LOOMIS, Barbara Helen Lee

East Lawn Cemetery, Tucson, Arizona

LOOMIS, Barbara Helen Lee (1910-1981) archaeologist who participated in the Los Angeles County Museum Channel Islands Biological Survey trip to Santa Rosa Island at the end of 1941. She became the third wife of Arthur Woodward, whom she married in 1945. Loomis kept a journal of her Santa Rosa Island trip now in the collections of the Arizona History Museum, Tucson, Arizona.

Barbara Loomis was born on November 5, 1910 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.Trained in archaeology, Loomis worked on ornamentation of facades of churches in Antigua, Guatemala. She was interested in archaeology of the Southwest, Mexico, Central America and Peru. [Annual Report of the School of American Research of the Archaeological Institute of America, 1934.]

Loomis had worked on field projects with the University of New Mexico and in the History Department of San Francisco State University. Barbara Loomis and Marion Hollenback had worked in the field together with the University of New Mexico.

Loomis died on August 11, 1981 in Tucson, Arizona.

[unattributed]: "The Archaeological section of the Museum Survey consisted of Mr. Arthur Woodward, Miss Marion Hollenback and Miss Barbara Loomis. Mr. Woodward, however, remained only for the first three days. They reached Santa Rosa Island via the Fish & Game Commission boat Yellowtail on November 25th, 1941 after a few days delay in getting away from the mainland due to high winds. Already on the island were Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Stager who were studying mammals, and Mr. Bill Fletcher, Mr. Jack Couffer, and Mr. Victor Case, who were concerned with fossil elephants. Mr. and Mrs. Willett of the Zoological division arrived on the 29th via the Scoffield and Mr. Woodward and the Stagers left.

The site chose for a test excavation — designated "5 E" by a previous survey — was on a bluff above the sea about three miles east of the ranch on Beechers Bay. Measurements were taken and work begun on November 26th by Mr. Woodward, Miss Hollenbach and Mr. Fletcher. It proved to consist of loose earth, very black with sifted charcoal, containing burned shells, particularly mussels and barnicles and the bones of sea mammals, fish and birds. Cultural material was not very abundant, but a few items were found, such as a bone barb for a harpoon, bone awls, bone beads, and tarred pebbles for waterproofing baskets. About 4 feet below the surface a whale scapula and big pieces of whale ribs were unearthed. These were probably the remains of a whale bone house.

A number of other sites on the north side of the island were "surfaced." One series of ten sites west and south of Skunk Point yielded large numbers of chipped stone scrapers, choppers, blades, points and drills and also bone awls and barbs for harpoons. In contrast to the other Channel Islands, shell and bone fish hooks do not appear on Santa Rosa. Only one broken bone hook was found. One of these sites ("14E") was covered with innumerable tiny stone drills and olivella shell beads in all stages of manufacture. 230 little stone drills were picked up in a few minutes.

Another site at the mouth of Lobos Canyon west of Carrington Point had been exposed by rains since the previous survey. Burials, some bone implements and many beautiful flint, blades and points were washing down on the beach.

Barbara Loomis Field Notes, Santa Rosa Island November-December 1941

In the News~

November 27-December 14, 1941: [n.d.; n.p.] “Scientists 7 marooned by war on Santa Rosa Isle. Santa Rosa Isle. Marooned today by the wartime shipping restrictions were a party of scientists, comprised of four men and three women, on Santa Rosa Island of the Santa Barbara Channel group. The party, headed by George Willett, curator of birds at the Los Angeles County Museum, includes Mrs. Willett, Miss Marion Hollenbach, Miss Barbara Loomis, Harry Fletcher, Jack Couffer and Richard W. Case. They were sent out to excavate kitchen middens of a prehistoric village, made the important discovery of the skeleton of a dwarf elephant and now can't get back to the mainland.”

We also explored Old Ranch Canyon and Water Canyon finding two sites near the head of the latter.

On December 7 Pearl Harbor was bombed and shortly afterwards the Fish & Game boats were taken over for patrol duty and the use of the radio telephone forbidden so that there was some uncertainty as to how and when the party would leave, especially as the Santa Rosa Ranch's own boat was out of commission. However arrangements were made for the motor schooner Santa Cruz to arrive and take the remaining members of the museum staff to the mainland.

August 14, 1981 [Arizona Daily Star]: “Woodward, Barbara Helen Lee, 70, of Patagonia, died in Tucson, August 11, 1981. Survived by her husband, Dr. Arthur Woodward, daughter, Mrs. Ruth M. Duggan of Tucson; brother, Phillip A. Loomis, Jr. of Chevy Chase, MD; grandsons, Ward, Gar, Gregg Amparan, all of Tucson; granddaughters, M'Liss Amparan of Canoga Park, CA, and Auty Duggan of Tucson; five great grandchildren; 10 nieces; 6 nephews also survive. Memorial services will be held 11L00 a.m., Saturday in Dalton's Palm Chapel, 5225 E. Speedway, with Pastor Robert L. Linder of the Tanque Verde Lutheran Church officiating. ”