Category Archives: Uncategorized

ANNOUNCEMENT: JTAH Volume 7, Article 3

Finding Truth in Legend: The Story of Texas Ranger James Coryell

JTAH is honored and privileged to announce the publication of “Finding Truth in Legend: The Story of Texas Ranger James Coryell”.  This in-depth examination of a legendary early Texas character covers several topics of interest including Republic of Texas and family oral histories, archeological field and forensic investigations, and thorough review of documentary evidence to solve a 185-year-old mystery.  The 14-member team of authors is led by Smithsonian Institute’s Doug Owsley, THC Commissioner Jim Bruseth, and Texas State Archeologist Brad Jones.  Richly illustrated, this article is a compelling look into the past.

To paraphrase one reviewer, “This fascinating piece of research combines a popular legend with individual oral accounts, archaeology and other scientific methods to demonstrate not only that key elements of the legend are true but can be traced to physical presence.”  Another reviewer said, “Great multidisciplinary research to elucidate the burial place of an early Texian!”

As always, JTAH digital publications are free and open-access to everyone.  Click here to read or download JTAH Volume 7, Article 3.

Announcement – JTAH Volume 7, Article 2

Journal of Texas Archeology and history is pleased to announce the publication of our second article for Volume 7.  This one by co-authors Charles Hixson and Buddy Whitley is entitled “Early and Late Toyah-Period Occupations within Area C of the Baker Site on the Northeastern Edwards Plateau, Central Texas”. This is a site report that is so much more than simply a site report.  In the words of one peer-reviewer, “I was very pleasantly surprised to review a manuscript that is not simply a site report but takes seriously the theoretical implications of the patterns discerned in the archaeological record and attempts to relate them the topics in evolutionary archaeology.”  And another said, “More than just a site report, this research seriously considers the theoretical implications of the archaeological patterns observed on the Baker Site and attempts to relate them to important anthropological and historical themes.”  We agree and hope you enjoy this nicely illustrated and informative article. Click here

As always, JTAH articles are free and open-access in full color for your reading, download, and printing pleasure.  This one will appear later during the year in the compiled full Volume 7 in both free digital format or in high-quality, full-color print through our third-party printing service.

JTAH Annual Volume 7 – Article 1: Legacy of the Ancient Maya Tranchet Flake: Or How Two Texas Archaeologists Ended Up in the Maya World

by Harry J. Shafer

Journal of Texas Archeology and History.org is pleased to announce the publication of an excellent article by Dr. Harry Shafer. This richly illustrated article relates the story of how two iconic Texas archeologists became involved in Mesoamerican archeology due to their knowledge of lithic technology and their contribution to research in the Maya region.

We hope you will enjoy this article by one of our leading archeologists. Click here to read or download JTAH Volume 7, Article 1.

As always, JTAH publications are free and open-access to everyone around the globe with an internet link.

J.T.A.H. ANNUAL VOLUME 6 – NOW AVAILABLE IN PRINT

Greetings all!  We are excited to announce JTAH Volume 6 is now available in full-color and high-quality print format at Amazon.com.  Just click on this link to go straight to the Amazon book-order page:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09FC7XDNZ.

Volume 6 includes these terrific works of original research:

Article 1:  “EVALUATING THE INTEGRITY OF BLACKWATER DRAW’S LOCALITY X: The Role of Wind in the Formation of a Late Prehistoric Site on the Southern High Plains” by J. David Kilby, Texas State University, and Laura Hronec, Eastern New Mexico University.

Article 2:  EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY CALABOOSES IN THE TEXAS BORDERLANDS” by William E. Moore.

Article 3:  “THE ANDICE CACHE of DENTON CREEK, Montague County, Texas” by Sergio J Ayala, PhD candidate, University of Exeter, UK.

Article 4:   “TAKING ANOTHER LOOK: An “Iconic” Shelter at Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site (41EP2) with DStretch and Photo Tracing” by Margaret K. Berrier, Jornada Research Institute. J.T.A.H. Editors are now accepting manuscript submittals for Annual Volume 7.

