T.A.S. Book Festival

Saturday, October 25

Sponsored by “Support Texas Archeology and History Research” (S.T.A.H.R.)

9:00 am – 9:50 am

Authors: Mike Collins & Clark Wernecke

“The Gault Site (41BL323) Bell County, Texas”

by D. Clark Wernecke, Michael B. Collins and Sergio

Ayala

The Gault Site is a short (32 page) book available in both

hard and softcover printed by the Gault School of

Archaeological Research exploring the history of the site, the

work done there and what is known of the occupations of the

site to date. The book has more than 80 illustrations drawn

from the site and the artifacts found there and include

information and pictures of both the Clovis and older-than-

Clovis artifacts. (2013)

“Clovis Technology”

by Bruce Bradley, Michael B. Collins and Andrew Hemmings

Clovis Technology (224pp.) is also available in both soft and hardcover in

limited quantities. The book, published by International Monographs in Prehistory,

is now out of print and the GSAR purchased most of the remaining supply. The

book has in-depth coverage of what is currently known about several aspects of

Clovis technology including blades, bifaces, bone tools, small tools, functional

analysis and evidence of learning and teaching. The book has 9 color plates in

addition to many black and white illustrations. (2010)

Dr. D. Clark Wernecke is the Project Director for the Prehistory Research

Project and Adjunct Faculty member at Texas State University and Executive

Director of the Gault School of Archaeological Research, a nonprofit dedicated to

research and education regarding the earliest peoples in the Americas. Dr.

Wernecke started his academic career with a degree in history from SMU

followed by an MBA from Northwestern University, an M.A. in Anthropology

from Florida Atlantic, and finally his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin.

He came back to archaeology after a career in business and has worked in the

Middle East, Mesoamerica, the American Southeast and Southwest, and Texas.

Dr. Wernecke’s primary specialty is that of archaeological project

management but he has also written extensively on architecture and paleoindian

art. While currently working on several publications about the Gault Site he is

also working on a book about the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, the second day of

the Mexican-American War.

Dr. Michael B. Collins is a Research Associate Professor at Texas

State University in San Marcos. He has specialized in the study of lithic

technology and worked with prehistoric collections from North, Central,

and South America, as well as the Near East and southwestern Europe.

He collaborated on the lithics research for the older-than-Clovis site of

Monte Verde, Chile. Dr. Collins is currently active in research on the

earliest part of the American archaeological record and published Clovis

Blade Technology (UT Press) and Clovis Technology. He is the co-

Principal Investigator of the Gault Archaeological Site in central Texas.

10:00 am – 10:50 am

Author: Mary Black

“Peyote Fire

Shaman of the Canyons”

This novel tells the story of Deer Cloud, the first peyote shaman. Deer

Cloud is painting a story of his gods on the walls of a small rock shelter when

tragedy changes his life. He is called to walk the shaman path himself and

bring the buffalo through his visionary power. Stone Face will do anything to

thwart Deer Cloud’s growing power. The female shaman Jumping Rabbit

mentors Deer Cloud and introduces him to a powerful new spirit herb Together

they change Rain Bringer society forever. (2014)

Published by Writers Press and available in paperback and ebook format.

ISBN-13: 978-1500586027

ISBN-10: 1500586021

Mary S. Black fell in love with the Lower Pecos more than twenty years ago.

Since then she has studied the archaeology and ethnography of the area with

numerous scholars. She has an Ed.D. in Human Development and Psychology

from Harvard University, and lives in Austin with her husband, an archaeologist,

and two cats.

11:00 am – 11:50 am

Author: Tom Hester

“Stone Artifacts of Texas Indians” (2011).

By Thomas R. Hester (coauthor with the late Ellen Sue Turner and Richard

L. McReynolds.)

The book is synthesis of named lithic types in prehistoric and early historic

Texas. Representative examples of a specific type, whether projectile point

or tool, have been drawn, and summaries of type distribution and chronology

are included. Extensive bibliography.

3rd in the series that began in 1985, much expanded in size; larger format;

all new illustrations. Taylor Trade Publishing (Denver, CO), for Rowman and

Littlefield, Lanham, MD. (2011)

Thomas R. Hester is Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at The

University of Texas at Austin, where he was also Director of the Texas

Archeological Research Laboratory at UT Austin. He has over 45 years

of archaeological experience in Texas, California, Montana, and the

Great Basin, as well as in Mexico, Belize, and Egypt. In the late 1970s

to mid-1990s, he directed the Colha Project (Belize), the 15-season

study of a Maya stone tool mass production site. His specialties include

hunters and gatherers, lithic analysis and ancient technologies. He is the

author of several hundred publications reflecting a wide array of

experience and research interests.

