Maps of lost worlds: Caddoland

June 29, 2007

Caddoland collage, UT-Austin, Texas Beyond History (Click on thumbnail for a larger view of this Caddoland Collage)

Caddos, Anadarkoes, Tawaconies, Southern Delawares — so many Native American tribes disappear from U.S. history books, and from U.S. history. These histories should be better preserved and better taught.

Texas history texts mention the Caddo Tribe, but largely ignore what must have been a significant cultural empire, if not an empire that left large stone monuments. Teaching this material in Texas history classes frustrates me, and probably others. Student projects on the Caddos are frequently limited in what they cover, generally come up with the same three or four factoids and illustrations.

The Caddo Tribe lived in an area spanning five modern states, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and eventually Missouri. Here is an interactive map that offers more information and useful photos of Caddoland than I have found in any other source: The Caddo Map Tool.

Basic map of Caddoland

This is just an image of the tool — click on the image above and it will link to the actual site. One of the things that excites me about this map is its interactive features, especially the map that carries links to photos that show just what the local environment looks like.

Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments | Archaeology, Geography - Economic, Geography - Physical, Geography - Political, History, Lesson plans, Maps, On-line education, On-line learning, Place Names, Prehistory, Student projects, Teaching, Technology in the classroom, Texas, Texas history, Travel | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Gold from rust: Tulsa shines, Plymouth doesn’t

June 16, 2007

The story could fuel jokes for years. Or it could cause tears, as indeed it did from the woman who organized the festivities around the unearthing of the 50-year-old Plymouth buried at Tulsa’s courthouse.

The headline in The Tulsa World shows pluck, determination and a good sense of humor: Tulsa celebrates anyway, but the Plymouth is a bucket of rust.

“Tarnished gold,” is the headline.

Now we know what 50 years in a hole does to a Plymouth Belvedere.

The tires go flat. The paint fades. Hinges and latches stiffen, upholstery disintegrates, the engine becomes a very large paperweight.

But what the heck. None of us is what we used to be.

1957? Eisenhower sent U.S. Marshalls, and then the U.S. Army, into Little Rock, Arkansas, so 9 African-Americans could register to go to Central High School. That was so long ago that the Little Rock 9 graduated, became doctors, lawyers and businessmen, and even an undersecretary of Labor, and got very gray; Central High is now a National Historic Monument (though still a high school). Greg Morrell wipes grime from Plymouth bumper, Tulsa Convention Center, Tulsa World Photo by Michael Wyke

Leave a Comment » | 1957, Archaeology, Cold War, Current History, History blogs, Teaching, Technology, Transportation, Travel | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Time capsule shaped like a ’57 Plymouth Belvedere? You’re all wet!

June 14, 2007

Alas!  Initial word out of Tulsa is not encouraging.  The buried 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was in a concrete vault, and sealed in plastic, to protect it from the effects of being buried.  It may not have been protected well enough — when the cover was pulled off the vault yesterday, the vault had several feet of water.

The story is told well, here, on the Route 66 News blog.

Photos do not encourage me.  The residue on the sides of the vault is a rust color.  That could be from the red soil (does Tulsa have red soil?) — or it could be from rust from the car.

Here’s hoping the car was protected from the water . . .

Official opening is set for tomorrow, June 15, 2007.

1 Comment | Archaeology, Capturing history, Cold War, Current History, Teaching, Technology, Transportation, Travel | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Time capsule shaped like a ’57 Plymouth

March 18, 2007

1957’s heat and dust must have affected the movers and shakers of Tulsa, Oklahoma. How else to explain their burying a perfectly good 1957 Plymouth Belvedere?

They buried it, though, as a time capsule, to be dug up by those very advanced people of the 21st century, in 2007, for the centennial of Oklahoma’s statehood in 1907. (Quick quiz: How many states joined the union in the 20th century? What is the longest period the U.S. has ever gone without adding new states?)

Good heavens! This is 2007!

1957 Plymouth - buried car.com photo

1957 Plymouth - buried car.com photo

So, as promised, Tulsa will dig up a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere, in a ceremony on June 15, 2007. Get your tickets and can plan your trip to watch already.

Why a 1957 Plymouth?

The car was seen as a method of acquainting twenty-first century citizens with a suitable representation of 1957 civilization. According to event chairman Lewis Roberts Jr., the Plymouth was chosen because it was “an advanced product of American industrial ingenuity with the kind of lasting appeal that will still be in style 50 years from now.”

The contents of a women’s purse, including bobby pins, a bottle of tranquilizers, cigarettes and an unpaid parking ticket, were added to the glove compartment of the car shortly before burial.

Other items included in the time capsule were: Read the rest of this entry »

8 Comments | Archaeology, Cold War, Current History, Teaching, Technology, Travel | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

Archeaology sources: Four Stone Hearth 7

January 22, 2007

High school history courses tend to brush over “prehistory” in America, that part of history between the arrival of the first humans in the Americas and the arrival of Europeans with quill and paper to record what they saw and what they did. For a few kids this would be the most exciting part of the course; for all kids, my experience is that textbooks tend to short change what we know, and especially how we know it.

A key problem for the non-archaeologist high school history teacher is just where to find information about prehistory.

A few archaeologists are blogging, and bitten by the meme virus of the moment, they gather together the better posts of recent weeks into a “carnival.” Four Stone Hearth is a carnival of archaeology. Four Stone Hearth 7, hosted by Aardvarchaeology, has several posts that can provide good information for history classes.

Students should learn skepticism in history classes, why to doubt fantastic claims and just-so stories, and how to evaluate sources of information and find good ones. Students often brought in stories intended to debunk standard histories, often involving UFOs or supernatural claims. Hot Cup of Joe’s entry, “Forbidden Archaeology? Some So-called Out of Place Artifacts,” explains the problems of OOPAs — out-of-place artifacts — often claimed to show that most archaeologists or other scientists withhold information that would confirm some of the more wacko ideas about history and prehistory. In the explanation he casts righteous doubt on a bizarre book that is wildly popular among conspiracy buffs, Atlantis Rising.

Students might also be interested in a report from Remote Central on objects found under glacial deposits in Minnesota which have some appearances of being knapped stone tools. This story could form a neat exercise in a series of lessons on what we know about history, and how we know it.

6 Comments | Archaeology, Geography - Physical, History, History blogs, Lesson plans, Prehistory | Permalink
Posted by Ed Darrell

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