thedrifter
02-22-09, 07:26 AM
Desert military bases hold wealth of archaeological finds
By MARK MUCKENFUSS
The Press-Enterprise
People have been coming to Surprise Springs for 9,000 years.
So, for archaeologist Marie Cottrell it's no big deal to find evidence of man in the sandy soil above a now-dry creek bed.
"Did you find some pottery? Here's some," Cottrell says, picking up a smooth, small brick-red shard from the ground near a stand of tamarisk trees. "Here's a grind stone," she adds, bending to retrieve a rounded piece of granite from the soil. Then she changes her mind.
"No, it's not," she says. "It's part of a fireplace, because it's got cement."
The two items, their usage possibly hundreds of years apart, point to the history of the place. In prehistoric times, American Indians, including Serrano, Chemehuevi, Cahuilla and Mojaves, spent winter months here, making tools from a nearby stone quarry. In the early part of the 20th century, homesteaders built cabins here; one stone cabin still stands.
The Marines are the latest humans to hold domain over the site. It sits within the bounds of the Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms.
"Here's the evidence the Marines were here," says John Hale, another archaeologist. He shows off some narrow metal pieces. "These are hand grenade pins."
There are also some weathered rifle shell casings here and there. But the Marines are no longer allowed to set foot on this ground. It is one of 1,750 protected sites on the base.
Cottrell is the base's cultural resource officer. For 14 years she has been picking over the desert terrain, identifying and assessing sites that contain 2 million-year-old fossils, petroglyphs and the remnants of mining operations. She identifies the locations and tells the Marines to stay out.
Other military bases, particularly those in sensitive ecological areas, have similar personnel. They keep the guns and tanks from destroying the heritage of areas under military control.
At Twentynine Palms, Cottrell says the system works well.
The Marines, she says, "are pretty good about not violating that space. Once every two or three years, you have to fuss at someone. But they're easy to work with. You only have to tell them once and they get it."
Eighty percent of the base's operations take place in areas that are not sensitive, she says. When a new location is considered for exercises, the archaeologists go in first to survey the site and determine if there are any areas that should be off-limits.
The result is that the base has been inventoried to a much greater degree than most other areas of the desert.
"It was pretty much a blank slate when I got here," says Cottrell of her arrival in 1995. "We knew about Foxtrot (a petroglyph site) and some of the historic mining sites. And we knew about Surprise Springs. But only about 3 percent of the base had been surveyed at that time."
Now, she says, about 43 percent of the 932-square-mile base has been covered.
Hale, one of her assistants, says the degree of archaeological knowledge of the region is unique.
"That's probably one of the most important things about our site is it gives a bigger picture," says Hale. When it comes to the density of cultural sites across the desert, he adds, "This base could be made a model of what to expect."
Work at Fort Irwin
Folks at Fort Irwin, to the northwest, could make the same argument. Archaeologists there have been doing similar work.
Luz Ramirez de Bryson came to Fort Irwin four years ago. Her focus of work has been in Chile, Bolivia and California. She also worked at the China Lake Naval Weapons Station.
She says the Fort Irwin area offers no end of work for an archaeologist.
"Everything is so fascinating," she says.
One of her recent discoveries is a series of geoglyphs -- alignments of rocks that form shapes or pictures when viewed from above. These, she says, form rather abstract shapes, although one may be the representation of a quail. The geoglyphs lie in an area of planned expansion of the base.
Sites at Fort Irwin also include a wealth of petroglyphs and pictographs, and mining sites from a boom at the beginning of the 20th century, including the ghost town of Crackerjack.
Ramirez de Bryson says she is preparing papers for publication on both Crackerjack and one of the pictograph sites. She still spends about 50 percent of her time in the field, studying or identifying new sites.
The base also has some important historic elements. Both the Old Spanish Trail and Mormon Trails crossed through here. One of the stops was at Bitter Springs, which is on the national historic registry.
Indian Sites Found
American Indians had villages near the springs for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived, and a molar from a mastodon was found nearby.
"People lived there for thousands of years," Ramirez de Bryson says.
She estimates that between 50 percent and 70 percent of the base has been surveyed. And she too says the military personnel recognize the fragility of the cultural and environmental resources.
Sensitive sites are marked on maps. Many are fenced and include devices called cybersticks that show when seen through night-vision goggles.
Dangers of bases
The archaeologists also have to worry about not becoming unintended targets.
At Twentynine Palms, Cottrell says she has found herself in an uncomfortable spot more than once. She recalls being in the field on one such occasion.
"I was approved to be downrange," she says, and suddenly found herself in the middle of a battlefield. "They were shooting missiles over my head."
Such instances, she says, don't happen often, but she has learned to watch for signs.
"If the tank drivers have their helmets on and they're sitting in their turret, nine times out of 10 they're going to shoot," she says. "We figure we don't need to be there."
