Thursday, July 29, 2021

JTNP Museum Collections

 Over the years, I had heard rumors that Joshua Tree National Park maintains a collection of cultural artifacts, but they sure don't advertise it! I wasn't able to find any information on their website, even when I used the search function. However, when I Googled "JTNP museum collections" I was able to find it. Go figure!

Above is a copy of the email I sent the Park Service. I get the sense that viewing the collection is primarily designed for researchers. But it does say "open to the public by appointment only." I was pleased when I got a response back within a few days.

I invited a friend to join me, and the two of us met with a park ranger at the 29 Palms Visitor Center at the designated time.  She led us to one of the outbuildings where the collections are stored. We were asked to sign in, and I noticed the prior sign in date was over a year ago! I also noticed all the people who had signed in before me were affiliated with colleges and universities. It looks like very few members from the public see this collection.

It's an incredible collection! I've never found a pottery sherd with a marking or artwork on it, so I was surprised to see that the majority of pieces in the collection was covered in artwork.
 
We didn't have free reign in viewing the collection. We could only view what the ranger chose to show us, and obviously, we couldn't touch anything. She showed us only a tiny fraction of the overall collection, but even so, I felt incredibly lucky to be able to get this viewing.



It's hard for me to imagine what it would be like... sticking your head in a rock shelter and discovering a large piece of pottery like this! Certainly it would be the thrill of a lifetime. In the writings of the Campbells (a husband and wife team who lived in 29 Palms and explored extensively throughout JTNP in the early 1920's and 30's) they mention that many of the rock shelters they came across had ollas or other artifacts inside. Fast forward to the 1970's and beyond, and it's as if everything has been found and removed. Finding an intact piece of pottery is extremely rare, and I don't know of anyone who has found one. Which is unfortunate. I'm sure very few visitors appreciate the strong presence that Native Americans had in what is now JTNP.

A photo of a photo... The Campbells in the field, exploring a huge rock shelter. I've never come across this shelter, but I would sure love to know where it is!

The museum contains all the Campbell field notes, which I think is fascinating. Much of what is stored at the museum was discovered by the Campbells. The above entries were made in Oct. 1933. Page 1962 starts off: "Stone Object (frag)  Camp Cady Dist., Indian Camps in the mesquite covered sand dunes 1/8 miles east of Old Camp Cady Stage Station on N. banks of Mojave River". The entry goes on to describe the stone object in detail, and it's possible use as a whetstone. 
 

Old shotgun owned by James McHaney with hand-carved stock.


An arrow shaft straightener (I never would have guessed that!). The straightener would be heated in the fire, then the arrow shaft, which was soaked in water, would be pulled through the groove, back and forth multiple times until the shaft was, you guessed it, straight as an arrow!

 
Branding irons and old cans. It's pretty easy to spot the newest can!
 
Mining claim. A mining claim might commonly be folded up and stored in an old can under a pile of rocks on the property marking the claim.

At one point in Joshua Tree's history, there was something of a real estate scam going on. The Pinto Basin (the hottest, driest part of Joshua Tree) was being subdivided into lots, and sold (often sight unseen) to suckers people looking for their own slice of heaven in the desert. Many improvements were promised, including unlimited access to an underground aquifer. Property values were all but guaranteed to go up sharply, and everyone would be happy! Each person who bought a lot received one share in the "Pinto Basin Mutual Water Co." Except none of the improvements were ever made, and there was no water, which made the property worthless. A sad story that's played out many times in American history. The share above is dated Sept. 17, 1929.
 




Perhaps the strangest thing I saw were these absolutely beautiful paintings. Hanging on a wall behind the storage containers where no one could really see them, I could hardly believe my eyes. These really belong in a display where people can see and enjoy them, or perhaps loaned out to a local art gallery.
 
I've only shared with you a very small part of the overall museum collections. The Park Service has an almost impossible challenge: Protect these incredibly rare and valuable pieces of local history, but find a way to share them with the general public. Everyone knows the Park Service is understaffed and underfunded, so the emphasis now is on protection rather than sharing. Our Park Service "tour guide" told us it's OK to share the photos we take, but said "there aren't enough hours in the day" to promote the museum to the general public. She's right. So the opposite has been happening, and even long time JTree residents don't know this beautiful collection exists.
 
