Research and Discovery

Many years of work, and the efforts of numerous staff, volunteers, and professionals funded by grants have resulted in the massive database known as SPARC - the Salmon Pueblo Archaeological Research Collection. Now online and accessible to everyone, this website contains photographs, maps, cross-referenced data, and excavation notes from the original San Juan Valley Archaeological Project, which took place between 1970 and 1978, resulting in the complete excavation and documentation of 30% of the village, and leaving us today with over 1,000,000 artifacts available for study, a stabilized prehistoric Pueblo village to walk through, and a variety of museum displays to help visitors understand the people who once lived here. This resource is ideal for schools, colleges, archaeological professionals, and anyone interested in learning more. It is related to and acts to supplement the Chaco Research Archive.

The thriving gardens next to the Amphitheater and behind the Navajo Women's Hogan were an update as well. The garden areas had been planned, but never used. Willow researched and identified Native Southwestern Plants and Trees all around our grounds, then planted two totally different "3 Sisters" gardens to show how things might have looked at different time periods for different cultures. The "3 Sisters" are the way that combination planting of corn, beans and squash is often referred to. Willow also made a booklet about plants and their uses for our gift shop.

We can offer unpaid internships, joint projects to give students experience and training through San Juan College and other local colleges, and a mountain of materials that deserve to be studied and are available to researchers. Our research library, which is focused on the American Southwest but also contains a wide variety of scientific and anthropological literature, can be searched through the San Juan College Library service and many of the holdings can be requested through Inter-Library Loan. Artifacts can be studied directly by pre-arrangement to visit the museum and submission of a research request to our Board of Directors. Contact us if you're interested.

Previous studies have involved High School, Undergraduate, Master's Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation work. Some more recent projects include a comparison of Chacoan versus locally-made woven sandals, identification of seeds and pollen leading to a greater understanding of health and diet in village communities. In 2024, we were able to create 2 new outdoor displays through the hard work of our interns, Jamie and Willow. When you visit Heritage Park, you'll be able to visit both of these along with everything else along the trails.

The Greater Chaco Landscape Project

Article by Paul Reed, in El Palacio, Winter 2020

Article by Brian D. Vallo, in El Palacio, Winter 2020

You bring the adventurous spirit, we'll supply the archaeology!

The Office of Coordinator of Preservation and Research

Student Projects

When you visit Heritage Park, be sure to look in the windows of the Trading Post to see an authentic interior representing the 1880s through about 1925. This was an update to the display that was originally installed around 1980. Jamie cleaned, catalogued and organized all of the items, replaced things that weren't accurate, and got her whole family involved in generating ideas or examples of things that should be included. Jamie learned that her great grandfather had been a jewelry maker, and some of the items she photographed for the Trading Post jewelry display were made by him! Other jewelry belonged to her grandmother.

Salmon Ruins

One good thing about a global pandemic is that people have more time for research projects that have been on hold or put off in the past. Here are a few things that we and our associates have been up to in 2020! The best thing about learning is that it never stops!

SPARC Database

An Acoma Perspective on Chaco Canyon

In recognition of Larry L. Baker's lifetime of contributing to the advancement of archaeology and managing the Salmon Ruins Museum itself, we have created a new part-time role for him. As our Coordinator of Preservation and Research, Larry will be able to assist us in continuing to get grants that will fund our research and especially our preservation and stabilization projects. Every year, natural erosion and severe weather causes severe damage to the Salmon Ruins village site, as well as to the nearly 130 year old Salmon Homestead complex buildings. The cost of repairs and preventative maintenance on these structures is enormous, and much more than any unfunded non-profit could raise once, let alone repeatedly. This new role will also allow us to be part of other research projects and to partner with other non-profits.

Our first project in this realm was the opportunity to participate in high-tech drone videography of the rapidly deteriorating Navajo Defensive Sites. These are also known as Pueblitos, although they are a uniquely Athabaskan phenomena and are not related to the development of the Pueblo tribes or culture in any way. These sites reflect the early interaction of the Navajo with other tribes and with Spanish explorers between 1550 and 1750. They are found nowhere else in North America and are unique to the area. These sites are all found on Public Land areas and are suffering severe weather-related deterioration and vandalism. Many are located in hard to reach areas as they were built to be deliberately hidden and defensive in nature, in response to warfare incited by the Spanish between tribal groups who had previously been indifferent or even friendly to one another, including the Jicarilla Apache, the Ute, and the Pueblos. Our ongoing research is a partnership with the Naamehnay Project, and videos are found on YouTube here.