This volume inaugurates a new series on the archaeology and ethnohistory
of the Ross Colony, an early nineteenth century Russian trade outpost established
in northern California. Founded by the Russian-American Company in 1812,
and operated as a commercial enterprise until 1841, the Ross Colony comprised
an early multi-ethnic community composed of Europeans, Creoles (people of
Russian/Native American ancestry), native Alaskans, and local Kashaya Pomo,
Southern Pomo, and Coast Miwok peoples. Located 110 km north of San Francisco
on the scenic Sonoma County coastline, the Ross Colony is now a state historic
park administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation.
The intent of the Archaeology and Ethnohistory of Fort Ross, California
series is to publish the results of archaeological investigations, as well
as related archival research, currently being undertaken by a collaborative
team of scholars from the California Department of Parks and Recreation,
the Kodiak Area Native Association (Kodiak Island, Alaska), the Sakhalin
Regional Museum (USSR), Santa Rosa Junior College, Sonoma State University,
and the University of California, Berkeley. In the first volume of the series,
we outline the long-term research objectives of the Fort Ross Archaeological
Project, sketch the historical context and natural history of the Ross region,
and synthesize archaeological research to date, including the results of
a recent survey of the Fort Ross State Historic Park.
The archaeological research described in this volume was supported by
funds from the National Science Foundation (Grant #BNS-8918960), the California
Department of Parks and Recreation, and the American Home Shield Company
of Santa Rosa, California. A generous donation from the Lightfoot, Lightfoot
and Lightfoot Group of Ophthalmologists in Santa Rosa, California and the
American Home Shield Company covered the costs of publishing the volume.
We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the many people who have supported
or participated in the Fort Ross Archaeological Project since its inception
in 1988. Field investigations in the summers of 1988 and 1989 were undertaken
by U.C. Berkeley students enrolled in the summer field school course (Anthropology
133) taught by Kent Lightfoot. The
1988 field crew included Eugenia Andruchowicz, Marie Binneweg, Traci Carlson,
Alan Carpenter, Bruce Dahlstrom, Christine Denezza, Brian Drope, Elizabeth
Fassett, Paul Hays, Vickie Ives, Dean Matsuno, Mary Robbins, Okashi Robles,
Susan Schalit, Ann Schiff, Virginia Staubach, Loyda Tubis, and Lauren Wang.
The staff consisted of Marcia-Anne Dobres, Mark
Hall, and Roberta Jewett. The 1989 field crew consisted of Sara Atchley,
Adele Baldwin, Shannon Bonilla, Denise Boyce, Patrick Clifford, Jordi Davis,
Patricia Dolan, Christine Franco, Susan Goddard, Michele Harrell, Allegra
Kim, Richard Kwak, Katherine MacKinnon, Anthony Marais, Leslie Nelson, Kelly
Park, Lloyd Pena, Stacy Richardson, Patricia Rowley, Silvia Sierra, and
Helen Wu. The staff included Paul Hays, Richard Hitchcock, Heather Price,
Ann Schiff, and Thomas Wake. Michael Love
served as field chef, photographer, and general archaeological consultant
to the project during both field seasons. We greatly appreciate Robert Schiff
who volunteered his efforts in setting up and closing down the field camps.
Archaeological materials from the 1988 and 1989 field seasons were sorted,
processed, and initially analyzed in the Archaeological Research Facility's
laboratories at U.C. Berkeley. Much of the preliminary work was undertaken
by students in the Analysis of the Archaeological Record course (Anthropology
134) taught by Kent Lightfoot. Students enrolled in the fall semester of
1988 included Eugenia Andruchowicz, Bradford Bentz, David Brittin, Alan
Carpenter, Bruce Dahlstrom, Christine Denezza, Emmanuel Gabet, Kristen Hauge,
Paul Hays, Renee Hendricks, Vickie Ives, Alison Kopf, Cynthia Mc Clellan,
Chinyere Madawaki, Laurie Nielson, Mary Robbins, Okashi Robles, Mark Shepard,
Robert Smith, and Yvette Wojciechowski. Mark Hall and Michael Love served
as Graduate Student Instructors. Students enrolled in the fall semester
of 1989 were Sara Atchley, Shannon Bonilla, Denise Boyce, Jodi Davis, Patricia
Dolan, Christine Franco, Linn Gassaway, Susan Goddard, Carol Halden, Michele
Harrell, James Hoelter, Dennis Hurlbut, Kelli Kelley, Richard Kwak, Cynthia
Lawlor, Anthony Marais, Leslie Nelson, Stacy Richardson, Matthew Riggsby,
Patricia Rowley, Julie Ruiz-Sierra, Ranbir Sidhu, Alexei Vranich, Helen
Wu, and John Yelding-Sloan. Heather Price and Thomas Wake served as Graduate
Student Instructors. Ann Schiff has served as the Laboratory Director of
the Fort Ross Archaeological Project since 1989.
The Fort Ross Archaeological Project would not be possible without the support
and assistance of many people in the California Department of Parks and
Recreation (DPR) who administer the Fort Ross State Historic Park. We are
especially indebted to Carl Chavez (Regional Director, Northern Region Headquarters),
Donald Ito (Manager, Visitors' Services), Glenn Burch (Regional Historian),
Ronald Hanshew (former District Superintendent), and Ronald Brean (Acting
District Superintendent). The DPR provided camping facilities at Fort Ross,
logistical support during the field seasons, and funds for laboratory analyses.