He directed the Texas Archeological Society field school’s excavations in the Sabinal Canyon (1990), at

Mission Valley (1997-1998) and 2010, 2011, and 2013 at the Eagle Bluff site. He is a 50-year member of the

TAS, former President, a Fellow and recipient of the TAS Lifetime Achievement Award, 2013.

The late Ellen Sue Turner is senior author. A long-time member of the TAS and a past President, she was

involved in archaeological research in San Antonio area for over 30 years. Author of a number of BTAS

papers and an active member of the STAA, she also served as a research associate for the Center for

Archaeological Research, UTSA.

Richard L. McReynolds was a co-author and prepared the precise line drawings to illustrate this book. He

has illustrated many papers that appeared in the STAA journal, La Tierra, as well as several other journals and

monographs (including the 2013 volume on Spring Lake published by the CAS at Texas State). He is an

avocational archaeologist, an active member of the STAA, and has published numerous papers on many

facets of south central and south Texas archaeology.

12:00 pm – 12:50 pm

Author: Gregg Dimmick, M.D.

“Sea of Mud, The Retreat of the Mexican Army After San Jacinto, An Archeological

Investigation.”

Most Texas History books and aficionados will tell you that after the battle of San

Jacinto the Texas Revolution was over. They will report that General Antonio López

de Santa Anna was captured on April 22, 1836. Santa Anna then ordered the

remainder of the Mexican army to leave Texas and they obeyed him. The above

statement is not even close to what actually happened. Dr. Gregg Dimmick,

pediatrician from Wharton, has written the true story of the Mexican army after San

Jacinto. Ten years of archeology and archival research have led him to a totally

forgotten story of the Mexican army being stuck in the mud in what is now Wharton

Co. Dr. Dimmick has recorded this remarkable story in his book. His book was

published in 2004 by the Texas State Historical Association. The second edition was

released in paperback in 2006.

Gregg Dimmick M D is a pediatrician at South Texas Medical Clinics in

Wharton TX. He is a 1974 graduate of Texas A&M University and a 1977

Graduate of the University of Nebraska Medical School. He has practiced

pediatrics in Wharton for 29 years. Dr. Dimmick is an avocational archaeologist

and has coauthored two archaeological reports on excavations of the retreating

Mexican army of 1836. He has participated in archaeological digs at the Fannin

battle site as well as the San Jacinto battlefield.

In January of 2011 Dimmick was honored to have been inducted as a national

honorary member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. Dr. Dimmick has

appeared on the History Channel and the Discovery Channel in relation to his work

on the archaeology of the Mexican army. He has spoken at various conferences on Texas History including

the San Jacinto Conference, the DRT’s conference at the Alamo and the Texas Philosophical Society.

Dimmick has served for several years on the board of directors and as chairman of the archeology committee

for the San Jacinto Battleground Conservancy.

Dimmick recently edited a book that was written by Mexican General Vicente

Filisola in 1838. The book has been translated into English by John Wheat and is

entitled General Vicente Filisola’s Analysis of José Urrea’s Military Diary: A

forgotten 1838 Publication by an Eyewitness to the Texas Revolution. The true jewels

of this work for the students of Texas History are the details that Filisola gives in

making his verbose case against General Urrea. Find unusual and previously

unpublished facts about Agua Dulce, Refugio, Coleto Creek, and the entire retreat of

the Mexican army after San Jacinto. Filisola’s work gives a totally different view of

José Urrea and might convince the reader that Urrea was not necessarily the “Golden

Boy” general that Texan Historians have painted him in the past.

1:00 pm – 1:50 pm

Author: Harry Shafer

“Painters in Prehistory: Archaeology and Art of the Lower Pecos

Canyonlands.”

Trinity University Press, 2013. Published in association with the Witte

Museum. ISBN 978-1-59534-086-3 (hardcover).

Painters in Prehistory is an updated edition of the book Ancient Texans:

Rockart and Lifeways along the Lower Pecos. It presents the results of years

of research and dedication to the story of the ancient Lower Pecos canyon

dwellers, told by scholars, artists, and photographers who have deepened the

understanding of the rock art interpretations and life of these prehistoric

people. The worked draws from leading scholar in the field and on new

scientific analysis of artifacts to yield a vivid view of the lifeways of the

Lower Pecos Canyonlands.

