BASKETMAKER COMMUNITIES PROJECT (2010-2017)
The Basketmaker Communities Project was made possible by the unique partnership between Indian Camp Ranch and the Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. Together we put the Indian Camp Ranch Basketmaker II Archaeological District on the National Register of Historic Places and introduced thousands of school children to the rich human history of the American Southwest.
Excavation began in 2010 and 2017 was the final Crow Canyon excavation field season on the Ranch.
With the Basketmaker Communities Project we followed the inception, growth, and crystallization of the Basketmaker III period community on Indian Camp Ranch over a 150 year period.
The chief archaeologist, Shanna Diederichs, M.A., RPA, AIC, synthesized the data, worked with analysts, and edited the final report.
In summary, we found that the community was founded by a multi-cultural group of migrants with connections to the Chuska Mountains, Canyon de Chelly, the Mogollon Rim, the Jemez Mountains, and even as far south as the Phoenix Basin. To integrate the community, the settlers built a great kiva for periodic gatherings and kept this kiva in use for over one hundred years. This stable settlement was likely managed by some of the original family lineages which lived in large houses, specialized in textile and jewelry production, and accumulated quite a bit of wealth. You'll find these details, along with thousands of photographs and maps, in the report and database.