Bertha Parker Pallan is believed to be the first Native American female archaeologist. She discovered Corn Creek Campsite, near Las Vegas, after spotting a fossilised camel bone protruding out of a lake bed.

She published a number of archaeological and ethnological papers in the Southwest museum journal, Masterkey, from the early 1930s through the 1960s.

Her work was remarkable and throughout her career she impressed fellow archaeologists despite not having a university degree or any formal training.