Harry J. Shafer, PhD., is the new Curator of Archaeology for the

Witte Museum. He received a PhD in anthropology from the

University of Texas at Austin and has been active in archaeological

research for the past 52 years. He is professor emeritus at Texas A&M

University and his main research interests are Texas prehistory, the

American Southwest (Mimbres and Jornada Mogollon), and Lowland

Maya lithic technology. His is a Texas Archeological Society Fellow

and recipient of the society’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Shafer has

written two books, Ancient Texans: Rock Art and Lifeways of the

Lower Pecos and Mimbres Archaeology at the NAN Ranch Ruin. He is

the editor of Painters in Prehistory, Archaeology and Art of the Lower

Pecos Canyonlands, and is a co-author (with Thomas Hester and

Kenneth Feder) of Field Methods in Archaeology. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 articles in

scientific journals book chapters, and monographs.

2:00 pm – 2:50 pm

Author: John Arrn

“Land of the Tejas

Native American Identity and Interaction in Texas, A.D.1300 to 1700”

Combining archaeological, historical, ethnographic, and environmental data,

Land of the Tejas represents a sweeping, interdisciplinary look at Texas during

the late prehistoric and early historic periods. Through this revolutionary

approach, John Wesley Arnn reconstructs Native identity and social structures

among both mobile foragers and sedentary agriculturalists. Providing a new

methodology for studying such populations, Arnn describes a complex, vast,

exotic region marked by sociocultural and geographical complexity, tracing

numerous distinct peoples over multiple centuries. (2012) U.T. Press.

Drawing heavily on a detailed analysis of Toyah (a Late Prehistoric II

material culture), as well as early European documentary records, an

investigation of the regional environment, and comparisons of these data with

similar regions around the world, Land of the Tejas examines a full scope of previously overlooked details.

From the enigmatic Jumano Indian leader Juan Sabata to Spanish friar Casanas's 1691 account of the vast

Native American Tejas alliance, Arnn's study shines new light on Texas's poorly understood past and debunks

long-held misconceptions of prehistory and history while proposing a provocative new approach to the

process by which we attempt to reconstruct the history of humanity.

John Wesley Arnn III was born in Muenster, Texas in 1964, grew up in

Texas, and served with the U.S. Army in Europe until 1985. He returned to

Texas and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology from Texas

Tech University in 1989, a Master of Arts degree in Anthropology from the

University of Texas at San Antonio in 1998, and a Doctor of Philosophy in

Anthropology from the University of Kentucky in 2007. Dr. Arnn has a

broad experience base in both public and private sectors working with a wide

range of people in diverse cultural and environmental settings including

North America (Texas, New York, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, North

Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia), Central America (Lower Peten, Belize),

and South America (Southern Highlands of Ecuador, Central Highlands and

North Coast of Peru, and the Cuyo Region of Argentina), as well as Europe.

His work on sites in the Americas temporally encompasses Paleo-Indian through 20th century and includes

Inka, Moche, Chimu, and Maya cultures of Central and South America, as well as early historic groups in

North America—most recently the Jumano of Texas.

The publication of his book represents his commitment to anthropology’s holistic approach by combining

multiple lines of evidence (archaeological, historical, environmental, and ethnographic data) at multiple

temporal and spatial scales to reconstruct human identity and interaction through time. Dr. Arnn maintains

that when applied to a specific region this perspective can offer a comprehensive view of pluralistic cultural

settings, culture change, and culture continuum. If people are more than the sum of their parts then

reconstructions of the past demand a similarly holistic approach in order to recognize diversity while

presenting people and culture as a continuum. When not pursuing research interests, Dr. Arnn resides in

Austin, Texas with his wife and daughter. Online at: http://utpress.utexas.edu/index.php/books/arnlan

3:00 pm – 3:50 pm

Authors: Britt Bousman and Bradley Vierra

“From the Pleistocene to the Holocene

Human Organization and Cultural Transformations in Prehistoric

North America”

Edited by C. Britt Bousman and Bradley J. Vierra

The end of the Pleistocene era brought dramatic environmental changes to

small bands of humans living in North America: changes that affected

subsistence, mobility, demography, technology, and social relations. The

transition they made from Paleoindian (Pleistocene) to Archaic (Early

Holocene) societies represents the first major cultural shift that took place

solely in the Americas. This event—which manifested in ways and at times much more varied than often

supposed—set the stage for the unique developments of behavioral complexity that distinguish later Native

American prehistoric societies.

