SOUTHWEST—This March, volunteers who work at a neighboring Walmart store cleaned up the Conservancy’s Grewe Archaeological Preserve in Coolidge, Arizona. The preserve protects a Hohokam village that covers about ninety acres adjacent to Casa Grande National Monument. “Walmart associate Jeffrey Rode contacted the Conservancy this spring, asking if Walmart associates could volunteer to remove trash off the Conservancy’s land adjacent to the Coolidge Walmart,” said the Conservancy’s Southwest Regional Director Jim Walker.
Grewe was initially investigated by the Los Angeles County Museum in 1930-1931, and that excavation yielded some of the most compelling evidence of Mesoamerican contact to date, such as copper bells, tripod vessels, and pyrite mirrors. Later a highway salvage excavation of a two-acre strip through the middle of the site revealed more than two hundred pit houses with associated features. The site’s other features include ball courts and prehistoric canals.
The Grewe Preserve now covers sixty acres, thirteen of which were donated by Walmart in 2000. Archaeological testing has indicated that features associated with Grewe extend onto this parcel. The preserve is located beside railroad tracks and a busy road with numerous local businesses, and wind-blown trash tends to accumulate on it. “The Conservancy is grateful for the volunteer efforts to keep the property clear of debris,” Walker said.