The park staff at Fort Ross is one of the finest that we have had the pleasure
to work with. Special thanks are due to Denise Abbott (Interpreter), Doreen
Mennell (Administration), William Mennell (Chief of Maintenance), Daniel
Murley (Ranger), Michael Stephenson (Supervising Ranger), and Bill Walton
(Ranger).
Two scholars of the California Department of Parks and Recreation have made
critical contributions to our field program at Fort Ross. Breck
Parkman (Regional Archaeologist) and Glenn Farris (State Archaeologist)
have been instrumental in providing background information on the Ross Colony,
assisting in both field and archival research, and evaluating various interpretations
outlined in this volume.
The Fort Ross Interpretive Association (FRIA), a nonprofit citizens group
dedicated to the interpretation of the Fort Ross State Historic Park, has
been extremely helpful in facilitating our fieldwork. We are especially
grateful to Lyn Kalani for her assistance over the last three years, as
well as Jay Harris (past president), John Middleton (president), and the
Board of Directors of FRIA. Kaye Tomlin has been particularly helpful in
providing historical information of the ranching period at Fort Ross.
A number of scholars from Sonoma State University and Santa Rosa Junior
College have contributed greatly to the Fort Ross Archaeological Project.
David Fredrickson and Thomas Origer imparted to us important insights on
the prehistory of the North Coast Ranges, and advice on archaeological methods
that have proved effective in this region. The Obsidian Hydration Laboratory
at Sonoma State University undertook the analysis of all obsidian hydration
data reported in this volume. Margaret Purser analyzed the historical materials
from survey sites, including ceramic, glass and metal artifacts. The amiable
staff at the Northwest Information Center, Sonoma State University, went
out of their way to assist us in finding and duplicating site records and
reports from the Fort Ross region. June Matsuko of the Cultural Resources
Center, Sonoma State University, worked many long hours processing paperwork
for members of the Fort Ross Archaeological Project.
Daniel G. Foster has been extremely helpful in providing information on
sites on file with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
We also appreciate the advice and consultation of other archaeologists who
have worked along the north coast of California-Susan Alvarez, Alan Bramlette,
Lynne Goldstein, Thomas Layton, Sannie Osborn, Rene Peron, William Pritchard,
Jim Quinn, Dwight Simons, and Greg White. We would also like to thank the
following publishers for permission to use material from their books: the
Oregon Historical Society Press, the University Press of Hawaii and the
Hawaiian Historical Society, and the University of California Press.
The administrative staff of the Department of Anthropology and Summer Sessions
at the University of California at Berkeley deserve our special thanks.
We are especially obliged to M. J. Tyler, Julie Martinson, Darlene Wright,
and Catherine Calderon who administered the summer field school program
in the Anthropology Department for the 1988 and 1989 sessions. William Simmons
provided valuable support to the field school program while serving as Vice-Chair
for Personnel in the Anthropology Department. Sally Senior and John Wheeler
of Summer Sessions greatly facilitated the summer field program at Fort
Ross.
We are most grateful for the excellent support that the Archaeological
Research Facility at U.C. Berkeley has provided the Fort Ross Archaeological
Project. Tanya Smith, editor of the monograph series published by the Archaeological
Research Facility, designed this volume's format, copy edited the text,
and produced the camera-ready copy. Anne Sauter is the administrator who
oversees the distribution and promotion of our publications. Karyn Klinger
drafted all the illustrations included in the present volume. The publications
program of the Archaeological Research Facility has been greatly enhanced
by the Office for Research. We deeply appreciate the support and assistance
of Joseph Cerny, Provost for Research, Linda Fabbris, Executive Assistant,
and Jeanne Segale, Administrative Analyst.
We are grateful for the continued support of the Pedotti family of Fort
Ross. The weekly poker games with the Pedotti clan during the summer field
seasons netted us ample funds to eat very well at the "archy camp."
We anticipate working with Alex, David, Renie, Lucas, and Tyral for many
years to come.
We are also most grateful for the continued interest of coast Pomo and Miwok
peoples in our project. We appreciate their taking the time to talk with
us about the Fort Ross region, and look forward to continued and closer
collaboration in the future. We are especially thankful to Violet Chappell,
George Frank, Vana Lawson, Ben Lucas, Jackie Marufo, Warren Parrish, Delbert
Pinola, Lanny and Esther Pinola, Alice Poe, Lynn Poe, and Lorin Smith.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the years of work that John and Alice
McKenzie have dedicated to the study and public interpretation of Fort Ross.
John McKenzie served as the curator/historian/ranger at the Fort Ross State
Historic Park beginning in 1948. The senior author was fortunate, as a budding
archaeologist growing up in Santa Rosa, to meet John and Alice during his
formative years. They were patients of the distinguished ophthalmologist,
Dr. Vernon F. Lightfoot, who used to make house calls to Fort Ross with
his son and Peg Ligthfoot in the 1960s and 1970s. The McKenzies contributed
greatly to the education of the young scholar by emphasizing the need for
basic research on the multi-ethnic community of Fort Ross. We are very grateful
for their continued support and friendship as we attempt to follow their
pioneering footsteps in the study and interpretation of the Ross Colony.
Kent G. Lightfoot,
Thomas A. Wake,
and Ann M. Schiff, editors.