J.T.A.H. Volume 6 Publication announcement

Journal of Texas Archeology and History.org is very pleased to announce the digital publication of our peer-reviewed annual volume of original research in archeology and history of the “Texas Borderlands Region”.   The fascinating and richly illustrated articles listed below are included in Volume 6 (2020/2021).  Follow this link to the digital version of the volume where you may read or download at your pleasure:  JTAH Volume 6.

EVALUATING THE INTEGRITY OF BLACKWATER DRAW’S LOCALITY X: THE ROLE OF WIND IN THE FORMATION OF ALATE PREHISTORIC SITE ON THE SOUTHERN PLAINS                        `

                        J. David Kilby, Texas State University

Laura Hronec, Eastern New Mexico University

EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY CALABOOSES  

IN THE TEXAS BORDERLANDS

                        William E. Moore

THE ANDICE CACHE of DENTON CREEK,

MONTAGUE COUNTY, TEXAS

                        Sergio J. Ayala, PhD candidate, University of Exeter, UK

                             Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory,

                             The University of Texas at Austin

TAKING ANOTHER LOOK: AN “ICONIC” SHELTER AT           

HUECO TANKS STATE PARK AND HISTORIC SITE (41EP2)

WITH DStretch AND PHOTO TRACING

                        Margaret K. Berrier

                             Jornada Research Institute

TAKING ANOTHER LOOK: An “Iconic” Shelter at Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site (41EP2) with DStretch and Photo Tracing

Margaret K. Berrier, Jornada Research Institute

JTAH has been blessed this year with outstanding articles.  This offering from Margaret Berrier is no exception.  The richly illustrated, professionally written article will be enjoyed by anyone remotely interested in rock art of the Trans Pecos.  While this article is focused on one of the most iconic artistic elements found in Texas rock art, possibly all of Texas art in total, it delves into the latest scientific research techniques used in the field of rock art studies.  Photographs are in high-resolution for zooming into fine details.  Follow this link to: Taking Another Look: An “Iconic” Shelter at Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site (41EP2) with DStretch and Photo Tracing.

Andice cache of Denton Creek

J.T.A.H. is extremely pleased to announce publication of an article of original research by Sergio Ayala summarizing his lengthy study of Andice points and the interesting notching behavior found in them. Readers will enjoy this richly illustrated article and learn a great deal about the craftsmanship represented by this artifact type.

As with all J.T.A.H. digital publications, this article is brought to the reader as a free and open access publication through the JTAH website. Readers are encouraged to zoom into the finest flint knapping details in this article’s high-resolution photography.

Click here to view or download THE ANDICE CACHE of DENTON CREEK, Montague County, Texas.

EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY CALABOOSES in the texas borderlands

by William E. Moore

J.T.A.H. is pleased to bring you this interesting research by Bill Moore on the little documented historical topic of “calabooses” in the Texas Borderlands region. These tiny jails found in most small towns are in danger of disappearing due to the effects of time and neglect. This richly illustrated article will certainly enhance any reader’s knowledge on the subject.

ABSTRACT

On April 2013, Rhonda K. Holley and I encountered a tiny concrete structure in Gause, Texas that aroused our curiosity. It was the town calaboose built circa 1921. We thought a lot about what it must have been like to be locked up in such a place in times of extreme heat and cold. Rhonda K. Holley discusses our fascination with the Gause calaboose in this video. I had heard the term calaboose in western movies, but I had never given any thought to what it meant. But here in Gause, Texas was the real thing. A small, almost whimsical structure that seemed totally out of place in the twenty-first century. Its once important role in an emerging community had been downgraded as a place to burn trash and a palette for graffiti by vandals. Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary defines calaboose as simply a prison or jail. But it is more than that. It represents a time capsule in small vernacular jail architecture that was present throughout the country until the middle of the twentieth century. This article discusses the role of the calaboose during the early days of the twentieth century in the Texas Borderlands.

To read or download click here.

