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Five styles of projectile points found during
excavations at the pithouse.

The Springs Preserve was honored on May 17, 2008 with a Nevada Historic Preservation Award for the "exemplary sensitivity" shown to the prehistoric and historic resources during the development of the 180-acre site. The Nevada State Historic Preservation Office noted that the Springs Preserve "represents a nationally commendable approach to archaeology and historic buildings for its preservation and interpretative work."

The archaeology at the Springs Preserve documents a broad range of human habitation and land use related to water procurement at the springs. The earliest archaeological materials are associated with several Native American cultures including ancestral Puebloan, Patayan and Southern Paiute. The most recent archaeological deposits are historic and relate to the ranching and railroad eras and, more recently, the Las Vegas Valley Water District's use of the land. Many other events in the past have left archaeological signatures at the Preserve.

We are in the process of developing an archaeology program focused on socio-natural issues. Archaeology is in a unique position to address problems of broad significance to the sustainability of our society. In addition to having a multidisciplinarity tradition that combines social and natural sciences, archaeology also has the advantage of looking at peoples’ relationships to the environment over millennia. With those potentials in mind, we are generating research questions, means to investigate those questions and avenues to disseminate the results.

• Cienega Trail
• Crossroads Trail
• Exploration Trail
• Springs Trail
• Wildlife
• Archaeology
• Current Projects
• The Adobe
• Caretaker's House
• The Derricks
• The Dugout
• The Pithouse
• Spring Houses
• Contact Archaeology