The collection features documents, research material, and correspondence related to Salem Hyde’s archaeological hobbies. Also included in the collection are many slides of South and Central American archaeological sites as well as a variety of artifacts from those regions. Of note is the correspondence between Mr. Hyde and Emilio Estrada (1916-1961). Estrada was a businessman and archaeologist in the Ecuadorian town of Guayaquil. His research site near Valdivia, Ecuador, revealed pottery that showed similarities to the Jomon pottery from Japan (3000-2000 BCE), which gave rise to a theory of transpacific migration during that time. There is also correspondence between Mr. Hyde and two of the leading archaeologists of the day, Drs. Betty Meggars and Clifford Evans.