The Gila Pueblo Archaeological Foundation was a research organization which conducted

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

research in the

American Southwest The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...

and surrounding areas. It was founded in 1928 in

Globe, Arizona Globe ( apw, Bésh Baa Gowąh "Place of Metal") is a city in Gila County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,249. The city is the county seat of Gila County. Globe was founded c. 1875 as a mining cam ...

, by

Harold S. Gladwin Harold Sterling Gladwin (1883–1983) was an American archaeologist, anthropologist, and stockbroker. Introduction Harold Sterling Gladwin was an early twentieth century archaeologist that specialized in Southwestern archaeology of the United ...

and Winifred (McCurdy) Gladwin.Haury, Emil W. (1992) ''Emil Haury's Prehistory of the American Southwest: Edited by J. Jefferson Reid and David E. Doyel'', Tucson & London: The University of Arizona Press It ceased operations in 1950.

Beginning

Harold S. Gladwin was a

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

stockbroker who left his position there and moved to

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

. There he met his future wife Winifred and William North Duane who introduced Gladwin to his cousin, archaeologist

A.V. Kidder Alfred Vincent Kidder (October 29, 1885 – June 11, 1963) was an American archaeologist considered the foremost of the southwestern United States and Mesoamerica during the first half of the 20th century. He saw a disciplined system of archaeolog ...

. Gladwin spent two field seasons with Kidder in northern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. It was at that time when Gladwin's passion and curiosity for the Southwest grew and inspired him to start Gila Pueblo.Emil Walter Haury, May 2, 1904 – December 5, 1992 , By Raymond Harris Thompson, Caleb Vance Haynes, Jr., and James Jefferson Reid , Biographical Memoirs
/ref>

Research

With the backing and funding of Gladwin Gila Pueblo was able to do excavations and research throughout the Southwest. One of the most important contributions made by people working for Gila Pueblo was defining the

Hohokam Hohokam () was a culture in the North American Southwest in what is now part of Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. It existed between 300 and 1500 AD, with cultural precursors possibly as early as 300 BC. Archaeologists disagree about ...

culture. One of the people involved in this definition was the young

Emil Haury Emil Walter "Doc" Haury (May 2, 1904 in Newton, Kansas – December 5, 1992 in Tucson, Arizona) was an influential archaeologist who specialized in the archaeology of the American Southwest. He is most famous for his work at Snaketown, a Hohokam ...

. In 1930 Haury became the assistant director of Gila Pueblo. Another accomplishment made by Gila Pueblo was the defining of the Cochise culture.Sayles, E.B., and Ernst Antevs (1941) ''The Chochise Culture'', Medallian Papers: Gila Pueblo, Globe, Arizona In 1950, Gila Pueblo shut down and donated its collection to the

Arizona State Museum The Arizona State Museum (ASM), founded in 1893, was originally a repository for the collection and protection of archaeological resources. Today, however, ASM stores artifacts, exhibits them and provides education and research opportunities. It ...

, located on the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

campus. According to historian David Leighton, the unveiling of this archaeological collection was done in 1951, during the inauguration of University of Arizona President Richard A. Harvill. The records are held by the Arizona State Museum Library & Archives with the finding aid located o
Arizona Archives Online
The building in which the foundation was located, now part of

Eastern Arizona College Eastern Arizona College (EAC), is a community college in Graham County, Arizona. The main campus is in Thatcher, with satellite locations in Gila County, and Greenlee County. It is the oldest community college in Arizona and the only community ...

, is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

References

External links

The Medallion papers published by Gila Pueblo
all 39 available online.
Wingate Polychrome Bowl
the exterior of which was used as the Gila Pueblo logo. {{Authority control Foundations based in the United States History of Arizona Globe, Arizona