Park of Four Waters Facelift

The Park of Four Waters Clean-up on Saturday, April 27 was a great success! Organized with the help of the Arizona Archaeological Society - Phoenix Chapter, sixteen people showed up bright and early with their work gloves, water, and great attitudes. The crew worked for more than two hours and cleared out about 6 truckloads of debris, including dead branches and trash. A cobble-lined pathway to the entrance gate was also created.

The timing of this activity was perfect. Pueblo Grande recently made a couple of improvements to the area including the placement of an interpretive sign about prehistoric Hohokam irrigation and a locking gate. The visitor experience will be greatly enhanced for future tours to the North and South Canals.

Marie did a wonderful job organizing the event and rallying the troops. Ellie set up a lovely (and delicious) picnic lunch. Special thanks to Bob for grilling hot dogs for everyone. Pueblo Grande is very fortunate to have such wonderful support and assistance from each and every one of you. We deeply appreciate what you do. Many thanks!


Posted By, Laurene Montero, City Archaeologist

Jewelry Sale at Pueblo Grande Museum!

Just in time for Mother's Day!

The Pueblo Grande Museum Store is having a

25% OFF

ALL JEWELRY SALE!

May 1st to May 8th

Ode to Our Volunteers!

April is National Volunteer Month and at PGM we love taking this time to thank all of our wonderful volunteers!  Each April we host a Volunteer Recognition Dinner to say a special thank you to our top volunteers who donate 40 hours or more of their time to the Museum over the last year.  This past year we had over 5000 hours recorded at the Museum from volunteers in our Museum Store, Collections, Archaeology, Education, Mudslingers, and more! A Volunteer Recognition Dinner tradition at PGM, each year Collections Assistant Laura Andrew tries to sum up all that our volunteers do for us at PGM and how much we appreciate them with a poem, dedicated to the best volunteers anyone could ask for!

 

Here is a poem about our volunteer crew

They are simply the best at what they do!

They walk and talk and educate
They make our guests experience really great!

They do crafts and teach archaeology
I’m glad the person giving the school tour isn’t me!

They guide our guests great and small
Delivering exceptional customer service to all.

Outreach, workshop, or lecture - just name the task
They do the job whatever we ask

They take pictures and inventory artifacts
Their humor and sense of fun never lacks.

They file papers and answer the phone
Thanks to them we’re not in this alone!

They are there when we need them for every request
We are lucky to have the very best!


Posted by Laura Andrew, Collections Assistant

Amazing Arizona Summer Programs: A Race through History with Pueblo Grande Museum and the Rosson House

Pueblo Grande Museum and the Rosson House are partnering again to offer summer programs for children ages 6 to 9 and ages 10 to 13. This year’s program will be hosted at both sites and cover both the prehistoric and historic cultures of Arizona, as well as the science of archaeology we use to learn about them. Children can “race” through time during the camps collecting different stamps and stickers in their Amazing Arizona Passports for each of the different skills, crafts, and projects they complete.

Early registration fee of  $175 per week by May 31, 2013. Registration fee increases to $200 per week June 1, 2013. Pueblo Grande Museum registration begins April 27, 2013. Registration for the Rosson House Museum is currently open. 

Sign your child up for one week at both Pueblo Grande Museum and the Rosson House to receive a 1 year Family Membership to both institutions! Lunch is not provided during these programs, but light snacks and drinks will be available.

Print Summer Program Flyer!

Week 1: Exploring Arizona From A to Z

Location: Pueblo Grande Museum
Dates: June 17 to 21
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ages: 6 to 9

During this leg of the Amazing Arizona Race children will create nature based art projects such as petroglyphs, rattles, and pottery. In the second half of the week, kids will get their hands dirty while learning about archaeology and past cultures such as the Hohokam. This fun filled week will give participants a greater appreciation and understanding of nature, art, native peoples, and archaeology while teaching respect for diversity. Click to register for this week!

Week 2: Kids Wanted: For Time Travel!

Location: Rosson House Museum and Heritage Square
Dates: June 24 to 28
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ages: 6 to 9

Continue your race through time at Heritage Square! Journey 700 years into the future - to 1895 - and experience what life was like for kids in Territorial Arizona. Learn about people living in the new city of Phoenix, explore lifestyles of the Victorian era, and try your hand at household chores like churning butter. With a new theme and tons of activities each day, Amazing Arizona is the place to be for summer fun and adventure! Call 602-262-5071 or send an email to education@rossonhousemuseum.org to register for this week!

Week 3: Where Prehistory Comes to Life

Location: Pueblo Grande Museum
Dates: July 8 to 12
Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ages: 10 to 13

During this leg of the Amazing Arizona Race children will create a prehistoric themed survival kit including fishing tackle, agave cordage, fire-by friction kit, and much more. Then they'll become junior archaeologists, learning about past cultures such as the Hohokam through the materials left behind. This fun filled week of activities will provide participants with a take home survival tool-kit, an understanding of the archaeological process, and an appreciation for past cultures. Click to register for this week!

