Description
Irene S. Vickrey (1911-1946) was the Works Progress Adminstration supervisor at the archaeological project at Besh-Ba-Gowah,
near Globe, Arizona. The papers in the Irene Vickrey collection reflect, for the most part, her work on the Besh-Ba-Gowah
archaeological project.
Background
Irene S. Vickrey (1910-1946) was born Luella Irene Singleton in Hume, Illinois, on 1910 April 4. She first studied archaeology
at the University of Indiana. She married Parke E. Vickrey in 1931. Both Irene and Parke Vickrey shared an interest in archaeology
and were selected to attend the University of Arizona summer archaeology camps, directed by Dr. Emil Haury. Irene Vickrey
went on to study at the University of Arizona for an additional year, including two summers of field work.Besh-Ba-Gowah is located one mile southwest of Globe, Arizona at the confluence of Pinal Creek and Ice House Canyon Wash.
Archaeological evidence indicates that the site was occupied as early as 550 AD, with continuous occupation through approximately
1450 AD by the Hohokam and then Salado cultures. Salado is the term used to describe the prehistoric peoples who inhabited
the Globe/Miami and Tonto Basin, Arizona regions between AD 1150 and AD 1450. Evidence of both the Hohokam and Salado groups
has been found at the Besh-ba-Gowah site. During the Salado period, Besh-Ba-Gowah functioned as a ceremonial, redistribution
and food storage complex since it was located on a major trading route from Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico to the Salado
River.
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library and Archives at the Autry. Permission for publication is given
on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian of the physical items and is not intended to include or
imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Availability
In accordance with the Autry's institution wide Management of Native Collections policy, access to this collection is restricted
due to culturally sensitive content. Requests for researcher access to materials identified as culturally sensitive may require
letters of support from the affiliated Native nations and Indigenous communities.