Fort Rock

A little while back, on the invitation of  Mary's good friend,  Linda, we attended a meeting of the Archaeological  Society of Central Oregon.  The featured speaker was Dennis Jenkins, of the University of Oregon.  Professor Jenkins prefaced his talk on the field processes of archaeology by praising ASCO for its distinguished achievements through its close alignment with professional standards and practices.  Needless to say, although I am not much of a joiner, it was pretty easy for us to write our $20  checks to become members for a year.  One of the benefits of membership is the ability to participate in the club's field trips. 

Mary and I signed up for the guided tour of Ft. Rock Cave, which occurred on Saturday.  The cave is famous for its excavation in 1938, by Luther Cressman.  Below a layer of Mt. Mazama ash, Cressman dug up 75 sage-bark sandals that were dated to 9,000 - 10,000 years before excavation.

Before embarking on the cave tour, we were guided through the Fort Rock Valley Homestead Museum.  While attempting to stay tuned in to  Jack's enlightening commentary, I also occupied myself with recording a few images.  The museum consists largely of homestead-era buildings that have been preserved.