Kelly Dixon
Encyclopedia
Dr. Kelly J. Dixon is an Associate Professor of Archaeology at the University of Montana and a member of the College of Arts And Sciences at UM. Her main area of work is the American West, and she is perhaps best known for her work with the Donner Party
site, as well as research into saloons in Virginia City, Nevada
.
at Duluth
, majoring in anthropology
. She went on to receive her Master of Science in Industrial Archaeology at Michigan Technological University
in 1995 and her Doctorate in Anthropology at the University of Nevada
in Reno
. While at the University of Nevada she worked on her dissertation based on the archaeology of an African American saloon with Donald Hardesty.
and the Comstock Mining District
while working for the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office at the Comstock Archaeology Center.
Dixon has also done extensive work on the Donner Party
site, continuing the work done by Hardesty in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 2003, in conjunction with researchers from the University of Oregon
, a production company affiliated with the Discovery Channel
sponsored work there. This resulted in the show Unsolved History: The Donner Party. Her team found numerous artifacts including ceramics, pieces of a lantern, writing slate, mirror fragments, glass from a medicine bottle, and musket balls. She returned in the summer of 2004 for five weeks to carry an excavation with her colleagues that was funded by various universities, a local foundation, and eventually, for part of the lab analysis, a production company affiliated with the History Channel. Dixon and colleagues were not just concerned with the topic of cannibalism and whether it may have occurred at the Donner Party's Alder Creek camp, but what the individuals living in that camp endured and what, in general, humans do, or how they adapt, when faced desperate circumstances. The combined historical and archaeological evidence indicated that cannibalism did take place but not until the last few weeks. The History Channel aired the thirty minute segment on the Donner Party in the spring of 2006 as part of a documentary on cannibalism
.
Dixon is currently developing student-oriented multidisciplinary archaeological research at the mining ghost town of Coloma, Montana
. and at isolated Chinese mining communities in Western Montana She currently serves as the editor for the Society for Historical Archaeology website.
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
site, as well as research into saloons in Virginia City, Nevada
Virginia City, Nevada
Virginia City is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 855 at the 2010 Census.- History :...
.
Education
Kelly Dixon attended the University of MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota Duluth
The University of Minnesota Duluth is a regional branch of the University of Minnesota system located in Duluth, Minnesota, USA. As Duluth's public research university, UMD offers 13 bachelor's degrees in 74 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a two-year program at the School of...
at Duluth
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
, majoring in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. She went on to receive her Master of Science in Industrial Archaeology at Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University
Michigan Technological University is a public research university located in Houghton, Michigan, United States. Its main campus sits on on a bluff overlooking Portage Lake...
in 1995 and her Doctorate in Anthropology at the University of Nevada
University of Nevada, Reno
The University of Nevada, Reno , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno, Nevada, USA...
in Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
. While at the University of Nevada she worked on her dissertation based on the archaeology of an African American saloon with Donald Hardesty.
Research
Dixon's particular field of interest is the historical archaeology of the American West and in other settings where cultures from various parts of the world came into contact. Between 1997 and 2002 she conducted projects in Virginia City, NevadaVirginia City, Nevada
Virginia City is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 855 at the 2010 Census.- History :...
and the Comstock Mining District
Comstock Lode
The Comstock Lode was the first major U.S. discovery of silver ore, located under what is now Virginia City, Nevada, on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range. After the discovery was made public in 1859, prospectors rushed to the area and scrambled to stake their claims...
while working for the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office at the Comstock Archaeology Center.
Dixon has also done extensive work on the Donner Party
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
site, continuing the work done by Hardesty in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 2003, in conjunction with researchers from the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, a production company affiliated with the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
sponsored work there. This resulted in the show Unsolved History: The Donner Party. Her team found numerous artifacts including ceramics, pieces of a lantern, writing slate, mirror fragments, glass from a medicine bottle, and musket balls. She returned in the summer of 2004 for five weeks to carry an excavation with her colleagues that was funded by various universities, a local foundation, and eventually, for part of the lab analysis, a production company affiliated with the History Channel. Dixon and colleagues were not just concerned with the topic of cannibalism and whether it may have occurred at the Donner Party's Alder Creek camp, but what the individuals living in that camp endured and what, in general, humans do, or how they adapt, when faced desperate circumstances. The combined historical and archaeological evidence indicated that cannibalism did take place but not until the last few weeks. The History Channel aired the thirty minute segment on the Donner Party in the spring of 2006 as part of a documentary on cannibalism
Cannibalism
Cannibalism is the act or practice of humans eating the flesh of other human beings. It is also called anthropophagy...
.
Dixon is currently developing student-oriented multidisciplinary archaeological research at the mining ghost town of Coloma, Montana
Coloma, Montana
Coloma is a ghost town located in the area of the Garnet Range in Missoula County, Montana. Not much is known about the settlement, which appears to have been founded in 1893. Records of the period indicate high gold mining activity from 1896 onwards, with an estimated $200,000 to $250,000 in gold...
. and at isolated Chinese mining communities in Western Montana She currently serves as the editor for the Society for Historical Archaeology website.
Publications
- Boomtown Saloons: Archaeology and History in Virginia City, University of Nevada Press, 2005. (ISBN 0874176085)