Shannon Boomgarden began working in archaeology nearly two decades ago and has been involved in Range Creek Canyon since the early 2000s.  Shannon’s dissertation summarizes much of the archaeological and experimental research conducted by the field school over the past 16 years.  Working with reconstructions of the canyon’s environment around 950 years ago and using experimentally derived data on the costs and benefits of irrigation in Range Creek, Shannon has developed a formal model that predicts when and where irrigation is expected and where it isn’t based on data from experimental fields in Range Creek.  This general model is applicable to studying early farmers throughout the American Southwest and is the foundation for studying prehistoric farmers throughout the semi-arid regions of the world. Shannon is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology, the Director of the Archaeological Field School, and the Director of the Range Creek Field Station.

Areas of Expertise

• Colorado Plateau and Great Basin Archaeology
• Range Creek Canyon
• Experimental Archaeology
• Geographic Information Systems
• Farming in the Southwest
• Fremont Food Storage