Post by Sharon Faulkner on Apr 11, 2006 8:00:07 GMT -5
Historical society lands artifact collection
Private collection from Montezuma Well on display
4/9/2006
By STEVE AYERS
Montezuma's Well has been described by more than one visitor as being a "one and only" kind of place. Formed by the collapse of one or more limestone caverns, the well has been a source of fascination for visitors and home for several cultures over the last 11,000 years.
Most of the collection was unearthed during an excavation of the well done by archaeologist from the University of Arizona in 1936-1937. One of the most recent residents of the well was William Back.
As the story goes, Back, an early pioneer to the Verde Valley, purchased the well in 1888 from an even earlier pioneer, Link Smith, for two horses. Smith, one of the state's first land speculators, had purchased the well the year before for one horse. Mr. Back proceeded to sink some roots as deep as the well itself, ranching and farming the site. His family would hang onto the property until 1947 when his heirs would sell the well to the National Park Service.
William Back's grandson, Clifton Cherry, grew up on the property. His was a life spent running through 1,000-year-old Sinaguan ruins, playing in the creek and spending hours rooting around in search of the thousands of artifacts that laid buried on the property.
Last week, the Camp Verde Historical Society became the benefactor of Clifton's searches, his family's treasure trove and a professional excavation of the well. Cherry has chosen the CVHS to display his portion of the family's collection of artifacts from the well.
"This is a very exciting collection," CVHS President Marcia Johns said. "I know there were several museums interested in the collection. We feel both flattered and fortunate to have it."
The artifacts include numerous pots (not the broken stuff you see lying around), jewelry, tools, weavings, grinders and a number of items that might best be described as curiosities.
"One my favorites is a small bowl that, when it was unearthed, was still full of finely ground, deep blue azurite powder," said Clifton Cherry's son, Spencer Cherry. They speculate that the powder was used for tattoos.
The vast majority of the items on display were discovered during an excavation of the well conducted by University of Arizona Archaeologists in 1937 and 1938. Because all of the items came from the family's private property, the family is the legal owners.
The collection, now on loan to the society, actually encompasses about one-fifth of the Back/Cherry family's original collection. Cherry said he had three reasons for displaying the artifacts at the Camp Verde Historical Society.
"First, I wanted the collection to be somewhere it could be viewed by the public. Then I wanted it to be on display close to where it came from. And lastly I wanted it to remain together," Cherry said.
The society has worked for the last six months to secure the collection and to build and install display cases.
campverdebugle.1upsoftware.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=17615&TM=25960.61
Private collection from Montezuma Well on display
4/9/2006
By STEVE AYERS
Montezuma's Well has been described by more than one visitor as being a "one and only" kind of place. Formed by the collapse of one or more limestone caverns, the well has been a source of fascination for visitors and home for several cultures over the last 11,000 years.
Most of the collection was unearthed during an excavation of the well done by archaeologist from the University of Arizona in 1936-1937. One of the most recent residents of the well was William Back.
As the story goes, Back, an early pioneer to the Verde Valley, purchased the well in 1888 from an even earlier pioneer, Link Smith, for two horses. Smith, one of the state's first land speculators, had purchased the well the year before for one horse. Mr. Back proceeded to sink some roots as deep as the well itself, ranching and farming the site. His family would hang onto the property until 1947 when his heirs would sell the well to the National Park Service.
William Back's grandson, Clifton Cherry, grew up on the property. His was a life spent running through 1,000-year-old Sinaguan ruins, playing in the creek and spending hours rooting around in search of the thousands of artifacts that laid buried on the property.
Last week, the Camp Verde Historical Society became the benefactor of Clifton's searches, his family's treasure trove and a professional excavation of the well. Cherry has chosen the CVHS to display his portion of the family's collection of artifacts from the well.
"This is a very exciting collection," CVHS President Marcia Johns said. "I know there were several museums interested in the collection. We feel both flattered and fortunate to have it."
The artifacts include numerous pots (not the broken stuff you see lying around), jewelry, tools, weavings, grinders and a number of items that might best be described as curiosities.
"One my favorites is a small bowl that, when it was unearthed, was still full of finely ground, deep blue azurite powder," said Clifton Cherry's son, Spencer Cherry. They speculate that the powder was used for tattoos.
The vast majority of the items on display were discovered during an excavation of the well conducted by University of Arizona Archaeologists in 1937 and 1938. Because all of the items came from the family's private property, the family is the legal owners.
The collection, now on loan to the society, actually encompasses about one-fifth of the Back/Cherry family's original collection. Cherry said he had three reasons for displaying the artifacts at the Camp Verde Historical Society.
"First, I wanted the collection to be somewhere it could be viewed by the public. Then I wanted it to be on display close to where it came from. And lastly I wanted it to remain together," Cherry said.
The society has worked for the last six months to secure the collection and to build and install display cases.
campverdebugle.1upsoftware.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=17615&TM=25960.61