2003 John L. Cotter Award for Excellence in NPS Archeology

Left, Annalies Corbin; center, William J. Hunt, Jr, right, NPS Director Fran Mainella. NPS photo.

The 2003 John L. Cotter Award for Excellence in National Park Service Archeology has been awarded to William J. Hunt, Jr., NPS Midwest Archeological Center, and Annalies Corbin, PAST Foundation for the Marshall/Firehole Hotel Underwater Archaeology Project at Yellowstone National Park. NPS Director Fran Mainella presented the award to Dr. Hunt and Dr. Corbin at the George Wright Society conference in San Diego.

Hunt and Corbin co-directed the Marshall/Firehole Hotel Underwater Archaeology Project at Yellowstone NP. The hotel, built in 1884 on the Firehole River in Yellowstone NP, was the first “tourist town” constructed in a national park and provides insights into early tourism in the nation’s first national park. Project objectives were to a) identify the range and locations of archeological resources; b) determine apparent functional associations when possible; c) reconstruct the hotel's landscape/land use plan; d) identify past and current park, public, and natural impacts; e) recommend interpretation alternatives; and e) provide an educational opportunity for the public to participate in and learn about archeology.

The Marshall/Firehole Hotel Underwater Archaeology Project marks the first comprehensive underwater survey in a thermal river of a historic site and provides a first glance at how the highly dynamic environment of Yellowstone’s thermal system affects cultural material. Student participants took park in real-life research about early park tourism and many of today’s park visitors learned about the century-long enjoyment of Yellowstone’s special appeal to the American people. Hunt and Corbin are recognized for their exemplary interdisciplinary research partnership, student education, and broad public outreach.

Project partners included archeologists and volunteers from Yellowstone NP, the PAST Foundation, NPS-Midwest Archeological Center, East Carolina University, and the Lincoln, Nebraska, Public Schools Science Program School.