Waldo Wedel began his college career close to home,
at Bethel College in North Newton, Kansas. In 1928 he transferred to the
University of Arizona because in 1928 no
universities in the Plains offered curriculum in archeology. At the University
of Arizona, Wedel took coursework from "The Dean", Professor Byron Cummings,
and also participated in fieldwork with him at Turkey Hill Pueblo near
Flagstaff.
Wedel received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Arizona in 1930. At that point, he decided to pursue a Masters Degree at the University of Nebraska. During the next four summer field seasons, Wedel gained a broad background in Plains prehistory by participating in excavations at Archaic, Nebraska Culture, Upper Republican, Lower Loup, historic Pawnee, and early historic Arikara sites in Nebraska and South Dakota. After completing his Masters Degree, Wedel remained at the University of Nebraska for a year to take additional courses in geography as well as anthropology.
After that, Wedel moved out to the University of California, Berkeley to pursue a Ph.D. in Anthropology. After obtaining his Ph.D., Wedel returned to the Plains as an archeologist with the Nebraska State Historical Society. On August 12, 1939, Waldo married Mildred Mott, an archeologist and ethnohistorian who had recently completed her Masters Degree in Anthropology at the University of Chicago. In the ensuing years, Wedel climbed the institutional ladder. He remained the Assistant Curator of Archeology until 1940, then rose to Associate Curator in 1949, Curator in 1950, Head Curator of Anthropology in 1962, and Senior Archeologist in 1965. Among other things, during this period Wedel conducted extensive field projects throughout the Plains, served as the Field Director and Party Chief for the Smithsonian Missouri River Basin Surveys Projects, held positions in a number of professional societies and published prolifically.
After retiring in 1976, Wedel continued his research and publication activities as a Professsor Emeritus. During his career, Wedel spent a good deal of time analyzing specific artifact categories and considering their functional and culture historical significance. Particularly noteworthy are his publications on antler scraper handles, horn tools, scored bone artifacts and an antler roulette implement used in pottery decoration. Other articles dealt with distinctive pottery types from Kansas, Wyoming, Montana and the Upper Missouri River valley. To a large degree, Wedel has been the primary source for studying the history of Plains archeology. Wedel also published a number of records pertaining to the history of Plains archaology. He has been referred to as the "Dean of Plains Archeology."
Wedel's publications, spanning six decades, helped define and shape research in Plains prehistory, both in descriptive and theoretical terms. Waldo R. Wedel died in Boulder, Colorado, on August 27, 1996. An era in Plains anthropological studies closed with Wedel's death. In many ways, twentieth century Plains archeology has been synonymous with the name Waldo R. Wedel. At the time of his death, he was Archeologist Emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian Institution's U.S. National Museum.
Plains Anthropologist - Journal of the Plains Anthropological Society-November 1996
Written by Students in an Introduction to Anthropology Class, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Minnesota
Edited by Marcy L. Voelker, 2007