The speaker series of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum Foundation continues with multiple events during the second week of March. The feature event is a lecture at the Dulce Theatre of the Shane Center for the Arts on Wednesday, March 11th.
Craig Lee PhD, MSU Professor of archaeology and sociology, will address the topic of drive lines and buffalo jumps in Paradise Valley. His presentation entitled “Hunting the High Country: Drivelines & Ancient Strategies in Greater Yellowstone” will begin at 6pm.
In association with Dr. Lee’s tenure as scholar-in residence, a reception, featuring related exhibit “Archaeology Out of Ice,” will take place at Yellowstone Gateway Museum on Tuesday, March 10th. Like the lecture, this is free and open to the public and begins at 5:30pm.
Prior to his March 11th lecture, Dr. Lee plans to visit with 5th graders at Eastside Elementary School and also with a Native American Studies class at Park High.
On Saturday, March 14th, Dr. Lee and several of his associates will lead an archaeology field trip to view parts of a drive line / buffalo jump complex in Paradise Valley. The guided field trip begins at the Fairgrounds at 8:30am sharp. Comfortable bus transportation has been arranged and some walking/hiking is required at the site. Total cost is $125 per person. Registration is available through the museum website.
“Long before roads and fences, people in the Greater Yellowstone shaped the landscape to hunt animals moving through the mountains and valleys. Drawing on recent archaeological research, this talk explores how stone drivelines, hunting blinds, and ice patches were used together as part of sophisticated hunting strategies rooted in careful observation of animal behavior, terrain, and seasonal change,” Dr. Lee says of his presentations.
“As melting ice reveals alpine sites, we are seeing evidence of long-term indigenous stewardship – engineered hunting landscapes built, revisited, and maintained across generations. These observations offer not only a window into the deep past, but also insights into sustainable human-animal relationships that remain relevant today.”
Visit www.yellowstonegatewaymuseum.net and find them on social media for event announcements. Yellowstone Gateway Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am–5pm.
The Yellowstone Gateway Museum Foundation is grateful for the support of many Park County organizations and individuals who have helped make these events possible: Elk River Arts & Lectures, the Park County Community Foundation, the Park County Environmental Council, Friends of Park County, Carol Lalani, Murray Hotel, and the Tom Miner Basin Association. •
