Windes Was Here

Summary

Documenting field work has been standard archaeological practice for over a century. Long-term preservation and continuing use of those records has been less standard. Tom Windes’ documentary record of his work in Chaco Canyon is an example of what best practices can achieve. In particular, Windes developed a style of mapping archaeological sites that has proved invaluable in relocating, monitoring, and maintaining Chaco’s World Heritage resources. Standards for archaeological site documentation have changed in the past 45 years, but Windes’ keen sense of the cultural landscape and his ability to interpret surface remains has kept his records relevant. Working in a pre-digital era of hand-written and typed field notes, hand-drawn maps, and (mostly) black and white photography, Windes’ legacy is impressive: at least 50 linear feet of his records have been cataloged into the Chaco Museum Collection. Although paper records pose preservation and access challenges, one of their advantages is the personal touch. Handwritten annotations, comments, and artwork can provide information, insight, and sometimes humor. This personal touch can indelibly link archaeologists with their projects in a way that electronic files cannot.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Its About Time: Contributions in Honor of Thomas C. Windes   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage