Dr. Fay-Cooper Cole and His Father, Rev. Dr. George L. Cole: A Forgotten Chapter of Early Archaeological Explorations in the American Southwest

Summary

In the history of American archaeology, Fay-Cooper Cole (1881-1961) at the University of Chicago was instrumental in implementing standardized archaeological field methods and training a generation of archaeologists through his Illinois field schools in the 1930s and 1940s. In recent years, there has been some debate about the origins of the “Chicago Method” of excavation, for it has been stated that “Cole had no previous training in archaeology” (Browman 2002). Yet before he began his significant anthropological career, Cole accompanied his father on archaeological expeditions to the American Southwest at the turn of the 20th century and published early photos of archaeological ruins. The exploits of Rev. Cole and his son were described in major newspapers across the country at the time, and Rev. Cole gave public lectures in Southern California about the archaeological finds. Their excavations in northern New Mexico at the site of Puyé brought them into conflict in the early 1900s with Edgar Lee Hewett and Charles Lummis who were promoting archaeological tourism in New Mexico and the founding of the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles. The linkage between Fay-Cooper Cole and his father’s Southwestern expeditions has not been known until now as discussed in this presentation.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Collaborations and Competition between Professionals and Nonprofessionals in the Production of Archaeological Knowledge in the Americas

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