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.
Article by Paul Reed, in El Palacio, Winter 2020
Article by Brian D. Vallo, in El Palacio, Winter 2020
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.
SPARC Database
Student Research
​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.
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 through the "Contact" tab 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.
Copyright May 1, 2024 San Juan County Museum Association at Salmon Ruins Museum. All rights reserved.
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!