Week 4: Territorial Adventures

Location: Rosson House Museum and Heritage Square
Dates: July 15 to 19
Times: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Ages: 10 to 13

Finish your race through time at Heritage Square! Journey 700 years into the future - to 1895 - and experience what life was like for kids in Territorial Arizona. Learn about people living in the new city of Phoenix, explore lifestyles of the Victorian era, and try your hand at household chores like churning butter. With a new theme and tons of activities each day, Amazing Arizona is the place to be for summer fun and adventure! Call 602-262-5071 or send an email to education@rossonhousemuseum.org to register for this week!

Arizona Gives Day

Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary is participating in the first Arizona Gives Day which will be held on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. This day will give everyone the chance to make a contribution to a part of Arizona’s history. Visit the web site www.azgives.org now or on March 20th and make a donation to the Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary.

"Arizona Gives Day is a day for Arizonans to come together to make donations to as many nonprofits as possible in 24 hours. On March 20, 2013, from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm, supporters of Arizona nonprofits will go online, connect with causes they care about, and make tax-deductible donations. Supporters will search for participating nonprofits and simply click to donate. The donation stays local and helps our nonprofit community provide much needed services in the state of Arizona."

This is a very exciting opportunity for the PGM Auxiliary as we have a lot of things planned for the coming year. The Auxiliary financially supports the museum’s exhibits, artifacts collections, children’s programs, educational programs and lectures. We are also looking forward to helping the museum with plans for a new walkway entrance to the site at the corner of 44th Street and Washington Street.

With your financial support on this day, the PGM Auxiliary will be able to continue its commitment to the museum and the museum in turn can continue its commitment to preserve the history of Arizona and educate the public about the ancient Hohokam civilization.

To make a donation to the Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary for Arizona Gives Day, just visit our PGM AUX Arizona Gives Page or you can visit www.azgives.org click on the “donors” button located about half way down the page. Type in “Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary” at the search by prompt; this will take you to a link for the Auxiliary’s page. This page is where you have the opportunity to donate. All donations are tax deductible. There are extra incentives to do well at this event as money will be given to donors who excel on March 20. Help us meet our goal!


Posted By Barbara Zuczek, Pueblo Grande Museum Auxiliary Board Member

Expanding Our Knowledge of La Ciudad

In late February, archaeological data recovery investigations will begin for a portion of La Ciudad, a large prehistoric Hohokam village (A.D. 650–1450) on Canal System 2 that covers almost 600 acres in eastern Phoenix. In 1982-1983, ASU conducted a large-scale excavation within a portion of La Ciudad to mitigate impacts from development of Loop 202 and I-10. These previous excavations in the Los Solares locus of La Ciudad found a large farming village that was occupied from the Pioneer through Sedentary periods, approximately A.D. 650 through 1150. Los Solares once contained numerous trash mounds surrounding habitation areas with hundreds of pit houses that were occupied by multiple households, along with roasting features (hornos), canals, cemeteries, and a ball court. The Classic period of La Ciudad was southwest of the ASU excavations and it contained a large platform mound with plazas, adobe room blocks, and a large community cemetery. The ASU excavations found extensive Colonial and Sedentary period components of La Ciudad, and only very little of the Pioneer period occupation was excavated.

 Archaeological fieldwork scheduled to begin later this month represents the continuation of data recovery investigations started in 2011 to mitigate impacts from a proposed federally funded senior housing project sponsored by the City of Phoenix. In 2011, test excavations within this project area identified a component of La Ciudad that may date to a poorly understood part of the Pioneer period. The testing phase for the housing project found a settlement with remnants of canals, pit houses, and field houses associated with Sweetwater, Snaketown, and Gila Butte Red-on-buff ceramics. These ceramics suggest the site dates to the middle Pioneer period (A.D. 500–800) and continues into the early Colonial period (A.D. 800–850) and possibly later. These site components will be explored further with data recovery excavations. We don’t know what will be found, but this work has the potential to add significantly to our understanding of Hohokam occupation during the Pioneer period within the Salt River Valley.

Posted By Laurene Montero, M.A., City Archaeologist

Become a Pueblo Grande Museum Volunteer!

Pueblo Grande Museum is looking for volunteers! The museum needs volunteers in a variety of positions; Docent (tour guide), Gift Shop attendant, Collections, Library or Exhibits Aide, and more. Depending on interest and skill set, volunteers will work with the artifacts, rare books, archival materials, children’s programs, special events, or construction in our Exhibits department! Share your love of the past while helping us preserve it for future generations!

The museum will be offering a Docent Training course every Tuesday from February 19 through March 19, 2013 from 9am to 12pm. This course is the first training course needed before advancing to specific areas and is a great way to get involved in your community, do something fun and different, while meeting new people and making a difference.

Register Now! Spaces are limited and pre-registration is required by February 14, so sign up today!