In 1989, Yakima resident Dr. Harold Bergen, a retired obstetrician and avocational archaeologist, donated his archaeological collection to the Burke Museum. The collection consists of 14,000 objects, and includes numerous site reports, maps, and photographs (Accession 1989-57).

Most of the artifacts are from the Columbia River plateau and all have detailed provenance information. The donation contains one of the largest collections of atlatl weights, projectile points, and other stone artifacts in the Pacific Northwest. The collection is now in the process of being cataloged on the museum's computer cataloging system. In 1998, Dr. Bergen and members of the Burke Archaeology staff went to visit the Fort Rock Basin in Oregon, where Dr. Bergen collected some of the materials that he later gave to the museum.

In addition to donating his collection, Dr. Bergen also provided funding for the ongoing support of the Burke Archaeology Public Outreach Program (APOP). His generosity has provided funding for staff positions, equipment, and other curatorial supplies, including the funding to create this Web site.

From 1889 to 1902, Dr. R. E. Stewart collected Native American artifacts along the Lower Columbia River. Artifacts in this collection (Accession 40) include many stone and bone tools, as well as historic metals and trade beads.

Frank S. Hall was a former curator and later director of the Burke Museum. In 1920-21, he and his assistants collected Native American artifacts from the Columbia River primarily in the vicinity of Vantage, Washington. The collection (Accession 1860) includes many stone tools and stone debris (debitage) from tool making.

Dr. John Putnam has been an avid scholar of Alaskan and Canadian prehistory throughout his life. His many expeditions to remote areas helped him establish an impressive and unique collection of archaeological and ethnographic objects. One of the most important sets of objects comes from St. Lawrence Island, an area where the prehistory is poorly understood. The Putnam collection has some of the world's finest examples of St. Lawrence Island art and technology. Dr. Putnam generously donated his collections in 1999. Since then, the Archaeology staff has been busy curating and cataloging this immense collection.

In 1967 and 1968, J. David Cole, a graduate student then at the University of Washington, was in charge of an archaeological research project in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The artifacts Cole collected (Accession 1979-53) constitute on of the most important collections from the region, and include numerous stone tools and flaking debris, animal bones, and ethnographic items such as the hafted adze featured at the left. A portion of the collection was supposed to be returned to Papua New Guinea, but political upheaval and other factors delayed the return. In an effort to resolve the status of the collection, we secured funding from the Graduate School to invite Nick Araho, PNG National Museum Archaeology Curator, to evaluate the collections here and help us work out a shared ownership arrangement. While still under negotiation, we have come up with an innovative solution that involves sharing ownership and catalog information between the Burke and PNG museums. This is just the beginning of a long-term cultural exchange that we hope will include museum and archaeology training for researchers from both countries.

The Burke Archaeology Division is presently curating a large collection owned by the National Park Service. These materials were excavated over the past 55 years from the San Juan Island National Historic Park by archaeologists affiliated with the University of Washington. Most recently, Dr. Julie Stein led archaeological field schools at the English Camp site from 1985 to 1991. A book by Stein based upon this work, entitled Exploring Coast Salish Prehistory: The Archaeology of San Juan Island was published in 2000 by University of Washington press.