eNews Flash
Honoring The Skiles Family
Shumla's 2020 Stewards of the Year
The Skiles Family of Langtry, Texas - Wilmuth and Jack with their children Russel, Raymond and Peggy.
THE RANCHER STEWARD BBQ

Each year, Shumla hosts a family community event at our Harrington Campus near Comstock called the Rancher Steward BBQ. We invite area landowners, ranchers, and ranch managers, along with leaders from area agencies including the Sheriff's Office, Border Patrol, National Park Service, Texas Parks and Wildlife and local government.

It is an event that allows us to bring together and thank everyone who has a hand in the protection and stewardship of the incredible rock art of this breath-taking region.

At the annual Rancher Steward BBQ we honor one family or agency who has gone above and beyond to partner with Shumla to preserve, protect, study and share the ancient art and all it has to teach us. This year, as a result of the current pandemic, we were forced to postpone and then cancel our Rancher Steward BBQ. That doesn't diminish, however, our desire to honor our 2020 Stewards of the Year - The Skiles Family of Langtry.
2020 STEWARDS OF THE YEAR

Wilmuth and Jack Skiles and their family have a long history in the Lower Pecos Canyonlands. Jack's parents, Vashti and Guy Skiles (Guy pictured here) lived in Langtry above Eagle Nest Canyon and were fascinated by the ancient people who had inhabited their land and the artifacts they left behind. They built a family tradition of partnership with archaeologists (including the Witte Museum, David Dibble and Solveig Turpin) to allow research and excavation on their land, often joining in the hard work.

Jack and Wilmuth continued this tradition with their three children, Peggy, Raymond and Russel. In partnership with Texas State University (the Ancient Southwest Texas Project ) and with Shumla, studies have continued in Eagle Nest Canyon and the discoveries we are making are redefining our understanding of Lower Pecos prehistory.
Jack, Wilmuth and Peggy visit with Carolyn Boyd and the Shumla team during rock art studies in Eagle Nest Canyon in 2013.
Karen Steelman and Amanda Castaneda run portable X-ray Florescence studies on painted pebbles in Jack and Wilmuth's collection at their home in Langtry in 2013.
Jack Skiles joins Steve Black, Charles Koenig, Amanda Castaneda and the whole Ancient Southwest Texas Project team during their 2015 Field School in Horsetrail Shelter.
The Shumla Team visited with Jack, Wilmuth, Peggy, Raymond and Russel over Zoom yesterday (July 16, 2020) and shared with them our deep gratitude for their support of our research and their amazing stewardship of the ancient cultural resources under their ownership and protection.
COME HELL OR HIGH WATER...

One thing we could always count on was that Wilmuth and Jack Skiles and their family would be there supporting us at Shumla and helping us achieve our mission.

Thank you, Skiles Family!
Shumla Archaeological Research & Education Center 
P.O. Box 627, Comstock, TX 78837 USA
432-292-4848     www.shumla.org  
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