Dear Colleagues,

When Montroville Wilson Dickeson toured 1850s America with an immense panorama, commemorating the great mounds of the Ohio and Mississippi valleys, he could have hardly imagined that more than 150 years later archaeologists would come to St. Louis - where the panorama now resides - for a commemoration of their own.  The 75th anniversary meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in 2010 promises to be an exceptional event, one that acknowledges our past and anticipates the future. A variety of celebratory events are planned, including:

• The "7.5 minute film festival" of juried archaeological videos (watch for submission information)

• Special symposia and roundtables on the history and prospects of American archaeology

• Trips to Cahokia

• Tours of the Mississippi Panorama (if it's ready for viewing)

• An anniversary celebration

We're particularly pleased to note that a special publication from The SAA Press, Voices in American Archaeology, edited by Wendy Ashmore, Dorothy Lippert, and Barbara Mills, is scheduled for release in time for the meeting.  Exclusive 75^th anniversary meeting branded luggage tags will be given to all meeting attendees, while various other commemorative keepsakes will be for sale in the exhibit hall.

Please plan to join us in St. Louis, in the shadow of Monk's Mound and Dickeson's Panorama, for all the excitement, as we celebrate the SAA's momentous past and promising future.

Jeremy A. Sabloff

James E. Snead

Co-Chairs, 75th Anniversary Task Force