Photo courtesy of Dr. Christopher Lintz and Andy Burcham
The August speakers are
Christopher Lintz, Ph.D. and Andy Burcham
with the Texas Historical Commission Archeological Stewards Program
presenting:
An Overview of the Pliocene Epoch, the Paleontological Activities on the Southern Plains, with Emphasis on the WPA Cita Canyon Site and an Archeological Assessment of its Historic Features
Archeologists and Paleontologists usually maintain separate site files that are rarely consulted by the other discipline when assessing background research for federal or state projects. Unless the extinct animal remains are found with stone tools, the geological site files are not considered relevant. However, in Southern High Plains, paleontological projects began 30 years before the first professional archeological project began at the Buried City, and 50 years before archeologists recognized that humans hunted extinct animals at the Folsom site in New Mexico. The paleontological work of C. Steward Johnston of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is highlighted along with his interest in collecting fossil bones excavated from the Cita Canyon fossil lake beds by the Works Progress Administration from 1936 to 1941. Activities at the site are explored through WPA photographs and topographic clues permits reconstruction of excavation quarry pit areas. These WPA excavations comprise an historic component only recently recorded as archeological site 41RD126. The ruins of two WPA buildings are documents which complements the kinds of artifacts depicted in the WPA Photographs of the period. This case study suggests that significant historic components may exist at the other 66 paleontological excavations in the panhandle.
Dr. Christopher Lintz is retired as the Wildlife Division archaeologist at Texas Parks and Wildlife Division and is currently a Research Associate with Texas State University in San Marcos. He has been an archaeologist since 1963 and conducted projects in 17 States and Puerto Rico. Since 1970, he has focused his geographical research interests on the southern High Plains with emphasis on studying Middle Ceramic Period (AD 1200-1500) adaptations of prehistoric settlers to the droughts affecting the panhandle regions. Most notably are his studies of paleo-environmental reconstructions, settlement/subsistence patterns, architectural and community patterns, and interactions and exchange. His PhD dissertation (University of Oklahoma 1984) focused on the defining the Antelope Creek phase of the Texas-Oklahoma panhandle region and delineating buffering mechanisms to droughts. Over the years, he has published more than 40 (of 370+) publications on facets of the prehistoric behaviors to this High Plains region.
After retiring in 2015 from a career in Chemical Engineering, Andy Burcham enjoys archeology as an avocation. He is a member of several archeological societies, a museum volunteer, and a Texas Master Naturalist. Andy became a THC Archeological Steward in 2019 and has participated in archeological field schools, excavations, and survey projects. He was appointed to the Potter County Historical Commission in 2024.
The next regular meeting will be held on our usual schedule, the third Tuesday of the month at 7pm at Casa Chapala's Austin location, 9041 Research Blvd., Suite 100 (Hwy 183 and Burnet Rd.) Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month, except June and December. They are free and open to the public. For those who wish to come early, we gather around 5:45 PM for dinner, drinks, and fellowship. The short business meeting starts at 7:00 PM, followed by the guest speaker's presentation.
Tuesdays 10am, ongoing Labwork for Joyful Horse materials. Sort and label pre-contact artifacts (lots of lithics!) to create teaching kits available for loan to area educators. THC Wheless Lab, 2801 Wheless Lane, Austin 78723. Send us a message from the Contact page for more details or to RSVP.
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Wondering what our programs are like? View the list of speakers and topics we've had since 2006. Or watch a few of our pandemic-era programs on our YouTube channel.
