Guam National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan

Cultural Resource Investigations
Summary of Previous Surveys and Research
A summary of previous surveys and research directly associated with what is now Guam NWR is provided
in Table 1. The first professional archaeological studies of Guam and the Mariana Islands were
sponsored in the 1920s by the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Subsequent fieldwork, both on a landscape
level and specific to Ritidian, has been conducted by the military, the National Park Service, and most
recently, the Service. For those projects dating 1990 and later, the survey location information is adequate
for mapping purposes. The total area of the Ritidian Unit for which documentation of systematic survey
exists is approximately 14 acres, as presented in Figure 3.
1925 - Hans Hornbostel
Hans Hornbostel surveyed Ritidian and excavated a fairly extensive area, in addition to investigating other
islands in the Marianas. Hornbostel’s work provided the first documented evidence of a Chamorro village
and Spanish mission on the beach at Ritidian. Nearly 10,000 artifacts collected by Hornbostel constitute the
Marianas collection curated by the Department of Anthropology at the Bishop Museum.
1932 - Laura Mead Thompson
In 1932, Dr. Laura Thompson published a synthesis of Hornbostel’s collection, photographs, and field
notes entitled Archaeology of the Mariana Islands as Bishop Museum Bulletin 100.
1947 - Douglas Osborne
In 1947, Douglas Osborne, an officer assigned to the Military Police Battalion on Guam, conducted a series
of surveys and limited excavations around the island. He found little evidence of lattes intact on the beaches,
but observed more intact evidence on the inland rivers in the southern half of Guam. The beach sites
appear to have been heavily impacted by the war years and perhaps even earlier by the Spanish. Osborne
briefly visited the northern coast and notes that “from Oruno around the whole northern to northeastern
coast on the island there is a continual archaeological area” (Osborne 1947:47 in Liston 1996:65). Osborne
also described several small latte groups at Ritidian in a state of poor preservation (Osborne 1947:47 in
Liston 1996:67).
1952 - Erik Reed
Reed surveyed areas of Guam for the U.S. National Park Service with an aim to protect, preserve, and
possibly develop prehistoric and historic sites for interpretation. He focused on relocating the sites identified
by Hornbostel and Osborne rather than making new discoveries. Reed did not relocate the latte set at
Ritidian. However, he did describe the surviving Spanish structure as being located on the beach strand
below Ritidian Point.
1977 - Fred Reinman
In 1977, F. R. Reinman, sponsored by a National Science Foundation Grant and the Field Museum of
Natural History in Chicago, conducted a comprehensive survey of large portions of Guam and test excavated
five sites. He also prepared standardized site forms for the archaeological sites he visited.
1990 - Kurashina et al
Archaeological investigations conducted by the Navy in 1987-1989 in compliance with the National Historic
Preservation Act revealed pockets of intact cultural deposits, several burials, and areas that had been
truncated by previous building projects (Kurashina et al. 1990). Based on their field efforts, Kurashina
noted that while cultural deposits exist close to the forebeach, the western portion of the midbeach appears
to have been the location of the main prehistoric occupation.
15 Guam NWR - Cultural Resources Overview and Management Plan - 2006