Vore Buffalo Jump

1 week ago

Here it is, Molly Herron's Artifact of the Week Post!
One significant aspect of the Vore curation project is focused on “rehousing” the collection. “Rehousing” in curation management means creating “well-designed storage and support systems for individual items…[which] are crucial in meeting goals for preventative care” (Arenstein, Goldber, Milroy, 2019, in Preventive Conservation: Collection Storage). Although we intend to rehouse the entire collection, we are currently focused on preserving the bison crania excavated from the Vore sinkhole. Since each cranium is unique, each requires a specially-made acid- and lingam-free box and a plank foam mold. Provenience information and screened sediment are included in bags inside each box to facilitate future isotopic and micro and macrobotanical research. Although it takes time to make each box and mold, it is worth it to preserve the collection for future researchers. Research of the Vore collection is funded in part by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and in part by donations from supporters to the Vore Buffalo Jump Foundation. ... See MoreSee Less

Vore Buffalo Jump

2 weeks ago

We'd like to introduce the two Vore Scholars for the fall 2021 semester, Glenna O’Connor and Tayla Bahr. The two will soon be sharing artifact of the week posts with us! Glenna is pursuing a Bachelors in Anthropology and a Certificate in GIS. Originally from Southern California, Glenna explored the mountain west and has settled in Wyoming to raise her son. She is a single parent who worked full-time in food service for seven years before returning to pursue her bachelor’s degree at UW. She says she was fortunate to participate in the Archaeological Field School this summer and was able to excavate and survey at three different locations, the Red Buttes site south of Laramie, the historic mining townsite at Carbon City, and La Prele, a mammoth kill site close to Douglas. She is interested in application of GIS technology in the field of archaeology.

Tayla recently graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology, a Bachelor of Arts in Ancient Civilizations, and a certificate in Museum Studies. She is pursuing a master's degree in Anthropology at UW. She worked for the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist as an undergraduate, a fellow, intern, and an employee and attended a field school in 2019 in Sicily that focused on the excavation of a Roman villa. She is very excited to be working on the Vore Collection and is especially interested in the mandibles. She says it is interesting that the age of the bison can be determined based on the rupturing and wear of teeth. ... See MoreSee Less

Vore Buffalo Jump

2 months ago

It was 50 years ago this summer that the Vore Site was first excavated. These photos were published in The Sundance Times in August of 1971. ... See MoreSee Less