Ancient America

Kenneth L. Feder, professor of anthropology at Central Connecticut State University, specializes in the archaeology of North America. He is author of several books, including Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology and The Past in Perspective: A Brief Introduction to Human Prehistory. Feder has appeared on numerous television documentaries on the National Geographic Channel, the BBC's Horizon, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, and the SyFy Channel and has been featured in episodes of the Canadian-based William Shatner’s Weird or What?

This 'reference-y' book takes a very different perspective from typical U.S. guidebooks. It provides the reader with the 50 'best' places to visit and things to see but recommends sites of historic interest—specifically, pre-Columbian sites that highlight the lives of the first North American peoples living in what is now the continental U.S. The sites included in this work range in location from Pennsylvania to California and Florida to Washington, although the majority are concentrated in the Midwest, Southeast, and Four Corners regions. The book is personal to the author, who visited every site, often with his family. Entries are written in a conversational tone, and each site is illustrated with photos taken by the author. Sites are grouped into three main categories: 'Mound Builders,' 'Cliff Dwellings, Great Houses, and Stone Towers,' and 'Rock Art'—with the majority of sites in the last category. For each site, the author provides his journal entry from the site visit, what visitors should expect to see, and why the site is important. Sites are also ranked on a number of factors useful for visitors, including 'Ease of Road Access,' 'Natural Beauty,' 'Kid Friendliness,' and the overall 'Wow Factor.' Most sites are either national or state parks, although a few are privately owned attractions. This work will be very useful for anyone wanting to see what remains of the first inhabitants of our land. Part travel guide, part reference book, and part personal narrative, it will inspire readers to visit places that will connect them to the early peoples of North America.

• IntroductionAncient AmericaFirst PeoplesMeadowcroft Rockshelter —Avella, PennsylvaniaMound BuildersMoundville Archaeological Park, Moundville, AlabamaToltec Mounds, Scott, ArkansasCrystal River Archaeological State Park, Crystal River, FloridaKolomoki Mounds State Park, Blakely, GeorgiaRock Eagle Effigy Mound – Eatonton, GeorgiaEtowah Mounds Historic Site, Etowah, GeorgiaOcmulgee National Monument, Macon, GeorgiaCahokia Mounds State Historic Park – Collinsville, IllinoisAngel Mounds, Evansville, IndianaPoverty Point, Epps, LouisianaGrand Village of the Natchez, Natchez, MississippiTown Creek Mound, Mt. Gilead, North CarolinaSerpent Mound – Bratton Township, Ohio Sunwatch Village, Dayton, Ohio Cemetery Mound – Marietta, OhioMiamisburg Mound – Miamisburg, OhioMound City, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park – Newark, OhioNewark Earthworks – Newark, OhioPinson Mounds—Pinson,TennesseeGrave Creek Mound – Moundsville, West VirginiaAztalan Mounds—Jefferson, WisconsinCliff Dwellings, Great Houses, and Stone TowersMontezuma Castle--Camp Verde, ArizonaCanyon de Chelly--Chinle, ArizonaCasa Grande Ruins National Monument--Coolidge, ArizonaWalnut Canyon National Monument—Flagstaff, ArizonaWupatki National Monument—Flagstaff, ArizonaBetatakin, Navajo National Monument—Shonto, ArizonaMesa Verde National Park—Mesa Verde, ColoradoAztec National Monument—Aztec, New MexicoChaco Canyon—Nageezi, New MexicoHovenweep National Monument—San Juan County, UtahRock ArtBlythe Intaglios, Blythe, CaliforniaLittle Petroglyph Canyon, Coso, CaliforniaChumash Painted Cave State Park, Santa Barbara, CaliforniaPetroglyph National Monument, Albuquerque, New MexicoCrow Canyon, Blanco, New MexicoThree Rivers Petroglyph Site, Tularosa, New MexicoSan Juan River, Bluff, UtahHorseshoe Canyon—Canyonlands National Park, UtahNewspaper Rock State Historic Monument—Canyonlands National Park, Needles District, UtahBuckhorn Wash—Emery County, UtahMoab, UtahNine-Mile Canyon, Price, UtahSego Canyon, Thompson Springs, UtahMcConkie Ranch, Vernal, UtahDinosaur National Monument, Vernal, UtahHorsethief Lake State Park, Dallesport, WashingtonBighorn Medicine Wheel, Bighorn National Forest, Wyoming Dinwoody Lake Petroglyphs, Crowheart, WyomingIf you want more…