8

ONFEBRUARY 19, 2008, New Mexicolost one of the people most re-sponsible for bringing to profes-

sional archaeological attention the richrecord of Paleoindian occupation in thewest-central part of the state. Robert(Bob) Weber was a professional geolo-gist, earning a Ph.D. from the Universityof Arizona in 1950 and spending the next35 years at the New Mexico Bureau ofMines and Mineral Resources at NewMexico Tech in Socorro. His varied geo-logical interests included the Quaternaryperiod, and a boyhood love of collectingarrowheads and rocks in his native Ohioled him to look for prehistoric archaeo-logical sites in central New Mexico. Muchcould be written about Bob and his con-tributions to many aspects of geology,history, and post-Paleo indian archaeol-ogy, but we focus on his Paleoindianwork and his generosity to those of uswho were privileged to work with him.Those interested in Weber's varied ca-reer can consult Alexander (1997) for hisbiography.

A couple of years ago, in respondingto a question about how he got startedlooking for Paleoindian sites, he said thatthe close resemblance of much ofSocorro and Catron counties to the Plainsmade him think that those wide-rangingfolks ought to have found this countryattractive. From 1950 onward, he de-voted much of his free time to the search,establishing beyond any doubt thatPaleoindians had indeed appreciatedwhat the country had to offer at the closeof the Pleistocene and early Holocene.

Bob's understanding of landscapesand the geomorphic processes that hadaffected them over time gave him thekeys to find sites in parts of the Plains ofSan Agustin, the northern end of theJornada del Muerto, and the Rio GrandeValley. It is safe to say that he discoveredhundreds of Clovis, Folsom, and laterPaleoindian sites, not to mention Archaicand younger ones. His collection in-cluded not only points but also tools andin some instances debitage: he appreci-ated the value of all classes of lithic arti-facts and developed keen insights intolithic technology. Bob did not merely find

3P1AMPIOTH_TRUPIPET

sites-he recorded them meticulously, de-veloping his own numbering system, cata-loguing all collected specimens, andprecisely locating them on topographicmaps. Hewas also incredibly generous withhis collection, freely sharing it with archae-ologists and students; contacting Bob to

Volume 23 • Number 3

inable, covering more than 1100 m by550 m of Mockingbird Gap at a 1-ft con-tour interval. This involved mapping arelief of more than 15 vertical ft thatencompassed ridges, complex duneforms, eroded swales, and recent culturalfeatures, along with Clovis,artifacts and

RememberingRobert H.Weber

1919-2008

8IM. She discusses a mutation that is glo-bally extremely rare but pervasive in theAmericas (MT 22-4, "Genetic DiscoveryRefines Our View of the Peopling of theAmericas"). Dr. Malhi explains thatSchroeder's findings at locus D9S1120

excavation area locations, from over 20individual mapping stations. He enlistedhis wife, Margaret, and his daughter,Lynn, in the effort; if no one was availablehe occasionally worked alone, proppingup the stadia rod with a tripod, shootingdistance and elevation, and then movingthe rod to the next shot location. Theeffort spanned at least 35 years.

In 1966-68, Bob collaborated withGeorge Agogino to excavate a portion ofthe site with the Eastern New MexicoUniversity summer field school. A fewpublished results are available from thatwork (Weber and Agogino 1997; Weber1997). Bob also explored the soil-strati-graphic record of the on-site depositsand that ofthe adjacent Chupadera Washfloodplain. He documented the incred-ible depth of accumulation of sedimentsalong the wash, even obtaining a C1ovis-age radiocarbon date from sedimentsseveral m below the modern floodplainsurface. Beginning in 2004, Bob fully sup-ported, and stayed involved with, newgeological and archaeological research atthe site and along the wash by Hollidayand Huckell, including excavations by theUniversity of New Mexico summer ar-chaeological field school in 2007 (Huckellet al. 2006, 2007, in review).

course, and it just takes time. As morework is done and as more models fit thoseinferences I think it comes to be a consen-sus."

Schroeder's recently published paperin Biology Letters further supports the

see his collections was one of those "must-do" things for archaeologists visitingSocorro. Three of us-Amick, LeTourneau,and Hamilton-were privileged to use por-tions of the collection in our dissertationresearch.

Bobwas keenly aware of the importanceof lithic raw material sources to prehistoricsocieties, and due to his geological traininghe was able to locate several lithic materialsources in Socorro County. His near-ency-clopedic knowledge of raw materials andtheir geological contexts he also readilyshared, helping to flesh out patterns ofmovement and aspects oflithic technologi-cal organization.

Identifying anyone of Bob's many con-tributions as the most significant is difficult,but certainly his discovery of the Mocking-bird Gap Clovis site ranks high on the list.This remarkable locale extends over some800 m along Chupadera Wash, and is arepeatedly occupied camp that consists ofmore than a dozen localized, high-densityartifact concentrations. Some of them arelargely surficial while others are shallowlyburied. Bob collected some 300 Clovispoints and point preforms, as well as hun-dreds of scrapers, gravers, and other flaketools. He also produced one of the mostremarkably detailed plane table maps imag-

suggest "a pattern unique to the Americasthat was also likely found in the ancestralpopulation of Native Americans." An iso-lated ancestral Beringian populationwould explain the absence of this muta-tion in northeast Asia.

