SUNRISE – Eastern Wyoming College and Sunrise Historic and Prehistoric Preservation Society. SHAPPS hosts its inaugural Archaeology Symposium this weekend, June 27 – 29. The event will feature a host of archaeologists from around the globe speaking on their personal experiences studying the “earliest Americans”. Attendees of this symposium will have the opportunity to interact with these expert archaeologists at the historic town of Sunrise, where they can learn first-hand and learn what research is being conducted in the former mining town. For more information see sunrisesymposium.org.
The idea for this free symposium stemmed from a collaboration between EWC’s new archaeology program director, Dr. Steven Howard and SHAPPS.

The archeology program was developed through Gov. Mark Gordon’s allocation of federal funds from the newly launched Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WIP) which covers the first year of the program. The WIP is seen as a new effort to better diversify and grow the state’s economy and workforce and historical destinations. This event is meant to bring together community members, archeological professionals and enthusiasts from across the world.
At 6 p.m. Thursday, a welcome reception and opening address will be given at EWC from the governor, followed by the first slate of dynamic speakers. Dr. Bruce Bradley, Dr. Rafael Suarez, and George Zeimans. Bradley will be speaking to archeological naming conventions and how they apply to the PaleoIndian point assemblage at Powars II in Sunrise; Zeimans will speak of Paleoindian sites in Hartville uplift and surroundings in Wyoming; Suarez, from Uruguay, will speak on the PaleoIndian period in Uruguay. Speakers Friday evening at EWC will be Dr. Astolofo Gomez de Mello Araujo and Dr. Leticia Cristina Correa (both of Brazil), and Dr. D. Clark Werneke. They will speak to new PaleoIndian research and what is known of their cultural diversity in Brazil, and the PaleoIndians at the Gault Site in central Texas.
Round trip shuttle service is available both days from EWC to Sunrise. Check the website for the shuttle schedule. There is no cost to attend the symposium, although attendees are encouraged to register for the event and if from the Torrington area, to use the shuttle service provided. Parking is available at the mine. Register at www.sunrisesymposium.org.
Wyoming’s State Archeologist, Spencer Pelton, said this of the ancient mine at sunrise: “Beyond its status as a quarry, the Powars II artifact assemblage is itself one of the densest and most diverse of any thus discovered in the early PaleoIndian record of the Americas.”