Prehistoric and Historic Archaeology in the City of Santa Cruz

Prehistoric and Historic archaeology in the City of Santa Cruz: Implications for Past Occupation and Land Use - When and Why?
- with Ryan Brady and Sarah Brewer, Dudek

Dudek recently completed a cultural resources sensitivity study for the City of Santa Cruz. In addition to compiling information for all archaeological reports and recorded sites within the City limits, we developed a sensitivity model for predicting the locations of past activities. The sensitivity model considered variables such as distance to water, slope, and soil type and provided some surprising results when compared with the existing record. This study has implications for understanding prehistoric and historic land use in the Santa Cruz area and can also be used to interpret or predict more regional trends along California’s Central Coast.

About the Authors:

Ryan Brady, M.A., RPA
Ryan Brady is an archaeologist with 19 years’ experience in California and Great Basin archaeology. He completed his undergraduate work at UC Davis, and received a Master’s degree from CSU Sacramento. Brady’s research interests relate to prehistoric settlement and subsistence strategies as well as technological transitions. In the coastal context, he is interested in past peoples’ use of coastal and interior environments.

Sarah Brewer, B.A.
Sarah Brewer is an archaeologist with 18 years’ professional experience in cultural resource management. She received her BA in Anthropology at Sonoma State in 1999 and is currently pursuing her MA in Applied Anthropology at Humboldt State. Her interests lie in the prehistory and history of California, with an emphasis on the Monterey Bay, specifically.