Hough is a Vanishing Treasures Archaeologist, Archaeology Program, Grand Canyon National Park.
Presentation Abstract...
Architectural documentation and preservation of historic period (A.D. 1800-1950) Native American wooden pole structures:
In 2006, Grand Canyon National Park conducted an architectural documentation and preservation project with 10 historic period (A.D. 1800-1950) conical-shaped, wooden pole structures. These structures include a combination of Navajo and Havasupai sweat lodges, hogans and wikiups located on the South Rim between Grand Canyon Village and Desert View. Although focused on implementing preservation treatments to slow natural deterioration, this project also provided an opportunity to address a unique resource from an under-studied archaeological time/culture period. Currently in the southwestern United States, the majority of ruins preservation work is conducted on masonry architecture, with very little attention being given to wooden structures built and used by Native Americans. This project provided a means for field testing new methods and materials for documenting and treating this type of fragile and highly threatened cultural resource. This project also gathered information useful for understanding the origins and timing of Navajo and Havasupai settlement in the Grand Canyon region, the development of Navajo and Havasupai-National Park Service political relationships, cultural patterns in historic period Navajo and Havasupai architecture, and the development of specific methods for treating wooden structures to prevent destruction from forest fires.