Reach Mark Muckenfuss at 951-368-9595 or mmuckenfuss@PE.com
Ellie
By MARK MUCKENFUSS
The Press-Enterprise
People have been coming to Surprise Springs for 9,000 years.
So, for archaeologist Marie Cottrell it's no big deal to find evidence of man in the sandy soil above a now-dry creek bed.
"Did you find some pottery? Here's some," Cottrell says, picking up a smooth, small brick-red shard from the ground near a stand of tamarisk trees. "Here's a grind stone," she adds, bending to retrieve a rounded piece of granite from the soil. Then she changes her mind.
"No, it's not," she says. "It's part of a fireplace, because it's got cement."
The two items, their usage possibly hundreds of years apart, point to the history of the place. In prehistoric times, American Indians, including Serrano, Chemehuevi, Cahuilla and Mojaves, spent winter months here, making tools from a nearby stone quarry. In the early part of the 20th century, homesteaders built cabins here; one stone cabin still stands.
The Marines are the latest humans to hold domain over the site. It sits within the bounds of the Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms.
"Here's the evidence the Marines were here," says John Hale, another archaeologist. He shows off some narrow metal pieces. "These are hand grenade pins."
There are also some weathered rifle shell casings here and there. But the Marines are no longer allowed to set foot on this ground. It is one of 1,750 protected sites on the base.
Cottrell is the base's cultural resource officer. For 14 years she has been picking over the desert terrain, identifying and assessing sites that contain 2 million-year-old fossils, petroglyphs and the remnants of mining operations. She identifies the locations and tells the Marines to stay out.
Other military bases, particularly those in sensitive ecological areas, have similar personnel. They keep the guns and tanks from destroying the heritage of areas under military control.
At Twentynine Palms, Cottrell says the system works well.
The Marines, she says, "are pretty good about not violating that space. Once every two or three years, you have to fuss at someone. But they're easy to work with. You only have to tell them once and they get it."
Eighty percent of the base's operations take place in areas that are not sensitive, she says. When a new location is considered for exercises, the archaeologists go in first to survey the site and determine if there are any areas that should be off-limits.
The result is that the base has been inventoried to a much greater degree than most other areas of the desert.
"It was pretty much a blank slate when I got here," says Cottrell of her arrival in 1995. "We knew about Foxtrot (a petroglyph site) and some of the historic mining sites. And we knew about Surprise Springs. But only about 3 percent of the base had been surveyed at that time."
Now, she says, about 43 percent of the 932-square-mile base has been covered.
Hale, one of her assistants, says the degree of archaeological knowledge of the region is unique.
"That's probably one of the most important things about our site is it gives a bigger picture," says Hale. When it comes to the density of cultural sites across the desert, he adds, "This base could be made a model of what to expect."
Work at Fort Irwin
Folks at Fort Irwin, to the northwest, could make the same argument. Archaeologists there have been doing similar work.
Luz Ramirez de Bryson came to Fort Irwin four years ago. Her focus of work has been in Chile, Bolivia and California. She also worked at the China Lake Naval Weapons Station.
She says the Fort Irwin area offers no end of work for an archaeologist.
"Everything is so fascinating," she says.
One of her recent discoveries is a series of geoglyphs -- alignments of rocks that form shapes or pictures when viewed from above. These, she says, form rather abstract shapes, although one may be the representation of a quail. The geoglyphs lie in an area of planned expansion of the base.
Sites at Fort Irwin also include a wealth of petroglyphs and pictographs, and mining sites from a boom at the beginning of the 20th century, including the ghost town of Crackerjack.
Ramirez de Bryson says she is preparing papers for publication on both Crackerjack and one of the pictograph sites. She still spends about 50 percent of her time in the field, studying or identifying new sites.
The base also has some important historic elements. Both the Old Spanish Trail and Mormon Trails crossed through here. One of the stops was at Bitter Springs, which is on the national historic registry.
Indian Sites Found
American Indians had villages near the springs for thousands of years before the Europeans arrived, and a molar from a mastodon was found nearby.
"People lived there for thousands of years," Ramirez de Bryson says.
She estimates that between 50 percent and 70 percent of the base has been surveyed. And she too says the military personnel recognize the fragility of the cultural and environmental resources.
Sensitive sites are marked on maps. Many are fenced and include devices called cybersticks that show when seen through night-vision goggles.
Dangers of bases
The archaeologists also have to worry about not becoming unintended targets.
At Twentynine Palms, Cottrell says she has found herself in an uncomfortable spot more than once. She recalls being in the field on one such occasion.
"I was approved to be downrange," she says, and suddenly found herself in the middle of a battlefield. "They were shooting missiles over my head."
Such instances, she says, don't happen often, but she has learned to watch for signs.
"If the tank drivers have their helmets on and they're sitting in their turret, nine times out of 10 they're going to shoot," she says. "We figure we don't need to be there."
Reach Mark Muckenfuss at 951-368-9595 or mmuckenfuss@PE.com
Ellie