New Jtah article: Locality x

We are pleased to announce the publication of a terrific new article authored by J. David Kilby and Laura Hronec entitled:

Evaluating the Integrity of Blackwater Draw’s Locality X: The Role of Wind in the Formation of a Late Prehistoric Site on the Southern High Plains

Abstract

Locality X is a diffuse scatter which consists primarily of more than 1,000 tiny lithic artifacts distributed throughout a massive stratum of eolian sand adjacent to a lunette southeast of Blackwater Draw Locality 1. The discovery of a single side-notched projectile point along with radiocarbon dates indicate that this newly discovered locality may represent a Late Prehistoric camp associated with the prehistoric springs that characterize the site. As such, it would represent the first discrete Late Prehistoric locality identified at the Blackwater Draw site; however, questions arose regarding the assemblage’s validity as a primary site of human activity. The unusually small artifact sizes and their location on the landscape raised the possibility that Locality X represents a secondary accumulation of size-sorted artifacts originating from the multiple archaeological localities lying upwind along the margins of the pond, redeposited in an aggrading lunette feature. Particle size analysis and wind tunnel experiments were carried out to test this hypothesis. Results indicate that, while the site has clearly been reworked by wind, eolian processes alone do not account for the accumulation of the artifacts, and the site appears to represent a primary location of cultural activity. The study generated new information relevant to understanding wind transport of small artifacts as well as confirming the existence of a new locality at the Blackwater Draw site.

Click on the title above to be taken directly to the article where you may either read or download a digital copy of this graphic rich research paper.

Watch for this to appear as our lead-off article in the full J.T.A.H. Volume 6 (2020).

Special Announcements & Volume 5

Greetings and Happy Holidays to all!  We are very pleased to share several JTAH announcements today.

First, we are excited to announce JTAH Volume 5 (2018/2019) is now available online, just click HERE where you may either read or download the complete volume.  Individual articles are listed below; click on them to read or download each of them. Volume 5 includes our first Spanish language article, a translation of Amy Borgens terrific article discussing the Boca Chica shipwreck which first appeared as Article 1 in Volume 4.  We plan this to be only the first of many Spanish articles.  Also included in this volume is our Special Publication No. 4 that was first published as a stand-alone publication for Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum.  This interesting article covers archeological investigations at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

It is our great honor and pleasure to announce two leading experts in archeology, including specialties in botany and underwater (marine) archeology, have joined the all-volunteer management team at Journal of Texas Archeology and History.org, Inc.   Dr. Ashley K. Lemke has joined our corporate Board of Directors and will spearhead a new initiative to publish a collection of graduate research papers in a journal we call “The Best of Graduate Research from the Texas Borderlands Region”.  Ashley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Texas Arlington and is Vice-Chair with the Advisory Council for Underwater Archaeology.  Also joining us in the important role of Co-Editor-in-Chief is Dr. J. Kevin Hanselka.  Kevin is an archeologist at the Texas Department of Transportation, and a practicing consulting archeobotanist specializing in Mexico and the American Southwest. He studied plant use on Late Archaic farming villages in Chihuahua is continuing research into emergent agricultural economies in Tamaulipas as well as volunteering his services at the SHUMLA school.  Both individuals bring great expertise and vision to the JTAH.

Call for Papers: JTAH Volume 6 (2020).  The JTAH is soliciting research papers in original new research of archeology and history of the six-state regions we call the “Texas Borderlands”.  Click here for the full invitation information.

Have a terrific 2020 everybody!

Here are links to individual articles:

JTAH Volume 5 (2018/2019) – Article 1:  HISTORY OF ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK

JTAH Volume 5 (2018/2019) – Article 2:  CHASING THE PHANTOM SHIP: REVISITING INTERPRETATIONS OF THE BOCA CHICA NO. 2 SHIPWRECK ON THE TEXAS COAST

JTAH Volume 5 (2018/2019) – Article 3:  PERSIGUIENDO AL BARCO FANTASMA: RECONSIDERANDO LAS INTERPRETACIONES DEL PECIO BOCA CHICA NO. 2 EN LA COSTA DE TEXAS

Call for Papers: JTAH Volume 6 (2020).  The JTAH is soliciting research papers in original new research of archeology and history of the six-state regions we call the “Texas Borderlands”.  Click here for the full invitation information.