Introduction

The Northern Arizona chapter (NAAS) is headquartered in Flagstaff. Besides local residents it attracts members from various states largely through their interest in Elden Pueblo, where AAS certification courses and other activities centered on exploration, discovery and education have been conducted since 1980. Youngsters have developed a permanent interest in archaeology through visiting Elden on tours funded by the City of Flagstaff and summer programs sponsored by the Museum of Northern Arizona.

Besides conducting AAS certification courses, NAAS members guide tours of Elden and devote hours to lab work, where volunteers are always welcome.

Public tours and dig days are scheduled throughout the summer. The last one for the year is Sept 27th from 10AM - 4Pm

In addition to a multiplicity of volunteer opportunities at Elden, the Northern Arizona chapter holds monthly meetings with a summer recess from June through August, with interruptions for social get-togethers at the annual Elden potluck in June and a holiday potluck in December.  The chapter publishes a local newsletter,and schedules occasional field trips.

Besides a focus on Elden, members of the chapter with specialized interests in rock art and archaeoastronomy have developed courses and conducted activities in these fields, allowing additional volunteer opportunities for chapter members and other amateurs and scholars with a passion for these subjects.

Chapter Officers

Chapter Meetings

Chapter Projects

2010 AAS Field Season at Elden Pueblo Flagstaff, Arizona

 Alumni Field Sessions   June 21-25 & June 28-July 2, 2010

Instructor: Peter J. Pilles, Jr., Walter Gosart, Tom Woodall

Alumni are invited to join the staff for a work week to complete documentation and interpretation of trenches that have been completed,but require final confirmation.  This will involve review, corrections, and updates to previous excavation notes,photographs, plan drawings, and profiles, as well as verifying correlations within the overall site stratragraphic sequence. Registration is required and a fee will be charged to cover site expenses. This session is limited to Elden Alumni or persons with equivalent field experience. Members who are looking to complete Crew Member II certification (week two)may also attend.

Program fee: $75/week.

Laboratory Techniques  July 19-23 & July 26-30, 2010

Instructor: Peter J. Pilles, Jr.

Two, one-week sessions of Lab work. This class deals with the methods and materials used in processing, preserving, cataloging, and storing of artifacts. It includes classifying artifacts with particular attention paid to ceramics and lithics.  Course held at the USFS offices in Flagstaff area.

Program fee: $100/week

Ruins Stabilization Course   Consecutive weekends: August 13-15 & 21-22, 2010

Instructor:  Walter Gosart, Tom Woodall

Ruins Stabilization will consist of both lecture and field work. The course provides the basic academic and field skill to allow participation in AAS stabilization projects and assist the professional community, as may be requested.  The course will briefly cover excavation methods when needed specifically for stabilization purposes. The course will cover the principles and purpose of stabilization, the difference between “stabilization” and “reconstruction”, and the various tools and techniques used. Also, the course will discuss the importance of mapping, photography and documentation during the stabilization or reconstruction process.  Field trips to observe stabilization efforts at nearby sites may be scheduled.

Program Fee is $150 per week.

A Brief History of the Beginnings of the Northern Arizona Archaeological Society

The Northern Arizona Chapter of the Arizona Archaeological Society was formed as an independent Archaeological society in 1967 by members of a class taught by NAU instructor Roger Kelly to assist professionals in archeological projects in the Flagstaff area. Professor Kelly had given a series of lectures on the history of Man in Northern Arizona and the society was an outgrowth of those lectures and the interest they had sparked. Both the University and the Museum of Northern Arizona encouraged the society by offering the use of their facilities. NAAS was not originally affiliated with the state society, but was instead a local growth that took advantage of local conditions and resources,with many of the same objectives as that of the state society which had begun a couple years earlier.

In 1967 the society was involved in a survey of the Shadow Mountain area, a proposed housing development to the north of what was then Flagstaff. As an outgrowth of this survey, the society gained permission to excavate one of the pithouses that was discovered in the area.

After a period of close association with the museum and the university the society became inactive for a few years. About 1977 loyal members Margaret Scott and Phil Shaefer reactivated the society. When the society was rejuvenated in the late ‘70’s it assumed the role of a chapter of the state organization and has functioned as such since that time.

About the time NAAS was reactivated Peter Pilles became advisor to the chapter and has served this role ever since. In his position as Chief Archaeologist with the Coconino National Forest, Pilles has long been an advocate for educating the public about prehistory of northern Arizona and involving students and avocational archaeologists in studying the cultures of this area. Pilles determined that the Sinagua site of Elden Pueblo, a large 12^th-13^th century village on the east side of Flagstaff, would be re-excavated, involving the public in archaeological techniques of survey, excavation, recording,analysis, and related activities. Elden is an archaeological model for public involvement.

Local Museums

Museum of Northern Arizona
3101 N. Fort Valley Rd.
(928)774-5213
Website:www.musnaz.org

Pioneer History Museum
2340 N. Ft. Valley Road
(928) 774-6272
Website: www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org

Coconino Center for the Arts
2300 N. Ft. Valley Road
(928) 779-2300
Website: www.culturalpartners.org

Other Cultural Sites Nearby