Archaeology:
The Southwest region has a rich history that local archaeologist Charlie Seevers explores in order to unlock its mysteries.
The Montrose Welcome Home Alliance for Veterans hosted Seevers for a presentation on “Foraging to Farming, 2500 BCE to AD 600, in the American Southwest” Monday afternoon, Feb. 27, at The Warrior Resource. Sponsored by the Montrose Genealogy Center, Seevers has now given three presentations on different topics to veterans of the area.
“Doing these presentations informs persons of the general public of what American archaeology is and what it does and the kind of data that it can yield,” said Seevers.
Seevers graduated from Colorado Mesa University with a degree in Applied Anthropology and Geography as well as with minors in Archeology and Geographic Information Science and Technology.
He has also given a presentation for the Chipeta Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society, which is the oldest continuously active chapter of the society according to the chapter’s website.
Previous presentations that Seevers gave at the Warrior Resource Center explored the historic Eagle Rock Shelter in Delta County as well as violence and warfare in the prehistoric southwest.
Monday’s presentation delved into the prehistoric Southwest’s journey from archaic societies to agricultural, exploring the different theories on how areas like Mesa Verde came to be hubs for growing food.
Seevers continued to present on “what the mechanism for change for agriculture in the southwest was… (How) corn, beans, and squash got here and how that changed things culturally in a big, big way.”
The lecture concluded with Seevers theory that, through dental morphology and what we know of basket weaving techniques used by these societies, both the highland and lowland model for how maize came to the southwest is true, meaning that this crop came to this area in two different ways at different times.
“What’s left of the past is finite, and once it's gone it's gone. Knowing what we were in the past is a good window into where we are now,” said Seevers. “How did we get to where we are… as a society, as a species, as a race?”
Family Feud:
On March 1 The Homestead at Montrose, an independent and assisted living facility, held a new event for residents and staff to enjoy alike: Family Feud.
Each team consisted of assisted living and independent living residents as well as one staff member. The rest of the residents were invited to watch, and all together thirty staff and residents were able to bring the popular game show to their community.
In fact, the event was so successful that they are looking forward to a second "airing" in April, said Dawn Vallejos, Life Enrichment director for The Homestead.
Vallejos stated that they try their best to get new and various events together for their residents. On average the facility serves 40 residents, and as Life Enrichment director, Vallejos plans for monthly activities that meet the needs of a whole person, including emotional, spiritual, intellectual.
Vallejos' favorite answer of the day? When asked "name something that fathers teach their sons?" one contestant answered "how to smoke."
Hosted by their building manager, The Homestead event is one to give the Game Show Network a run for its money.