D. E. (Dennis E.) Peterson

Little biographical information about D. E. Peterson has been easy to confirm, but available library and book records show the name in the form "Peterson, D. E. (Dennis E.), 1906-". Peterson is credited as co-author, with archaeologist Don G. Wyckoff, of Spiro Mounds: Prehistoric Gateway... Present-Day Enigma.

That book focuses on one of Oklahoma’s most important archaeological sites and was associated with the Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and the Oklahoma Archaeological Survey. The subject matter suggests Peterson wrote with a strong interest in public history and in making archaeological research accessible to a wider audience.

Because reliable personal details are scarce in the sources reviewed, it is safest to remember Peterson primarily through this contribution: a readable introduction to the history, significance, and enduring mystery of Spiro Mounds.