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Date: | Wed, 18 Jul 2007 23:53:11 -0400 |
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Ah, but oral history only goes so far. I recall interviewing an 86-year old
World War II veteran and finding he knew nothing of the World War I artifacts
housed in the attic of the local American Legion Hall (in fact, none of those
WW II vets could walk up the staircase to see the stuff in the attic). I
suspect few informants can tell us much of a 18th century Hispanic adobe
location.
Not all historical diaries and "geezer accounts" are accurate. During my
tenure in local government, a local historical archaeologist hired an historian
to search for a "missing" 1840s adobe in a local rancho. They targeted a piece
of land using geezer accounts, newspaper records, and one or two Canary
Island palm trees as guidance and then ripped up the land using a backhoe in
search of the legendary adobe. But to no avail. Then I enlisted the assistance
of a local land surveyor and he found a record of survey at the local
government office and triangulated the sightings of "the adobe house," which proved to
be a mile or so east of the palm trees. Then I found a 1970s vintage survey
report prepared by a couple of prehistorians that commented, "mound of hard
mud associated with broken glass, beads, and white ceramics." My point here is
that oral history, interviews with old timers, and living memory is only one
tool in the historical archaeology tool kit.
Should the prehistorians have received training in historical archaeology
before surveying a large tract of land with a known Mexican era adobe and native
village in contact with European Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries?
Should the historical archaeologists have learned land surveying to access and
thoroughly use records of survey notes in search of the adobe? How would an
historical archaeologist esconced in a history department have approached the
issue?
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.
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