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Archaeologist Betty Rivers at
Colonel Allensworth SHP in 2003
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Betty Rivers, archaeologist for the California Department of
Parks and Recreation, died on May 9th. Mrs. Rivers directed the Department of Parks’
1988 Allensworth historical research project.
According to her obituary in the Sacramento Bee, in 1949 she
studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, where she socialized with writers like James
Baldwin and Richard Wright. Before returning to the United States in 1954, she
married her first husband, an African American painter.
Not only did Mrs. Rivers direct archaeological projects at
Allensworth, she interviewed residents and past residents, thus preserving
their stories and the Allensworth story for future generations. As late as
2007, Mrs. Rivers was still conducting historical research on Allensworth and
the Allensworth Hotel.
Her article Archaeology
with Everyone's Blessing: Testing the
First Baptist Church Site at Colonel Allensworth SHP is on the Department
of Parks and Recreation website.
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