Historical Archaeological Approaches to the Basque Influence on the Economic and Cultural Development of the American West

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Interdisciplinary Approaches to Basque Archaeology: Current Research and Future Directions" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Popular conceptions of the settlement of the American West have long been associated with stoic cowboys, resolute homesteaders, and even California’s tenacious Miner Forty-Niners. These archetypes are representative the vast region’s development through the utilization of its abundant natural resources, including cropland, rangeland, timber, and minerals. Amongst the diverse immigrant groups who flocked to the American West to take advantage of its economic opportunities, were the Basques. As with other diasporas, the Basques continue to maintain a distinct and tangible ethnic identity, and one which has had a lasting impact on the development of the country’s mountainous and rural expanse. Initial waves of Basque immigration to the United States began nearly two hundred years ago, however the significant cultural touchstones of these settlers persist to the present day. The Basque emphasis on family and food, a firm connection to the homeland, and sports and entertainment are all themes which are evident both within the modern Basque diaspora as well as the archaeological record. In historic archaeology, these themes may act diagnostically to identify sites and structures as being associated with Basques, and further supply evidence for their influence on the economic and cultural development of the American West.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Interdisciplinary Approaches to Basque Archaeology: Current Research and Future Directions

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51500