Pima Ki (House) 1907. Photo by Edward S. Curtis courtesy of the US Library of Congress archives.
Ron and Vicki Sullivan
Imagine what Quail Creek’s neighborhood looked like around 950 A.D. We now have a window, which provides a snapshot of that hamlet with approximately ten homes and 20 to 30 family members nestled on a bajada, or slope, leading to the Santa Cruz River.
There are a lot of folks to thank for sharing the cultural heritage of this Quail Creek site community. First and foremost are the families who settled on this nearby slope more than 1,000 years ago.
Bill Deaver, a senior archaeologist with WestLand Resources Inc. said it best about the Robson Communities in Dan Shearer’s Green Valley News article. “The developer has taken it upon themselves to appreciate the value of cultural heritage of the past and to follow local, state and federal guidelines…to preserve the history they have.”
On November 24, more than 280 interested guests filled the Madera Clubhouse ballroom to hear Jeff Charest, who presented the findings from the archaeological dig along Quail Creek Crossing, just to the east of the patrol shack. We learned that creative, resourceful people farmed and hunted this area while caring for their families and community. “They had a pretty good run,” commented Jeff.