Contract Archaeology and the Center for American Archeology

Summary

This is an abstract from the "The Village, the Region, and Beyond: Stuart Struever (1931–2022) and the Lower Illinois River Valley Research Program" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In 1953, Stuart McKee Struever (1931–2022) founded Archaeological Research Inc., the nonprofit organization that would develop into the Foundation for Illinois Archeology and ultimately the Center for American Archeology (CAA), as it is known today. As the institution grew, so too did Struever’s vision of its scope and mission—from a research-focused program into one that could engage all dimensions of archaeological research, education, and public engagement as it does today. One often underappreciated dimension of this expanding vision and suite of archaeological programs is the Contract Archeology Program that would embrace the then nascent discipline of cultural resource management (CRM). Spanning over two decades, “contract archaeology” at the CAA would contribute to the stewardship and preservation of archaeological resources in Illinois as well providing training for future archaeologists and new data for further research and knowledge production. In this paper, we explore the establishment and growth of the CAA’s Contract Archeology Program, its contributions to CRM archaeology, and its legacy, both in the past and present.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)   •
• The Village, the Region, and Beyond: Stuart Struever (1931–2022) and the Lower Illinois River Valley Research Program

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38279.0