Biographical/Historical:

The Vivian Archive was created by the Chaco Project as a repository for records acquired relating to the history of archaeology in Chaco Canyon. The Chaco Project existed from 1969- 1986 and was administered by the NPS Southwest Regional Office in Santa Fe New Mexico. Because many of the original papers belonged to Gordon Vivian, the collection of documents came to be known as the Vivian Archives, an identity possibly assigned by Robert Lister, Director of the Chaco Project. (See the Chaco Project Administrative History by Mary Maruca for further details.) Richard Gordon Vivian was born in Laurium, Michigan August 27, 1908. In 1918 his family moved from Michigan to Albuquerque, New Mexico. In 1927 he began school at the University of New Mexico and received a B.A. in archeology. In 1929 he became a student in the first field school UNM held at Chaco Canyon. He served as Dr. Edgar L. Hewett's field assistant. He earned his master's degree in 1932. He married Myrtle Perce in Santa Fe on November 19, 1934. They had two daughters and a son, Gwinn. Gwinn has followed in his father's footsteps as an archeologist and has focused most of his research on Chaco Canyon. In the Vivian Archive and other collections, Gordon is often referred to as Vivian I and Gwinn as Vivian II. In 1937 Vivan became supervisor of the NPS Indian CCC Mobile Unit, which was established to provide ruins stabilization for parks in the Southwest. After World War II, he returned to head the Mobile Unit, stationed in Chaco Canyon, for the NPS in the Southwest Region from 1947- 1958. This program resulted in extensive archeological excavation and research work at the park. In 1958, Vivian became Supervisory Archeologist for the NPS Southwest Archeological Center at Globe, Arizona. Gordon Vivian died of leukemia on April 29, 1966 in Globe, Arizona. According to the history of the Vivian Archive (see CHCU Collection Management Plan, 1993, Appendix Q), lots 1-1316 were Vivian's Chaco-related RSU/SWAC files which were moved to the Chaco Center office in Albuquerque in 1972. Tom Mathews and C. Randall Morrison numbered the first 1316 lots of material. Archival material continued to be collected by the Chaco Project, and was added to the VA as they came in, with numbers assigned sequentially, with no regard for topic or organization. An index card index described each lot of material, and provided some cross-referencing by topic and archaeological site. In 1981, Tom Windes ordered that no more material be added to the VA; the last number assigned was 2185. (See CHCU 51829 "A History of the Vivian Archives and Recommendations for Organization" by Tom Windes 1986) IN 2011 THE VIVIAN ARCHIVE WAS REDUCED TO LOTS 1-1316. ORIGINAL CATALOG (recorded in the "Associated Materials" field) AND VA NUMBERS (re-assigned as file unit numbers) ARE STILL ASSOCIATED WITH MATERIALS DUE TO THE EXISTENCE OF PRIOR PUBLISHED INVENTORIES.VA 1317 - VA 2185 WAS RELOCATED TO THE APPROPRIATE COLLECTIONS.