As we finished up our tour and were leaving the building, I asked about these rocks piled up in the hallway. My eyes were immediately drawn to them, and I was pretty sure I knew what they were. The Park Ranger confirmed my suspicion: Beautiful examples of Native American morteros or grinding stones. She said there is no room for them in the overstuffed museum, so they sit in limbo in a hallway. I've found a couple over the years, and it's an incredible thrill, and one I will never forget. Unfortunately, there are knuckleheads out there that will steal them, so the Park Service is forced to collect and store them to keep them from being carried off. But it's a double-edged sword. Every mortero that's collected by the Park Service and stored in a hallway somewhere removes the opportunity for a hiker to have the incredible experience of finding a Native American artifact in its natural environment, and perhaps developing a strong interest and connection to that culture.
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My friend and I had agreed to meet for a late afternoon hike. We started our hike along Keys View Road, where the elevation was almost 5000'. A little cooler at that elevation, but still July in the desert!


I'll share the rest of our hike with you on my next post, but keep an eye on those clouds on the horizon. They will keep us company all afternoon, and provide some interesting activity just after sunset!
 
Linking with Skywatch Friday.
Thanks for stopping by!

46 comments:

  1. I have no doubt that it was an incredible pleasure to view all these artifacts from an area to which you are so deeply attached. It really is a shame that a way could not be found to permit greater access by the public. It would be a wonderful project for some billionaire to finance a world class museum to house and display them.

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  2. So sad that there isn't a way to display these for the general public in a way that would be actually utilized. I imagine it would take someone raising the money and doing it via donations and non-profit and such to create a museum that would have to be run by volunteers. It would be a huge undertaking to get that off the ground, and that's only if the park rangers would agree to let someone do that.

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  3. ...beautiful images and the artifacts are watching Antiques Roadshow! Thanks for sharing.

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  4. I feel as if I would like to own this post as a book large pictures. In particular your final shot! Thank you for educating me and enriching me by bringing me out to a desert area I knew nothing of! You're doing important work and perhaps should consider writing a book or making your own work available somehow. Aloha

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  5. Wow, you are the intrepid explorer even on the internet!!
    I've found a few gems that government agencies restrict by googling their pages. Such as my first geocache permit for Turkey Permit. They require one but you have to fill out a form and they were out of forms. So I googled it, found a pdf, downloaded it, and sent it in and they approved it.

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  6. Dearest Peter,
    That was a happy thing for you to google the information that led to you being able to visit.
    Sounds and looks like Mexico City's National Museum of Anthropology where we were with our boss and his wife while consulting in Mexico. https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2021/06/consulting-in-mexico-brought-us-again.html
    Sad that the Park Service is lacking the funds for fully making use of these treasures!
    Our adopted daughter is Indian so this always has meant more to us.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

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  7. A treasure trove, and you got to see it because you asked!

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  8. I know that museums here only display a fraction of their collection. These are wonderful.

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  9. Wow! I love the pictures you found in the museum. And your photos of Key View Road are awesome!

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  10. Just WOW! Thanks for showing something I would have never knew existed. You do a great job with that camera. SWEET
    THANKS
    Sherry & jack

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  11. You are so resourceful, so congrats on finding the way to see artifacts that so few have viewed. I fully understand that the Park Service is underfunded and understaffed. For now, it is some consolation that these items are being preserved!

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  12. Museums looks amazing, stunning skies.

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  13. What a wonderful place. Thank You so much for sharing. I love that cloud formation on the last one. Mighty Fine!

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  14. Thanks so much for sharing this!

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  15. That is so awesome. To thing some of that pottery survived all that time in one piece, a bit like finding a whole Roman urn over here. They all should be on display in a museum.

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  16. A great collection and very pleased to see. Thanks for showing us.

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  17. is is an impossible job to protect and share when there is limited funds and staff - thanks so much for the photos of the collection of artifacts - I'll never be there to see them

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  18. This is just incredible. I was fascinated by every single one of these images. It is truly a shame that these items are hidden away. This reminds me so much of a discovery I made around 10 to 12 years ago on one of my trips to London. I happened to visit University College in London and learned they had one of the largest collections of Egyptian artifacts outside of Egypt. That collection also is locked up in an "appointment only" museum on the campus. I was lucky enough to get to see it. Like this collection, most of the items were in drawers or on shelves. Nothing was really in what you would call display mode. There must be treasures like this and the one I saw tucked away in places all over the world.

