The Wall Street stockbroker who sold everything to dig up ancient Arizona history

Gladwin and Haury’s Groundbreaking Snaketown Excavations

Wall Street broker Harold Gladwin quit the stock game in 1922 and went west to hunt history. After meeting Hohokam descendants in 1927, he wanted to find “those who had gone.”

So in 1930, he hired young Emil Haury from the University of Arizona, and together they picked Snaketown for a major dig. Their work from 1934-1935 struck gold—not the metal kind, but something better.

They found massive irrigation canals, ball courts, and trade goods from Mexico that proved the Hohokam were master builders and traders.

The Hohokam Pima National Monument in Arizona now tells this remarkable story of archaeological detective work.

Wall Street Broker Swapped Stock Ticker for Archaeology Trowel

Harold Gladwin quit his Wall Street job in 1922, selling his seat on the New York Stock Exchange to follow his love for archaeology.

This rich stockbroker moved west, bringing his money and interest in Native American cultures with him.

Like other wealthy Americans who found new purpose in science, Gladwin spent his fortune on archaeological research instead of just living a life of leisure.

Gila Pueblo Became Gladwin’s Archaeological Headquarters

After moving west, Gladwin built a research center that looked like an old pueblo in Globe, Arizona in 1928. He named it the Gila Pueblo Archaeological Foundation and ran it with his future wife, Winifred McCurdy.

The foundation sat on land with actual ancient ruins.

Gladwin made the adobe building blend with the landscape while housing labs, artifact storage, and research spaces.

Pima Stories Sparked Gladwin’s Hunt for Lost People

Gladwin met descendants of the Hohokam culture in 1927, listening as Pima tribal members told stories about their ancestors. The Pima called these people “Hohokam,” meaning “those who had gone.”

These talks made Gladwin want to find the roots of these vanished people. He wanted to know who they were, how they lived, and why they disappeared.

Thousands of Sites Scouted Before Finding Snaketown

Gladwin and his team checked over 3,000 possible dig sites across the Southwest before picking Snaketown.

Located on the Gila River Indian Reservation in southern Arizona, Snaketown stood out because looters had mostly left it alone, unlike many other sites picked clean by treasure hunters.

It also sat right in the heart of ancient Hohokam territory.

Young Scientist Brought Tree-Ring Dating Expertise to Team

In 1930, Gladwin hired 26-year-old Emil Haury as assistant director of Gila Pueblo.

Fresh from the University of Arizona with training in tree-ring dating, Haury brought modern scientific methods to the foundation. His skills helped set exact dates for artifacts and buildings they later found.

Despite his youth, Haury quickly proved himself as a careful researcher with an eye for detail.

Shovels Hit Dirt on September Morning in 1934

The first big dig at Snaketown began on September 27, 1934, with Haury leading the work and E. B. Sayles helping as chief assistant. Workers carefully mapped the site before digging, creating a grid system to track every find.

The team worked through the desert heat, slowly removing layers of soil to find signs of ancient life. Local Pima tribal members joined the dig crew.

Village Layout Revealed Ancient Urban Planning

The team found over sixty trash heaps and a central plaza that formed the heart of Snaketown. These findings showed the Hohokam planned their communities well.

They found pit houses arranged in groups around the plaza, suggesting family or clan living areas. The village layout pointed to a society with clear social organization.

The size and complexity of Snaketown surprised the archaeologists.

Desert Farmers Built Ten-Mile Canals Without Modern Tools

The most amazing find came when the team traced big irrigation canals stretching up to ten miles from the Gila River. The Hohokam built these waterways between 300-900 CE, centuries before Europeans arrived.

Using only stone tools and wooden sticks, they created carefully sloped channels that brought water to their fields. The team also found two oval-shaped ball courts similar to those in Mexico.

Shell Bracelets and Copper Bells Showed Far-Reaching Trade

Digs turned up workshops where the Hohokam made detailed shell jewelry using materials from the Gulf of California, over 150 miles away.

The team found copper bells and figurines that came from central Mexico, hundreds of miles south. These items proved the Hohokam traded across vast distances.

They also found pottery-making areas where artists created red-on-buff ceramics.

Haury Returned Thirty Years Later With New Questions

In 1964, Emil Haury, now a respected professor, came back to Snaketown with fresh research goals. His second dig lasted until 1965 and focused on creating a better Hohokam timeline.

With three decades of new archaeological methods, Haury used techniques like radiocarbon dating to set more exact dates. He wanted to understand how Hohokam culture changed over time and when they first settled the area.

Ancient City Now Sleeps Again Under Protective Soil

After completing the 1964-65 excavation, Haury and the Pima people made the unusual decision to completely rebury Snaketown.

Workers carefully backfilled the entire site, covering all structures and features with soil for preservation. Today, nothing visible remains on the surface at Snaketown.

The Gila River Indian Community strictly protects the site from further excavation or visitation.

This deliberate reburial ensures that future generations of archaeologists with better techniques might someday return to learn more about the remarkable Hohokam civilization that once thrived in the Arizona desert.

Visiting Hohokam Pima National Monument, Arizona

While you can’t visit the actual Snaketown site where Harold Gladwin and Emil Haury made their groundbreaking discoveries about Hohokam civilization, you can explore their findings elsewhere. The Huhugam Heritage Center at 4759 N.

Maricopa Road in Chandler offers free admission Tuesday through Friday from 10am to 4pm.

You can also see Snaketown artifacts at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge, view a scale model at Phoenix’s Heard Museum, or check out excavation artifacts at Arizona State Museum.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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