Waldo Wilcox: Preservation

[DaktariEd]

Not too long ago a post discussed the photographer's dilemma in whether to reveal locations of remote sites to keep out the riff-raff and to preserve the area from those who would pillage and steal.

Here's an interesting story of Waldo Wilcox who managed to keep secret for 50 years one of the most amazing troves of North American Indian artifacts ever discovered.

When he finally got too old, he sold the land to the State Trust (if I am remebering correctly), and the state started covert studies and surveys.

And true to form, after a newspaper "leaked" the story and whereabouts, artifacts are starting to disappear at the hands of the unscrupulous. :ar15:

National Geo Article

My personal opinion: Waldo was completely correct in his handling of the area. If he had revealed its location 50, 40, 30, even 20 years ago, I think it would have been wholesale ransacked, and it archeological value lost forever. I think we've made strides in understanding the value of preservation over the last 20-50 years. Now is as good a time as any to reveal the trove and study it, and preserve it, by experts.

:sombrero:
Ed

PS...if you read deeply in the article, you'll find that even the so-called team of experts (grad students mostly) are hauling out artifacts that might best be left where they are (Wlado's opinion...and shared by many). It raises a lot of questions about what is going on there...

 

[goodtimes]

My personal opinion: Waldo was completely correct in his handling of the area. If he had revealed its location 50, 40, 30, even 20 years ago, I think it would have been wholesale ransacked, and it archeological value lost forever.

I hate to say it, but I agree. It seems people think that anything they find should be theirs to keep. To bad there aren't more like Waldo....then we might be able to continue to enjoy these sites.

 

[DaktariEd]

This would be an exceptional site to preserve as-is.

Imagine allowing controlled goups in to observe exactly how the artifacts were left, how they appeared after more than 700 years being undisturbed.

It would be a pretty rugged hike for folks, but then, that's the point. Let people experience it as-is.

It might even be worth NOT excavating things.

Once excavated they are changed forever.

Perhaps remote sensing, ground penetrating radar, that sort of thing...

 

[Steve Curren]

I see places like that and I marvel at their beauty and all the history. I wish that all were free to tell others about the places and artifacts they find or know of. I know that there are people who just can't keep their mitts off items or not destroy buildings I just don't understand why people can't just enjoy it and leave it as they found it. I have found many things that are nice and interesting but I look and maybe even touch but when I leave they remain as they were found. It's too bad that a few have and will continue to ruin the fun and adventure for others. I want to say that items I have handled are of recent years, at the area where Patton trained the troops I have found many items and I will check them out and then return them to where I found them.

 

[goodtimes]

Part of the problem is that even with responsible people, simply having foot traffic can destroy alot of things. It is human nature to want to touch, feel and hold things that we are curious about. How many of you walk up to a historic structure, walk around and in it, run your hand along the wall, etc? I know I tend to do it....and each time I do, I leave a little bit of me behind (in the form of dirt/sweat/grime from the trail, and I knock off a bit of history in the form of dust/dirt that my fingers loosen from the surface....now multiply that times 1,000...10,000...100,000.....and you start to see the problem with even controlled access.

 

[DaktariEd]

Part of the problem is that even with responsible people, simply having foot traffic can destroy alot of things. It is human nature to want to touch, feel and hold things that we are curious about. How many of you walk up to a historic structure, walk around and in it, run your hand along the wall, etc? I know I tend to do it....and each time I do, I leave a little bit of me behind (in the form of dirt/sweat/grime from the trail, and I knock off a bit of history in the form of dust/dirt that my fingers loosen from the surface....now multiply that times 1,000...10,000...100,000.....and you start to see the problem with even controlled access.

True enough, but I have been to a beautiful cave in New Mexico, near Carlsbad Caverns (I think it is Slaughter Canyon Cave) that is locked and access is strictly controlled. Inside the undeveloped cave, the group is restricted to marked tracks. The experience is exceptional and the impact negligible.

Something similar in an area like this would be do-able....but costly. And that's the rub. Our #$@% government spendocrats will not allocate monies where they ought to go to preserve such sites. Just look at spening on National Parks on recent years....

 

[goodtimes]

. . . spendocrats . . .

:xxrotflma

Seriously though, I agree...it is possible to control an area so damage is manageable. Some of the caverns here in S. Arizona actually get closed every year for a couple of weeks so they can go in an clean them to remove the dust that the "tourists" bring in. You are also not allowed off of the marked and guided trails, can't touch anything, etc. In the case of the area cited in the above article, it would have to be managed in a similar manner...and would cost quite a bit of $$$ keep control of it.

Of course, then there is the issue of the govt having to make everything handi-cap accessable and idiot proof....so how much damage would we do while building all the roads, parking areas, hand rails and hanging all the "don't run with sissors" signs....

 

[DaktariEd]

...and hanging all the "don't run with sissors" signs....

:xxrotflma :xxrotflma

 

[kcowyo]

PS...if you read deeply in the article, you'll find that even the so-called team of experts (grad students mostly) are hauling out artifacts that might best be left where they are (Wlado's opinion...and shared by many). It raises a lot of questions about what is going on there...

And a fire in the area "may" have been started by smoking archaeologists....? So the riff-raff everyone is so concerned about protecting these places from, are actually the preservationists? Lord, I love irony but that's a bit much even for me.

 

[goodtimes]

And a fire in the area "may" have been started by smoking archaeologists....? So the riff-raff everyone is so concerned about protecting these places from, are actually the preservationists? Lord, I love irony but that's a bit much even for me.

The problem is that they are not preserving anything, except their name in a text book somewhere.

Somehow, I think the only "preservationist" in the whole story was Waldo...