Using localized studies and broad regional syntheses, the contributors to this volume demonstrate the

diversity of adaptations to the dynamic and changing environmental and cultural landscapes that occurred

between the Pleistocene and early portion of the Holocene. The authors' research areas range from Northern

Mexico to Alaska and across the continent to the American Northeast, synthesizing the copious available

evidence from well-known and recent excavations. With its methodologically and geographically diverse

approach, “From the Pleistocene to the Holocene: Human Organization and

Cultural Transformations in Prehistoric North America” provides an overview of

the present state of knowledge regarding this crucial transformative period in

Native North America. It offers a large-scale synthesis of human adaptation,

reflects the range of ideas and concepts in current archaeological theoretical

approaches, and acts as a springboard for future explanations and models of

prehistoric change. (2012) Texas A&M University Press.

As Professor of Anthropology at Texas State University and a GAES

honorary research fellow at the University of the Witwatersrand, C. BRITT

BOUSMAN has conducted archaeological research in the Southern Plains and

peripheral areas since 1972. His contributions include co-authoring “Paleoindian

Archeology in Texas” in The Prehistory of Texas (Texas A&M University Press,

2004).

BRADLEY J. VIERRA is a principal investigator at

Statistical Research Inc. He has researched and written

extensively on hunter-gatherer archaeology, stone tool

technology, and origins of agriculture, with a special focus on the

American Southwest.

4:00 pm – 4:50 pm

Authors: Linda Gorski & Louis Aulbach

“Camp Logan, Houston, Texas, 1917-1919” by Louis F. Aulbach, Linda C. Gorski and Robbie Morin

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the onset of WWI, Louis Aulbach

and Linda Gorski have co-authored a book on an almost forgotten chapter in

Houston’s history – the story of Camp Logan. Constructed in 1917 as an

Emergency Training Center for the U. S. Army in what is now Memorial Park,

Camp Logan was built to house over 44,000 soldiers! Dismantled in 1919 following

the end of the war, the foundation features of Camp Logan still remain in the

undeveloped, wooded areas of Memorial Park. The areas in which the foundation

ruins are located were designated as a State Archeological Landmark by the Texas

Historical Commission in April, 2013. This book is a tribute to all of the soldiers

who trained at Camp Logan, including nine Medal of Honor recipients from the 33rd

Division and the members of the all African-American 370th Infantry who fought

with the French army and were awarded seventy-one Croix de Guerre medals and

twenty-one U. S. Army Distinguished Service Crosses for their service on the front

lines. Online at http://www.amazon.com/Camp-Logan-Houston-Texas-1917-

1919/dp/1497448646 (2014).

Louis F. Aulbach is the author of five best-selling river guides to the

rivers of West Texas, including three guides to the Rio Grande, a guide to the

Pecos River and a guide to the Devils River. His first river guide, called the

Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande, was first published in 1987 and is now in its

fourth edition. His publication called The Fresno Rim is a hiking guide to the

Big Bend Ranch State Park in West Texas.

His recent publication, entitled Buffalo Bayou, An Echo of Houston's

Wilderness Beginnings, is a guide to Buffalo Bayou in Houston, which delves

extensively into the local history along the city's most famous stream. His latest

publication, Camp Logan, Houston, Texas, 1917-1919, is a detailed account of

the activities of the military regiments which trained at Camp Logan during

World War I.

Aulbach, a native Houstonian, is a graduate of St. Thomas High School,

Rice University and the University of Chicago. He retired in 2008 after over

seventeen years as the Records Management Officer for the City of Houston.

He served on the Harris County Historical Commission in the 2009-2010 term.

Linda C. Gorski has had a lifelong interest in archeology and has been an

avocational archeologist for 39 years. She is a member of the Texas Archeological

Society, the Fort Bend Archeological Society and currently serves as President of

the Houston Archeological Society where she leads the society in surveys and

excavations in Houston and southeast Texas. She is also a member of the Texas

Archeological Stewards Network. As a writer, her byline has appeared in many

publications worldwide and for several years, she was a correspondent for the

Houston Chronicle. She has co-authored with Louis Aulbach a river guide to the

Upper Canyons of the Rio Grande in addition to several articles about the history of

Houston which can be found on their website at http://users.hal-pc.org/~lfa/. She

also worked with Aulbach on his recently published book, Buffalo Bayou: An Echo

of Houston’s Wilderness Beginnings and is co-author of their newest book, Camp

Logan, Houston, Texas, 1917-1919.