This morning we received unfortunate news from William Little, of one of our sister organizations, the Doña Ana Archaeological Society:

Excerpt from the next DAAS Newsletter.

Membership notes.

This meeting will mark the end of the Society’s active existence. After over seventy years, it is time to fold our tents, put away our trowels and screens, and leave the field to the young. For the time being, we will maintain our Facebook page and the DAAS mailing list. No dues of any sort will be collected. Any funds remaining at the end of the year will be forwarded to the ASNM Scholarship Fund.

We urge all of you to continue your support of avocational archaeology. Two organizations are highly recommended: The Archaeological Society of New Mexico (ASNM), https://archaeologicalsocietynm.org, and the Grant County Archaeological Society (GCAS), https://www.gcasnm.org/. GCAS holds monthly meetings in the Silver City area, has active projects, and publishes a dandy newsletter – well worth our participation.

William Little

Set aside time on Sunday, December 4, 2022, at 10:00AM - when the GCAS meets for this month's field trip at WNMU's Museum at Fleming Hall for a guided tour by museum director Danielle Romero. Come to view the new and innovative exhibits that Danni and her staff have already put on display, and hear about the museum's work in curating their vast collections. Ask about the museum's plans for future exhibits and how you can become involved in the process!

(For those unfamiliar, the entrance to the museum is across a small parking lot adjacent to the Aldo Leopold Charter School. From downtown Silver City, drive westbound along W 10th Street until it curves uphill and becomes N Louisiana Street right where the school and the museum are located, on the north side of the street. For more details, visit the museum's web page.) We'll see you there!

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Wednesday, November 16, 2022, 7:00PM via Zoom: Let's get together online for our monthly meeting. As usual we'll start with a brief-if-any business meeting to be immediately followed by our Featured Speaker and longtime GCAS friend and supporter, Margaret "Peggy" Nelson PhD. Peggy will share with us NEWS FROM THE EAST: Contributions to Understanding Mimbres Lives and Landscapes.

Join us on Zoom starting at 6:45 to get situated before Peggy begins her presentation at 7:00 PM sharp. A Q&A session will follow her talk. Check your email inbox for your Zoom invitation about one week beforehand, and join us to hear about Peggy's insights. Meanwhile, learn more about her and her archaeological career:

On October 7, 2022, the Southwest Kiln Conference's own Jeff Cooper kicked off their event at WNMU in Silver City with a presentation titled Mysteries of Mimbres Mineral Painted Pottery. Jeff described his own research and experiments in replicating Mimbres painted pottery, and he shared his insights with a very attentive audience. Whether you are a ceramicist yourself or simply curious about how the ancient Mimbres pottery was made, you may find the YouTube video of Jeff's presentation just right for you. Please enjoy: https://youtu.be/70CPfsCI7ho

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Please set aside time on Saturday, October 15, 2022 to help the GCAS host the annual Archaeology Day at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site. This year's activities overlap with a special tour that MCHS volunteers are offering to attendees of the New Mexico Association of Museums during their annual conference, so we need plenty of GCAS members to assist folks at educational stations around the grounds. No experience necessary; we'll prep you on everything you need! Contact Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 for details. Thank you, and we'll see you there!

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Register now! The 21st Biennial Mogollon Conference is happening early next month on Friday, November 4, 2022, thru Saturday, November 5, 2022, in the Student Union building on the University of Arizona campus in Tucson, Arizona. A reception, free of charge to all attendees, hosted by Archaeology Southwest on the evening of Thursday, November 3, 2022, kicks off the weekend and offers an excellent opportunity for students to mix with faculty and the rest of the professional community. Click here for registration info and more details, and revisit the Conference website for any updates. We'll see you in Tucson!

/s/ webmaster [photo by M.Smith]

The GCAS is always on the lookout for new places to visit, or to revisit places we've been in the past. Day trips are fun, but so are overnight adventures. We always welcome our members, from brand-new to our Grizzled Old Timers, to give our group your own ideas - where would YOU like to go for our November 6, 2022 field trip? Any other field trip? Archaeological sites and historic sites like forts, missions, & mines are all cool by us.

We've traveled as far afield as Paquime, Mexico; and as close to home as Gomez Peak. We've visited Three Rivers, and have recorded the rock art at the Dragonfly Petroglyph. Anything goes, near or far, with avocational archaeologists! Some of our members are willing to lead any field trips up their way -- but new leaders are welcome too! What do you know? What areas do you like the best? Please share with us - we want to keep exploring!

/s/ webmaster

Please set aside time on Saturday, October 15, 2022 to help the GCAS host the annual Archaeology Day at the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site. This year's activities overlap with a special tour that MCHS volunteers are offering to attendees of the New Mexico Association of Museums during their annual conference, so we need plenty of GCAS members to assist folks at educational stations around the grounds. No experience necessary; we'll prep you on everything you need! Contact Marilyn Markel at 575-536-9337 for details. Thank you!

/s/ webmaster

September 21, 2022, 7:00PM - This month's GCAS meeting is in person at the Roundup Lodge in San Lorenzo (Mimbres Valley). Start at 6PM with your own plates/utensils/beverage & a dish for yourself or to share. Brief general meeting at 6:45 PM. At 7:00 PM sharp we welcome our Featured Speaker, Silver City archaeologist Neal Ackerly, who will speak about the mines of Lake Valley including the Bridal Chamber Mine which contained one of the richest silver veins ever discovered. Join us as Neal explains:

The El Paso Museum of Archaeology on Transmountain Road has announced a new exhibit in their North Gallery that features casts of the animal and human fossil tracks found in White Sands National Park and the surrounding White Sands Missile Range, that have recently been dated to be about 23,000 to 21,000 years old. The findings have caused anthropologists and archaeologists to reconsider their assumptions of early human occupation of the Western Hemisphere.

The El Paso Museum of Archaeology's exhibit is planned to continue only through February 8, 2023, so plan your visit soon. The Museum describes their temporary display, titled White Sands Fossil Tracks, as showcasing: