Archaeological Interpretation at Front-Country Sites in Death Valley National Park

Project ID: J8W07100034

Federal Agency: National Park Service

Partner Institution: University of Alaska Anchorage

Fiscal Year: 2010

Initial Funding: $63,973

Total Funding: $63,973

Project Type: Technical Assistance

Project Disciplines: Cultural

National Park: Death Valley NP

Principal Investigator: White, Paul

Agreement Technical Representative: Bonstead, Leah

Abstract: This project is a collaborative effort between the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and staff from the National Park Service (NPS) to develop public interpretation for twelve front-country archaeological sites in Death Valley National Park (DEVA). The work at the selected sites, located near established roadways and accessible by two-wheel drive vehicles, will improve interpretation at DEVA by: tangibly tracking developments in the prehistoric and historic use of the Death Valley area, highlighting the range of archaeological resources in the park, and drawing attention to how archaeological information in context develops understandings about the past. UAA will work closely with NPS and the Timbisha Shoshone tribe to select sites suitable for public visitation. This process will include considerations of visitor impact to selected sites, as well as to the identification of potential impacts to non-interpreted but associated sites. This project will develop interpretive themes for connecting the sites as a self-guided tour, select images and maps appropriate for interpretive use, and create text suitable for presentation in wayside exhibits, brochures, podcasts, and web-based formats. Collectively, this project significantly expands the breadth of public interpretation in DEVA, which currently concentrates primarily on the interpretation of natural features and historic mining legacies.