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Available from www.amazon.com -- From Arcadia Publishing, the story of Sutter Creek and Amador County wineries. By Kimberly Wooten and R. Scott Baxter
R. Scott Baxter and Rebecca Allen, "Mining the West." In Unlocking the Past: Celebrating Historical Archaeology in North America, Lu Ann De Cunzo and John Jameson, Jr., editors, pp. 72-77. University Press of Florida, Gainesville. Published in cooperation with the Society for Historical Archaeology. From inside jacket cover: "Leading the reader to archaeological sites from Canada to the Caribbean and through time from the era of early Norse voyages to World War II, this book describes compelling discoveries unearthed by archaeologists in search of North American's historical past. The essays challenge our ideas about the continent as they reveal how native and immigrant peoples interacted with their environment and each other over the course of five centuries." To order, go to the University Press' website (www.upf.com).
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R. Scott Baxter and Rebecca Allen, "Archaeological Investigations of Life within the Woolen Mills Chinatown," in The Chinese in America: A History from Gold Mountain to the New Millenium, edited by Susie Lan Cassel. Altamira Press, Walnut Creek, CA.
This article tells the story of the Woolen Mills Chinatown in San Jose and the mostly bachelor population that lived there from 1887-1902. We draw on historic documents and archaeology to highlight this town's history and daily life. The Woolen Mills Chinatown is further highlighted below.
HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY VOL. 36, N0. 3, 2002
The Changing Face of Work in the West, edited by Thad Van Bueren
R. Scott Baxter
Industrial and Domestic Landscapes of a California Oil Field
Abstract: By the turn of the 19th century, the United States was a
heavily industrialized nation in the midst of the Victorian period. A series of
intertwined values developed concerning the appropriate use of space both in and
out of the work place and home. While the majority pursued these standards,
individuals working in extractive industries were often on society’s periphery.
Squaw Flat is an isolated oil field in Ventura County, California, occupied from
ca. 1912–1954. In a remote location with limited choices, workers at Squaw Flat
were able to use the landscape to express societal values concerning
professional, domestic, public, and private space. Order from www.sha.org
The Friends of
Guadalupe River Park & Gardens are pleased to announce the publication of a new
book by Rebecca Allen and Mark Hylkema entitled Life Along the
Guadalupe River - an Archaeological and Historical Journey.
The story of this publication begins in Spring 1999 when Caltrans contracted with a team of archaeologists to conduct an excavation of the former Woolen Mills Chinatown site that existed at Taylor Street and the Guadalupe River between 1888-1902. This was done in anticipation of the widening of Highway 87.
The archaeological team, headed by Dr. Rebecca Allen, consulting historical archaeologist and President of Past Forward, Inc., and Mark Hylkema, an archeologist for the California Department of Parks & Recreation, did months of planning and research prior to working on the site. During the excavation, remnants of building foundations, redwood water pipes, and streets confirmed the layout of the town. Artifacts discovered in the excavation, together with historical records, told the experts much about the life of the residents.
The resulting publication, Life Along the Guadalupe River – an Archaeological and Historical Journey, tells the story of the Woolen Mills Chinatown and the excavation process. The book encompasses much more, however, describing early geological conditions in the Santa Clara Valley, pre-historic peoples, and the industrial changes that have transformed San Jose into the city it is today. It is illustrated with historic photographs throughout, and eight pages of color photographs that bring to life objects from the excavation and scenes of the Guadalupe River today.