April 27, 2005. Timely through July 15, 2005.
For more information, call 1-800-422-8975, ext. 130. Media photo provided below.

Cortez, Colorado
In southeastern Utah, lies Elk Ridge, a major highland located north of Cedar Mesa and Grand Gulch and west of the Abajo Mountains. At 7500 feet above sea level, atop the ridge, sits a pair of distinctive buttes, known as the "Bear's Ears," visible from much of the Four Corners area. Hammond Canyon, which dissects Elk Ridge, has been inhabited by native peoples since perhaps as long ago as 500 B.C. Spend a week with Crow Canyon Archaeological Center this fall exploring ruins, viewing petroglyphs, camping out under the stars, and hiking this captivating area for a perfect week of backcountry archaeology.

Beginning and ending in Cortez, Colorado, Behind the Bear's Ears: Backcountry Archaeology in Hammond Canyon and Elk Ridge, Utah, begins on Sunday, September 18, and ends on Saturday, September 24, 2005. During this special exploration, participants will track the movement of early Pueblo farmers as they sought out and explored new lands within the vast Four Corners area. This high territory provided rich hunting and gathering grounds for the Archaic people, prior to 500 B.C. Later Pueblo people farmed the valleys just east of this area and archaeological evidence suggests that these societies had a fairly sophisticated knowledge of sun, rain, and soils, and used this knowledge to build villages on Elk Ridge itself, at elevations previously thought too high and cold to support corn farming. Later Pueblo people used these canyons as homes because of their defensible locations and reliable springs in times of drought.

In 2,000-foot-deep Hammond Canyon, discover the well-preserved houses of the families that made this area their home during the turbulent 1200s, when both drought and warfare plagued the Pueblo world. A beautiful, natural environment, Hammond Canyon is home to an unusual blending of plants, including prickly pear, manzanita, juniper and maple trees. Many sites first discovered in 1962 by archaeologist James Gunnerson—Three Fingers Ruin, BB Ruin, and others known only by numbers—will be explored.

Led by veteran archaeologist Dr. William Lipe and Crow Canyon staff member Jonathan Till, this exploration is an adventure into the archaeology of the area. Bill Lipe is the former director of research at Crow Canyon and past president of the Society for American Archaeology. A preeminent Southwestern archaeologist, he has recently retired as a professor of anthropology at Washington State University and is a member of the Crow Canyon Board of Trustees. He has conducted extensive research in southeastern Utah for decades and has led numerous Crow Canyon backcountry explorations. His extensive knowledge, easy teaching manner, and subtle humor have made him a favorite trip scholar.

Jonathan Till, Crow Canyon's laboratory analysis manager, has more than 15 years of archaeological experience in the Southwest. His interests include the "Chaco Phenomenon" and its manifestations in the Four Corners region.

Crow Canyon is located in the archaeological heartland of the American Southwest, near Mesa Verde National Park. The cost of the program is $1,895. The price includes Crow Canyon tuition, all meals, and local transportation after arrival in Cortez.

Crow Canyon is a not-for-profit organization offering excavation, workshop, and travel programs in the greater Southwest and throughout the world.

The photo below may be used by the media to accompany this press release. No other use is authorized. Photographer credit and copyright notice is required.

Hiking through Utah's backcountry to discover well-preserved ruins tucked into sandstone alcoves. Photo by Alex Prime. Copyright © Crow Canyon Archaeological Center.