The second phase of our August 4, 2019, GCAS field trip found us traveling from the Microwave Site to examine the site at C-Bar Ranch. Like the Microwave Site, the C-Bar Ranch Site comprises some Late Period pithouses and the ruins of more recent pueblo rooms. And like Microwave, C-Bar is well known and convenient to locals and so continues to be heavily looted to this day.
The approach to the C-Bar site criss-crosses arroyos and passes rock outcrops hosting venerable prickly pear colonies. Abundant lichens on the rocks testify to the clean air which makes for a good, healthy walk. The photo on left shows all that that remains of the site’s pueblo walls – scattered by looters and people who either didn’t know any better or didn’t care.
Once at the site it became obvious that some past visitors had pulled stones out of the 1000-year-old pueblo walls to spell out the word “LOVE” on top of an adjacent room block. Others had used the wall stones to build wind breaks around the (fresh) campfires they had set at the base of the walls. By today’s standards, these activities are Not Cool. Consequently we have at least two reasons explaining why the C-Bar has SiteWatch volunteers.
Surface collecting of potsherds continues. Our group found few potsherds at this site, and our longer-term members who had visited the site before observed that each time they’ve come to the area, there are fewer and fewer remnants of any kind. Being the archaeo-nerds we are, we found a few interesting pieces. After taking pictures, we put them back where they belonged. As one does.
Because when it’s gone, it’s gone.