[Heritage] Stewardship Certificate Given to Talbot Couple

Heritage Info heritage.info at state.or.us
Wed Mar 14 10:54:59 PDT 2012


A Talbot couple has been recognized with an Oregon Heritage Stewardship
Certificate for their efforts to preserve an important archaeological
site.

In 2009, the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) received
a phone call from private property owners Diana and John Van Driesche of
Talbot. While constructing an emergency entrance into the basement of
their home, the couple had found Native American artifacts and a burned
feature beneath the surface.  

The Van Driesches promptly halted construction and contacted the State
Archaeologist at the SHPO.  Later, volunteers from the Oregon
Archaeological Society; students from Oregon State University, the
University of Oregon, and various community colleges; and professional
archaeologists from the Association of Oregon Archaeologists, private
archaeological firms, federal agencies, state agencies, and Tribes,
conducted archaeological testing.  

The investigations found basalt, obsidian and chert tools and debitage,
and remnants of a hearth. (Debitage is waste material leftover from
making tools.) Recent radiocarbon dates indicate the site was occupied
5,500 to 9,100 years ago.  

“Thanks to Diana and John’s watchful eye and thoughtful decision to
contact the State Historic Preservation Office an important Native
American site was preserved for future generations,” says Nancy
Nelson, a Heritage Programs archaeologist with the Oregon Parks and
Recreation Department.  “We thank them for their contribution to
protecting Oregon’s cultural heritage.”

The Heritage Stewardship Recognition program was initiated by Heritage
Programs of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to raise the
profile of Oregonians who go the extra mile in protecting the state’s
heritage.

Heritage Programs of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department includes
the Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries, the Oregon Heritage
Commission, the Oregon Historic Trails Advisory Council and the State
Historic Preservation Office. For more information, contact Kyle Jansson
at heritage.info at state.or.us or 503-986-0673.

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