Luther Sheeleigh Cressman (October 24, 1897 – April 4, 1994) was an American field archaeologist, most widely known for his discoveries at
Paleo-Indian sites such as
Fort Rock Cave and
Paisley Caves
The Paisley Caves or the Paisley Five Mile Point Caves complex is a system of eight caves in an arid, desolate region of south-central Oregon, United States north of the present-day city of Paisley, Oregon. The caves are located in the Summer La ...
, sites related to the early
settlement of the Americas
The settlement of the Americas began when Paleolithic hunter-gatherers entered North America from the North Asian Mammoth steppe via the Beringia land bridge, which had formed between northeastern Siberia and western Alaska due to the lowering o ...
.
Early years
Cressman was born outside of
Pottstown, Pennsylvania, the son of a physician. He was ordained an
Episcopal priest in 1923. Majoring in Classics, he graduated with a B.A. degree from
Pennsylvania State University in 1918. Feeling doubts about his vocation, he began studying sociology and anthropology at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
in New York. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia in 1928, and that same year, he left the priesthood.
Career
In 1929, he took a position as Professor of Sociology at the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
. The Department of Anthropology was founded by him six years later. His first hire for the department was
Homer Barnett. Cressman was the chair of the department from 1935 until his retirement in 1963.
He was the first professional archaeologist to excavate the
Paisley Caves
The Paisley Caves or the Paisley Five Mile Point Caves complex is a system of eight caves in an arid, desolate region of south-central Oregon, United States north of the present-day city of Paisley, Oregon. The caves are located in the Summer La ...
in 1938 and this research became his most significant discovery, when at the same year he discovered a pair of perfectly preserved shredded
sagebrush
Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west.
Following is an al ...
bark sandals at
Fort Rock
Fort Rock is a tuff ring located on an ice age lake bed in north Lake County, Oregon, United States.
The ring is about in diameter and stands about high above the surrounding plain. Its name is derived from the tall, straight sides that resem ...
in
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
that were
radiocarbon dated
Radiocarbon dating (also referred to as carbon dating or carbon-14 dating) is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.
The method was dev ...
from 10,500 to 9,300 years old, making them the oldest footwear ever discovered.
As late as 1962 he taught an Introduction to
Anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
course with another professor. At the first lecture the younger professor said he struggled with how to address Dr. Cressman. They were peers by PhDs so it would have been all right to use his first name but since Cressman was greatly senior he said it didn't seem right to call him Lou, and left it there. Dr. Cressman pointed out he didn't tell us what he called him. Dr. Cressman said, "He calls me, 'Doc'."
His autobiography ''A Golden Journey: Memoirs of an Archaeologist'' was awarded the 1989
Oregon Book Award for literary nonfiction.
Personal life
Cressman married anthropologist
Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist who featured frequently as an author and speaker in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s.
She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard C ...
in 1923; the couple divorced in 1927. He married Dorothy Cecelia Loch in 1928. They had one daughter and were married for 49 years, until her death in 1977.
Cressman died on April 4, 1994, in Eugene, Oregon. A memorial service was held at
Gerlinger Hall on the UO campus on April 21 of that year.
Selected publications
*''Klamath Prehistory'' (1956, OCLC 1574790)
*''The Sandal and the Cave'' (1962; 1981 reprint, )
*''Prehistory of the Far West: Homes of Vanished Peoples'' (1977, )
*''A Golden Journey: Memoirs of an Archaeologist'' (1988, )
Awards
*
Guggenheim Fellowship
*
John Alsop King Fellowship
*
Charles E. Johnson Memorial Award
References
Specific citations
General references
Luther Cressmanat the
Minnesota State University, Mankato
Minnesota State University, Mankato (MNSU, MSU, or Minnesota State) is a public university in Mankato, Minnesota, United States. It is Minnesota's second-largest university and has over 123,000 living alumni worldwide. Founded in 1868, it is ...
*Bishop B. "Northwest Archaeologist Luther Cressman, 96, Dies". ''Eugene Register Grand'' 7 April 1994.
*Dana T. " Oregon’s Luther Cressman Harbors no Regrets from Archaeological Storm". ''Oregonian'' 19 March 1987.
*Ellis B., Dank H., "Anthropologist Luther Cressman Dies at age 96". ''Oregonian'' 8 April 1994.
*Travis–Cline, S. "Remembering the Golden Journey". ''Oregon Heritage'' 1994.
External links
Guide to the Luther Cressman papersat the University of Oregon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cressman, Luther
1897 births
1994 deaths
University of Oregon faculty
20th-century American archaeologists
People from Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania State University alumni
Columbia University alumni