Kanab » Someday, it will be a housing development. But for now, residents hope a patch of private property can become an archaeological dig.
The Kanab Archaeological Project has teamed up with the developer and Southern Utah University to excavate part of the 280-acre parcel . Their hope: harvest artifacts and other evidence of the Virgin Anasazi who inhabited the area of southern Utah from around 1 A.D. to 1250.
"This will help build the economy in the community and provide education opportunities," said Don Sprecher, a member of the group's steering committee. "It is for a good cause."
Sprecher is also a member of Wildfire Foundation, an organization that normally instructs communities on urban-interface wildfire mitigation. For this project, the group's staff, which includes archaeologists and grant writers, is reaching out to help.
Its goal is to eventually raise enough money to build a museum in an area of Utah that annually draws millions of tourists to national parks.
He said that developer Milo McCowan is the driving force behind the plan to begin a serious excavation of the site before construction of houses begin.
Two years ago, McCowan planned on developing the project, but first hired an archaeological consultant to perform an initial survey.
"I could not ignore the importance of the historical nature of the land," he said. "What we don't need is another planned community. What we do need is a community of like-minded owners who have similar values as ours."
He said poor economic conditions have put the development on hold until the financial environment strengthens.
When finished, the development will have two or three homes or townhouses per acre.
He also plans an amphitheater and will leave 28 acres undeveloped.
The Division of State History also is pleased with McCowan's effort, and has praised him for integrating the archaeological heritage of the property into his development.
Sprecher also would like to get artifacts from private collections in the area -- gathered at a time before it became illegal to take artifacts from public lands -- for the museum.
In June, about a dozen students in the field study program at SUU in Cedar City will begin sifting through the site, according to Barbara Frank, director of the university's archaeology repository.
She said the site, along Kanab Creek, is in near-pristine condition and contains evidence of inhabitants ranging from early basket makers to more advanced generations of Anasazi who crafted pottery. To protect the site, she hesitates to publicly disclose its precise location.
"We're excited about it. It's hard to find sites still intact on perennial streams."
Frank said students are likely to find habitation sites, a lot of pottery sherds, stone projectile points and bone tools, along with seeds.
She also said there is evidence of sea shells, turquoise and other minerals that indicate the ancients may have conducted extensive trading.
Matt Zweifel, head of archaeology for neighboring Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, said the group could discover artifacts that can enrich scientific knowledge of the Anasazi.
He said the whole area around Kanab is a treasure trove of Anasazi sites.
"We've surveyed about 4 percent of the monument and identified more than 4,000 [Anasazi] sites," said Zweifel.
