Etienne B. Renaud
Pictographs from the 1934-35
1st and 2nd Expedition Denver-New Mexico
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Professor of Anthropology Etienne B. Renaud
(1880-1973) began working as a lecturer on Anthropology at the University of Denver in 1920 and
remained a faculty member until his retirement in 1948. He was the first professional archaeologist
to make a systematic study of eastern Colorado. In the summer of 1929, Renaud directed
a field expedition for the Colorado Museum of Natural History (now the Denver
Museum of Nature and Science). He then proceeded with other
archaeological surveys of the western High Plains. His archaeology reports were supported not
only by the University of Denver, but also by the Smithsonian Institution. After his
retirement, he continued to travel, write papers, and give lectures.
The collection contains Renaud's original
field notes;
archaeological survey manuscripts with sketched site maps and artifact drawings; reports from the
Archaeological Survey of the High Western Plains; photographs
of Egypt and Central America; newspaper clippings and scholarly articles about early
civilization, prehistoric figurines, and the cultures of the western High Plains.
The collection reflects Renaud's
influence on archaeological survey methods, showing one of the
first attempts at systematic excavations ever made in the western High Plains. Renaud was
instrumental in the development of the Anthropology Department at the University of Denver, becoming
its first full professor in 1924. When the Mary Reed building was built in 1932, Renaud designed
the space for the Museum of Anthropology, which is still in use today. Many of the artifacts
collected during Renaud's archaeological fieldwork are part of the museums' collection.
Renaud was a forerunner in the field of archaeology in the Rocky Mountain region, and contributed
greatly to the field as a whole. He
influenced many students and colleagues, writing approximately 125 articles
for American and European publications on archaeology, craniometry, linguistics, and
Native American religion.
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