thought and behavior of Native peoples
of southern California and nearby areas. For most of
its early history, the guiding hands of the journal were
those of Helen Smith and Lavinia Knight.
Over the years as the practice of archaeology changed
in California, so did the PCAS Quarterly. Opportunities
for PCAS excavations diminished, and the professional
field of cultural resource management, CRM, expanded.
The Quarterly became increasingly a venue for CRM
scholarship, although contributions from persons more
associated with academia have endured through recent
volumes. Quarterly subscribers include individuals,
college and university libraries, and CRM firms. There
are subscribers from beyond California and even beyond
the United States. The Quarterly remains the crowning
achievement of an organization begun by avocationalists,
many of whom had been at one time collectors of
Indian relics.
PCAS continues to sponsor talks, open to the public, at its
general meetings which are currently held on the second
Thursday of every month (except for July and August).
In recent years these lecture meetings have been held at
the Irvine Ranch Water District offices in Irvine, with
the exception of the December Holiday meeting held
at the historic San Joaquin Gun Club. PCAS sponsors
outreach programs throughout the year including an annual
program involving students of the public Garfield
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