The Journal Staff Report

Edge of the Cedars State Park and Museum will host the 2019 Archaeology Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 4, as part of Utah’s Archaeology & Preservation Month

The day will celebrate the abundant history and significant archaeological sites found in Utah’s southeastern desert.

“We want people to have the opportunity to understand the rich, cultural heritage of the area,” said Chris Hanson, the museum director and park manager. “By experiencing it, they can appreciate it and ultimately help to preserve it.”

Events are planned throughout the day, including craft and skill demonstrations and hands-on activities like weaving, pottery making, basketry, wood carving and flintknapping – or making tools from flaked or chipped stone.

The demonstrations will be taught by regional experts including Chris Lewis of the Zuni, John Olsen, a master potter, and Greg Nunn, said to be one of the greatest flintknappers in the world.

Guided tours through the pueblo ruins at Edge of the Cedars will be offered. The park houses remains of a village once inhabited by the ancestral Puebloans will be toured – allowing visitors the opportunity to climb down a ladder into a 1,000-year-old kiva, an underground chamber once used for religious rites.

Two lectures are planned during the day. The first will be presented at 11 a.m. by local archaeologist and photographer, Connie Massingale, who will be speaking about the use of red ochre throughout human history.

The second lecture will be presented in conjunction with the 2019 Four Corners Lecture Series. Richard Friedman, an expert in Geographic Information System Mapping will speak at 2 p.m. on using computer technology to help identify, document and visualize the landscape surrounding Chaco Canyon.

Edge of the Cedars State Park Museum is located at 660 W 400 N in Blanding, Utah. Admission for the Archeology Day event is free and open to the public, with food available for purchase.