Apex

By Rachael O’Hara

October 2, 2025

Rachael is a current anthropology Master’s student at NAU, and graduated with her Bachelor’s in anthropology from the university in 2020. She is a historical archaeologist specializing in consumption, capitalism, and their interactions with identity throughout the 20th century. She was the Graduate Assistant for the Apex Field School through the 2024 and 2025 field seasons. Rachael previously wrote a blog on artifacts associated with beer brewing during Prohibition!

For more about Apex… Read more

By Fran Maiuri

September 2, 2025

Fran Maiuri has an M.A. and ED.S in education from the University of Arizona and a B.A. in Behavioral Science, a multi-disciplinary program with a focus on Anthropology, Psychology and Sociology from SUNY Plattsburgh. She worked for over 20 years, much of it in rural and remote Native Alaskan villages, supporting students, teachers, and parents to… Read more

by Adrienne Dale

August 5, 2025

Adrienne Dale retired from 40 years in public education as a teacher, instructional coach, and administrator. She now spends her time travelling to exciting places and undertaking new experiences, including 7 PIT projects with her daughter Emily Dale.

For more about Apex or the Apex, Arizona Archaeology Project, visit our website or email Dr. Emily… Read more

By Emily Dale

June 2, 2025

This blog is based on Emily’s 2025 Society for Historical Archaeology Conference presentation, “Trading Pines for Wines: Consumer Ties between the 20th Century Arizona Timber and California Fruit-Packing Industries.”

For more about Apex or the Apex, Arizona Archaeology Project, visit our website or email Dr. Emily Dale at emily.dale@nau.edu.

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Despite the isolated nature of Apex and the economic impacts of the Great Depression, the residents at the lumber camp had access to a wide range… Read more

By Zulia DeWire

June 4, 2025

Zulia is a Junior Anthropology major at NAU who is focusing on Southwestern Archaeology. She will be graduating in December of 2025 and will be pursuing a career within Cultural Resource Management. Her research on Apex’s cocoa brands was part of her NAU Interns-to-Scholars project; read their poster (Just Add Water: How Early Advertising Shaped Cocoa Powder Diversity at Apex, Arizona) for more information!

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By Devony Martell

May 2, 2025