GLASSOW, Michael

Michael Glassow

GLASSOW, Michael A. (May 2, 1940-December 17, 2025), professor of archaeology at the University of California Santa Barbara, died at 85 years of age. From the early 1970s, Glassow conducted extensive archaeological surveys and research on the northern Channel Islands, particularly on Santa Cruz Island. His research is focused on a period of prehistory of the Santa Barbara Channel region between 7,000 and 5,000 years ago. He was interested in how populations adapted to changing environmental conditions during this period, particularly with regard to their subsistence practices and settlement patterns.

• Celebrating Summer Field with Michael Glassow—50 years ago-this-week

Michael Glassow (standing center) with Dave Weide (left) and Don Weaver (right) at Fraser Point, Santa Cruz Island, 1966.

Picacho Diablo
photo by Michael Glassow

My First Ascent to the Top of Diablo Peak, 1973

“One of many "favorite moments" on Santa Cruz Island occurred in 1973, when I was directing a NSF-funded archaeological survey in various parts of the island. One of our survey areas include a watershed on the south side of Picacho del Diablo (Devil's Peak), which brought me and a couple of my crew members to the top. At that time, there was not the cluster of antennas and related facilities that now cover the peak. Instead, there were the remains of a temporary triangulation station that had been erected many years before during USGS mapping of the Santa Barbara Channel area. This is the wood tripod seen in the photo. The tripod may once have been sitting atop the benchmark, which can be seen in the lower center of the photo. We also saw on the ground near the tripod the carbon cores of the large dry cell batteries presumably used to power a light that was seen at night from mapping stations on the mainland—the triangulation wold have been done at night. Our backpacks are leaning against rocks to the right of the tripod. At the time of our survey, feral sheep kept the top of the peak bare of vegetation except for turkey mullein (or dove weed, Croton setiger), the green plants seen on the photo. Ridge tops all over the northern mountain range were similarly bare except for turkey mullein.” Michael Glassow, 2020

GLASSOW OBITUARY:

January 3, 2026 [Noozhawk]: "Michael “Mike” Glassow, a pioneering and transformative archaeologist, succumbed at age 85 to bladder cancer on Dec. 17, 2025. Born on May 2, 1940, Mike was a leading figure in California archaeology, and a passionate advocate for Cultural Resource Management (CRM) and heritage conservation. Mike began his career journey in the American Southwest, influenced by reading two books in his Grand Rapids High School library: Ann Axtell Morris’ “Digging in the Southwest,” and Kathleen Kenyon’s “Beginning in Archaeology.” He said that is what stimulated his interest in archaeology that he pursued from New Mexico to California. He received his BA, MA and Ph.D from UCLA. At the end, Mike contributed his body the UCLA Donated Body Program for the education of future MDs.

Starting the Archaeology Club at Santa Monica City College, he transferred to UCLA with a focus on California and the American Southwest while he worked at Philmont, gathering his research data while running a scout program for his dissertation. Hired by the UCSB Anthropology Department in 1969, Mike served as department chair (2002-05). He remained deeply engaged in campus service and the UC Natural Reserve System, particularly Santa Cruz Island. His research and teaching focused on California archaeology and the Channel Islands, and mentoring students was the most rewarding aspect of his career. Over four decades at UCSB, he guided numerous MA and Ph.D students, published hundreds of works, and continued mentoring as emeritus after retiring in 2009. In retirement, he co-led archaeological tours to Vandenberg and Santa Cruz Island.

Mike’s final book will be published by the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History as posthumous volume, “Santa Barbara’s Ancient Past.” This will be the first comprehensive survey of Santa Barbara’s past published by the museum since Roger’s publication in 1929. Michael Glassow’s contributions go beyond the academy at UCSB. He served as the archaeological advisor for the city of Santa Barbara Landmarks Commission starting in 1991, passing his position on in March 2025. From 1975-2009, he was coordinator of the California Office of Historic Preservation’s Central Coast Information Center. He helped develop a model for a state Cultural Resources Protection Plan, sponsored by the California Office of Historic Preservation.

Mike was a member of the Advisory Council and Collections and Research Committee, and was a research associate in Anthropology at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Active in professional associations, Michael served as president for the Society for California Archaeology and Society of Professional Archaeologists; vice president of the Society for California Archaeology; secretary of the Society for American Archaeology; and promoted Cultural Resource Management (CRM) and heritage conservation in the discipline. He was responsible for the guidelines for site significance evaluation for the U.S. Interagency Archaeological Services; served as a volunteer consultant for the development of cultural resource management plan for Admiralty Island National Park; and was on the advisory committee to the Radiocarbon Laboratory, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Riverside. An avid photographer, Mike’s unique perspective was shared in his research as well as his travels. Thoughtful and generous, Mike enjoyed collecting and repairing old clocks and crafting home improvement. His practical ingenuity and creativity resolved problems in houses and the field. Mike positioned Cultural Resource Management at the forefront of his discipline, initially with the Vandenberg project in 1974, a pivotal time for the CRM industry. His advocacy influenced policy and practice in preserving heritage in a time of growth and development. Mike promoted a cultural ecological framework, shifting the focus from simple artifact collection to understanding the relationship between prehistoric human populations and their environment. Mike is survived by his archaeological partner of over 50 years Anabel Ford; his brother Jonathan Glassow and family; and niece Laura Glassow. No memorial will be held; a celebration of life is planned for May."

• 1977. Glassow, Michael Archaeological Overview of the Northern Channel Islands, including Santa Barbara Island, Western Archaeological Center, National Park Service, Tucson, Arizona, 1977. Inscribed to Marla.

[original in SCIF archives; ex-lib MDD]

• 1980. Glassow, Michael Recent Developments in the Archaeology of the Channel Islands in The California Islands (D.M. Powers, ed.):79-99, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, 1980

• 1982. [Santa Rosa Island]. Glassow, Michael The Status of Archaeological Research on Eastern Santa Cruz Island, California For National Park Service. University of California at Santa Barbara Social Process Research Institute, January 1983. Stapled wraps.

[original in SCIF archives]

• 1983. [Santa Rosa Island]. Glassow, Michael The Status of Archaeological Research of Santa Rosa Island Volume 1. For National Park Service. University of California at Santa Barbara Social Process Research Institute, February 1983. Stapled wraps.

[original in SCIF archives]

• 1985. Glassow, Michael The Significance of Small Sites to California Archaeology Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology 7(1):56-66, 1985

• 1993. Glassow, Michael, editor. Archaeology on the Northern Channel Islands of California. Studies in Subsistence, Economics and Social Organization Salinas: Coyote Press, 1993. Perfect-bound wraps. Tipped in are stapled separates inscribed to SCIF by the authors: A geographic Analysis of Island Chumash Marriage Networks by John R. Johnson; Island Chumash Ethnobotany by Janice Timbrook.

• 1996. Glassow, Michael. Archaeological Research on Santa Rosa Island in Island of the Cowboys, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island Foundation Occasional Paper #7, 1996, pp. 146-167

• 2008. Glassow, Michael, J. E. Perry and P. F. Paige The Punta Arena Site: Early and Middle Holocene Cultural Development on Santa Cruz Island Contributions in Anthropology 3, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2008

• 2009. Glassow, Michael Alluvial History and Human Prehistory in Pozo Canyon, Santa Cruz Island, California in Proceedings of the 7th California Islands Symposium, edited by C. C. Damiani and D. K. Garcelon, pp. 53-65. Institute for Wildlife Studies, Arcata, 2009