Of Stones and Spirits: Pursuing the Past of Antelope Hill [With CDROM]

Antelope Hill is a prominent fixture on the landscape of the lower Gila River in southwestern Arizona. Archaeologists know the hill as the largest and most impressive milling implement quarry in the western United States, with tools made from Antelope Hill sandstone found at sites stretching for hundreds of miles up and down the Gila and Colorado rivers. According to modern Native Americans, the hill was a no-man's-land in a hotly contested region, and the hundreds of rock art images that adorn the hill attest to its use by many peoples over many years. The hill was also used by more-recent migrants. Spanish explorers camped at Antelope Hill; fur trappers passed by; Mexican and American military expeditions left their marks in the rocks, as did many on their way to seek their fortune in gold in California. The archaeology, ethnography, and history of Antelope Hill are presented here in a unique format. The handsome book reports on the findings of archival research, oral histories, and archaeological excavation and analysis. The accompanying CD-ROM presents color images of rock art as well as a video of the archaeology of Antelope Hill and nearby sites.