NMSU-A » Alamogordo Community Education » Alamogordo Community Education » White Sands Institute 2013 » From Mammoths to Missiles: Human History of the Tularosa Basin

From Mammoths to Missiles: Human History of the Tularosa Basin

White Sands Institute

Instructor: Pete Eidenbach

Dates: June 6-7,2012
Days: Wednesday-Thursday
Time: see schedule
Location: White Sands National Monument
Age: Adult
Fee: $55

Did you know mammoths once roamed the Tularosa Basin? Archaeologist Pete Eidenbach will provide an in-depth look at local history and archaeology in his upcoming seminar “Mammoths to Missiles: the Human History of the Tularosa Basin”. Following a discussion on local archaeology, history, and architecture the group will take a field trip to an early Missile Range tracking site. The day will end about dusk. Thursday morning the group leaves at 7am for a trip to the selenite crystal beds of Lake Lucero, and other rarely visited locations within the White Sands. This field seminar involves off-trail hiking, and because of the remote locations, high clearance vehicles are required. Cost for this two-day seminar is $55.

 

Wednesday

10am: Meet at Park Administration Conference room
10:45am: Lecture: Historic Preservation
11:30am: Lecture: Local Archaeology, History, and Architecture
12pm: Bring brown bag lunch. Slideshow
12:45pm: Lecture: Artifacts and Mysterious Objects
3pm: Lecture: The Dimension of Archaeology:  Space, Time, and Form
5pm: Field Trip to early WSMR tracking site


Thursday

6:45am: Meet at WSMR Small Missile Range gate
7am: Field trip uprange to:

  • Lucero Lake Site
  • Rhodes Canyon Rock Art

 

On Wednesday you will meet at 10am at the White Sands National Monument Administration Conference room. To find the Administration building, turn to your left as you enter the park from the highway. The visitor’s center is to your right, but the park headquarters is on your left. Be sure to bring a brown bag lunch, snacks and plenty of water. The 5pm field trip will take at least an hour, so you might plan to bring a light supper as well. A high-clearance vehicle is recommended and there is no fuel available on the range. Off-trail hiking at the Monument dictates close-toed shoes and no sandals. Remember to wear sunscreen, especially on Thursday morning.