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  19. Quite different one from your usual hike posts. Precious collections to view

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  20. Very cool collection.
    My Dad made such a weapon from scratch, my Brother still has it.
    Wow to the parting pic, great clouds!
    P.S. That chairs I found are no replicas - they´re really from the 60´s / 70´s!

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  21. If there can be no physical museum then perhaps they could consider photographing the collection and creating an online resource.

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  22. Wow! So amazing to be able to see the artifacts that are hidden away. I so love museums. It is sad to have to keep all these treasures away from viewing. The pottery is amazing. Thanks for sharing
    MB

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  23. Has conseguido una buena información, después de estar investigando con mucha constancia.

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  24. All very interesting, but the field notes, for me, were the most interesting of all. I'm fascinated by both the methods people use as well as the tools--paper, pens, etc.

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  25. Yes, why can't they been loaned out to another museum? I can see why the Park Service wants to remove and protect, because there are too many (ahem, won't use any bad names) people who would just steal and keep for themselves. The arrow straightener and the paintings were highlights. There has to be a way for this collection to be turned to the Park Service's advantage, but I know they don't have the resources to do that.

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  26. fascinating. chapeau for finding the information and being able to make an appointment.

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  27. Lots of fascinating things there, well worth making an appointment.

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  28. Wow! what an experience to view all those artifacts ~ amazing ~ as well as the paintings ~ thanks so much for sharing them ~ Xo

    Living in the moment,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative harbor

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  29. What a fascinating visit to the museum. Sad though the museum is not publicised and people are deprived of the opportunity of a peek into history.

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  30. Wow. Great read. What a connection. And the paintings! Everyone should of course be able to see these items.

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  31. I am glad I didn't miss this post of yours. A great opportunity to view the cultural artifacts kept in the museum which many people do not seem to know about. Those are beautiful paintings. Love the desert photos especially the last one with the floating white cloud.

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  32. I'm saddened that these artifacts aren't really available to the public. What a shame! You'd think university interns could staff it once a month during the summer or something. I guess your state must have an overabundance of items like this in museums already or some kind of loan system would've been set up.

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  33. Wow..lucky you..Thanks for sharing this amazing collection with us..Sad that it doesn't have more exposure..

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  34. I'm glad you were able to see the collection, at least in part. How fascinating.

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  35. A truly magnificent post. Your detailed narrative of the tour of the facility with all the photos of the collection was then topped off by the paintings, or so I thought, before the scenic hike.

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  36. Unbelievably fascinating SPP! I was thinking the same as yourself when you said that you had never found anything like the painted pottery pieces.. because they've all been found. How wonderful for you to see these wonderful exhibits and I just knew it would put you in the mood for an immediate hike 😉 Your photos are as beautiful as the excellent paintings you found 💜

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  37. The paintings was very nice, and beautiful photos. Your last photo is magical!

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  38. Wow, how marvelous! The arrow straightener is fascinating, and I love the jars and paintings. I'm glad you got to go there. Thank you for sharing.

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  39. That is so cool! And the pot shards are beautiful!

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  40. Super cool! A private tour. Nice. If anyone might still find a relic it would be you.

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  41. I have to agree, that is one gorgeous colelction of pottery. And you were allowed tp photography as well. :) Thanks for sharing. And for the skies as well. Gorgeous!

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  42. This HAS to be The Most Exciting Post of Ever! I'm grateful you went personally to see this terrific things.

    I failed you - I've been searching Atlas Obscura for a post from last year that shared many marvelous and mysterious (ancient) sights in California. (yes, there are even stories about your area of expertise and i wonder if they are you/yours.)

    I'm from California - haven't been back in forever - and - your sharing is precious to me. Thank you for such a wealth of beautiful sights and adventures. Well, REALLY, Thank You for All You Do! (arrow shaft straightener? way cool.) 💙

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  43. That museum! Totally amazing and utterly bizarre to know that these treasures exist almost completely unknown. I do understand the reasoning but what mixed feelings! So sad and yet so glorious to know they are saved and remain safe.
    I am impressed that they scheduled your private tour so quickly after your request and that you were allowed to photograph the collection. Thank you so much for sharing it.

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  44. Wow, what a great post! Very interesting. So many neat things!

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