July. 2008 ::.6W M""MOTH_TRUMPET

9

While many are aware of Bob's workon Clovis, he also developed a robustrecord of Folsom in the Central RioGrande Valley and San Agustin Plains.Bob was project geologist during workon the Ake Folsom site (Weber 1980) atthe northern end of the San Agustin

Plains, the only Paleoindian excavationconducted in that part of New Mexico.Bob's insights resulted in realizing thatthe Folsom materials were redeposited inthe middle Holocene, and also in identify-

ing the original site context. In 2006 Hillbegan a systematic survey of Paleoindiansites in the northern San Agustin Plains,linking Bob's superb field maps of paleo-lake levels with his carefully documentedcollections from the area in order to under-stand Paleoindian adaptations to the rap-

idly changing land-scape in the basin.This project is sadlyon hold.

In the summer of1991, Bob gener-ously shared hiscentral New Mexicodata with Amick forhis regional studiesof Folsom land useand mobility. Thosedata provided thecritical linkage formodeling the Fol-som archaeologicalrecord throughoutthe Rio Grande Val-ley of New Mexico.He also shared his

• knowledge of locallithic resources andwas keen to learnwhat had been

found outside his field research area. Theremarkable depth of Bob's understandingof lithic technology was reflected in one ofthe small waste flakes he collected. Manymight have overlooked the significance of

this minuscule flake, which representedbasal pressure retouch that removed thelateral ridge of the flute on a Folsomperform.

LeTourneau also utilized Bob'sFolsom materials for his dissertation re-search, beginning in 1995. From 2002 tothe time of his death, LeTourneauworked closely with Bob and his collec-tion. This research, primarily concernedwith Folsom lithic technology andtoolstone use (LeTourneau and Weber2004a and b), also included Cody and theearliest Archaic.

Bob was an expert in many differentareas. But unlike many experts, he washumble, generous, and genuinely en-joyed sharing his extensive experienceand knowledge. He once said that hedidn't view his collection as his ownproperty, but something that ultimatelybelonged to the people of New Mexico.With his passing, this unparalleled collec-tion will be donated to the state of NewMexico. Bob's many contributions toPaleoindian research in New Mexico andacross the country are only beginning tobe realized with his passing; we willsorely miss him but count ourselves for-tunate to have come to know and workwith such an outstanding man.

-Bruce B. Huckell, Vance T. Holliday,Daniel S. Amick, Philippe D. LeTourneau,

Matthew E. Hill, C. Vance Haynes,Marcus j. Hamilton

Suggeswd ReadingsAlexander, L. E. 1997 A Biography of

Robert Harrison Weber. In Layers ofTime, Papers in Honor of Robert H. We-ber, edited by M. S. Duran and D. T.Kirkpatrick, pp. 1-12. The Archaeologi-cal Society of New Mexico 23, Albu-querque.

Huckell, B. B.,V.T. Holliday,R H. Weber,and ]. H. Mayer 2006 Archaeologicaland GeologicalTest Investigations at theMockingbird Gap Clovis Site, CentralNew Mexico. Current Research in thePleistocene 23:115-16.

Huckell, B. B., V. T. Holliday, and R H.Weber 2007 Test Investigations at

Totally separate fields of expertise allpoint to the possibility of a relatively re-cent colonization of the Americas. Kempis confident anthropology is getting itsbrain around human prehistory and mi-grations. Science, however, is cautious.

the Mockingbird Gap Clovis Site: Resultsof the 2006Field Season. Current Researchin the Pleistocene 24: 102-04.

Huckell, B. B., V. T. Holliday, M. Hamilton,C. Sinkovec, C.Merriman, M. S. Shackley,R H.Weber 2008(in review) The Mock-ingbird Gap Clovis Site: 2007 Investiga-tions. Current Research in the Pleistocene25.

LeTourneau, P., and R H. Weber 2004aFolsom Occupation in Socorro County,New Mexico. Paper presented at the 69thAnnual Meeting of the Society for Ameri-can Archaeology, Montreal.

-- 2004b Distribution of EdwardsChert Folsom Artifacts in Socorro County,

It will take some time for solidly set ideasregarding the rate of molecular evolu-tion to be reconsidered. Kemp con-cludes, "Ask me in 20 years if I haven'tcompletely revised this, but I think wepretty much have it down-the major

New Mexico. Current Research in thePleistocene 21:60--62.

Weber, R H. 1980 Geology of the Akesite. In The Ake Site: Collection and Ex-cavation of LA 13423, Catron County,New Mexico, edited by P.H. Beckett, pp.221-38. New Mexico State University,Department of Sociology and Anthro-pology, Cultural Resources Manage-ment Division Report 357, Las Cruces.

-- 1997 Geology of MockingbirdGap Site in Central New Mexico. In Lay-ers of Time, Papers in Honor ofRobert H.Weber, edited by M. S. Duran and D. T.Kirkpatrick, pp. 115-22. The Archaeo-logical Society ofNew Mexico 23,Albu-querque. ~

movements of people and when they oc-curred. Genetics and archaeology arecoming together. Now we are puttingfine scale detail on it, like the peopling ofthe Americas."

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