The Ghosts of Sand Hollow

When the wind starts licking up the loose red sand in the Hollow, more than ancient relics start to speak. The Ghosts of the Piiute show their auburn visage before the sun and behind the sand. I worked for just 12 days on the dig with BYU's OPA (office of public archeology). Just long enough to know that I wouldn't make a very good archeologist. I was good with the shovel and the sand screen and I enjoyed learning the technical names of ancient indian tools like mataties and bi-faces. We found hundreds of fragments of Anasazi pottery and made pedestools of the stones that some how, tell the story of where these people lived and how. I even came home with some of the expendible lithics and pieces of pottery for my personal collection.

The OPA is taking a 5% sample of the land before it is permanently burried under green turf. Sand Hollow will be one of St. George's largest and ritziest golf courses by the end of the summer. Developer's don't like the idea of having to fund projects like the one OPA is doing now but I can appreciate the law that requires them to fund it. Archeologists have it kind of tough. Not very many people are too interested in funding a dig. It's bad business. There is no monetary return on lithics. Ebay? Maybe. But most serious scientists would say that's a bad joke.

Every few days, the forman of the development project would pay us a visit on his fancy hummer made dune-buggy. He always had a perplexed look on his face--like what in the h are these idots hoping to find. We showed him some of the more impressive stuff and his look was smirky at best. I wonder at his reaction if we had told him that we stummbled upon a find of finds--a large chest full of ancient golden Piiute golf balls. But, I could understand his frustration too. Based on my salary, the number of co-workers, and the six months time estimated to finish the project I figured it would cost the developers $250,000 out of pocket. Then again that's a pitance to what they'll make in the next five years even. The setting is grand and will attract golfers for years.