Trackers Tour the Verde Valley Archeology Center

March 07, 2025

The Trackers group of the Sedona Westerners offers a different experience each time they gather for an event. This season they have offered educational hikes to learn about hiking basics and how to read maps and use a compass. Upcoming events include On Trial Emergencies, Botanical Beauties, and Birding. The Trackers thrive to offer learning opportunities to explore the historical, cultural and natural highlights of the area and may or may not involve hiking, and not all the Trackers’ events take place outside.

That was the case on a chilly January morning when the Trackers were treated to a special tour of the Verde Valley Archeology Center (VVAC) in Camp Verde. The tour was hosted by Executive Director Monica Buckle. In addition to being the Director of the Center, Monica is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. She has served in various roles at the center and is quite knowledgeable about its extensive collection.

She told us the VVAC was founded in 2010 with the intent of preserving the rich archaeological heritage of the Verde Valley. In 2021, to accommodate its ongoing growth, the current facility at 460 W. Finnie Flat Road was purchased and converted into a Center which would allow for preservation and display of artifacts, as well as a grant-funded research laboratory, data center, and repository holding over 80,000 pieces. Our behind-the-scenes tour provided a sneak peek at several areas not open to the general public.

The Center building was a medical clinic before the VVAC took over the property, so the Center has a unique layout that includes eleven galleries with a variety of themes. The first room you enter from the lobby is used to display special exhibitions. We were fortunate to view a curated exhibit on loan from the Grand Canyon Museum Collection displaying items unique to that region. A new exhibit will be installed soon featuring items on loan from the Tucson Museum of Art.

The Hisatsinom gallery features a stunning mural wall. The large mural depicts the migration of the Hopi from the Verde Valley to the northern Mesas. The Hisatsinom, The Ancient Ones, were ancestors of the Hopi. A great deal of symbolism is displayed in this contemporary work of art which was created by Hopi artist Filmer Keyanyam.

Next, we visited the Yavapai-Apache Nation Gallery where the walls were covered with grass cloth to resemble a Wikiup. A Wikiup is the traditional dwelling of the Yavapai and Apache. A village diorama as well as a burden basket were on display. The burden basket was of great utility to women who would use it to transport everything from gathered berries to transporting babies.

We were then directed to the meteorite gallery. Six meteorites are on display. Three were discovered nearby in Verde Valley dwellings. On a series of placards, horizon calendars are discussed in detail with mention of local archeology sites.

The largest collection at the Center came from the Dyck cliff dwelling which was discovered by Paul Dyck while exploring his property in 1935. Realizing its significance, he fenced it off until he invited an archaeologist to study his find in 1965. Ten years of research followed. It is estimated that it was occupied by a single-family group from approximately 1050A.D. to 1250A.D. It was a deep structure with five masonry rooms. Fifty thousand items have been recovered from the site.

Three galleries are dedicated to the artifacts. The first one features domestic items. Examples include tools created from various materials and items used for adornment and ceremonies. The second gallery displays items related to diet and subsistence such as hunting materials including 70 arrows. Gathering and farming equipment are on view which shows the inhabitants’ ingenuity with the resources available to them. Seeds for planting were discovered in the dwelling including corn, squash and beans. Portions of roasted agave and yucca leaves used as chewing gum, called “quids” are in the collection. The third gallery is dedicated to textiles. Agave, yucca and cotton were the primary materials used. The cotton was locally grown. Fourteen thousand cotton textile remnants were discovered in the dwelling. Tools for weaving are also displayed.

The final two galleries are dedicated to Paul Dyck. Dyck was a rancher and notable painter who resided ten miles north of Rimrock Arizona. He was a collector of Plains Indian art and had acquired over 2,000 pieces which are now located in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West Museum. He formed a close relationship with the Plains Indians and became the adopted son of One Elk who was a Sioux warrior. The two galleries display some of Dyck’s personal memorabilia and samples of his artwork. One interesting painting features a woman wearing an elk’s tooth dress. We were told this dress demonstrates the family’s status in the community. The teeth used are the ivory canines of the elk. The greater the number of teeth, the greater the status.

Finally, we toured the Repository Center – the special behind-the-scenes portion of our tour. The repository, which is climate controlled, holds the collection of approximately 80,000 artifacts from the Hisatsinom culture. Access to this area is generally restricted to the trained staff of volunteers who assist in the study and cataloging of incoming pieces after the items are decontaminated, to prevent damage to the artifacts. We felt very fortunate to get to see this vital part of the center’s activities.

We thanked our host, Monica Buckle, for a very comprehensive tour of the Archeology Center and for providing us with a better understanding of early life in the Verde Valley. We encourage anyone interested in the history and archeology of the area to visit the Verde Valley Archeology Center.

The Sedona Westerners offer seven guided hikes for all skill levels each week during the season. The Trackers will take to the trails in late March for an archeology excursion. Membership is required to participate in our events, but the $30 fee is well worth it. Advanced hikers are encouraged to check out the Rough Riders, Mustangs, and Dogies hikes on our website at www.SedonaWesterners.org. For more moderate hikes, the Ambers, Rustlers, and Drovers offer a variety of hiking opportunities. For anyone interested in a more leisure hiking group, the Drifters offer shorter hikes at a slower pace.