Archaic and Late Prehistoric Adaptation in Southwestern Wyoming: The Frontier Pipeline Excavations (original) (raw)
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Archaeological investigations at the Goetz Site (48TE455) on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Elk Refuge in Teton County, Wyoming were initiated in 2000. The project involves the financial and administrative support of two federal agencies, the local historical society, the local chapter of the state archaeological society, private individuals and companies, and an international conservation organization, plus thousands of volunteer hours. This project is unusual for the assistance program at the National Park Service’s (NPS) Midwest Archeological Center by being problem-oriented and not motivated by Section 106. The original research focus of the project was to understand the role of bison in the precontact ecology and economy of Jackson Hole. Traditionally, bison have been viewed as a minor component of the Jackson Hole fauna. In his book, People of the High Country: Jackson Hole Before the Settlers, Gary Wright (1984) stated that bison were unpredictable and too small in number to provide a stable food resource. Wright’s arguments were based upon limited archaeological evidence of bison and the relatively small modern Jackson Hole herd. Since the publication of Wright’s book, archaeological excavations in Grand Teton National Park and southern Jackson Hole suggest bison may have been more common prehistorically than previously envisioned.
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Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State, 2006
During the spring of 2004, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted data recovery excavations at site 41PR44 on Fort Wolters. The site had been surveyed and tested by the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (Brownlow 2001; Brownlow et al. 1999). The results of that testing suggested that the site contained a high density of burned rock features, chipped stone, and bone that dated to the Late Prehistoric period, with additional material possibly dating to the Late Archaic. Based on the testing, site 41PR44 was recommended as eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion D. The site has been directly impacted by military traffic, and secondary erosion associated with a dirt road that cut through the center of the site has further damaged 41PR44. As continued use and maintenance of the road would result in continued erosion of the significant deposits, and as avoidance of this site area was not possible, CAR was contracted by the Adjutant General's Office of the Texas Military Forces to develop a data recovery plan that targeted critical data from the Late Prehistoric, and potentially earlier, occupations. That plan was produced in early 2004, and field work was undertaken in March and April. The work was conducted under a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Texas Military Forces and the Texas Historical Commission. CAR personnel excavated 46 shovel and hand-auger tests, 24 1-x-1-m units, and cut four backhoe trenches. We defined 12 thermal features in the field, but subsequent analysis reduced this number to three. A variety of artifacts were collected, including large quantities of sandstone and limestone rock, a variety of lithic tools, 883 pieces of chipped stone debitage, sediment samples, and small quantities of bone, charcoal, and mussel shell. We identified several occupation periods at the site, including use of the location during the Late Prehistoric and Late Archaic periods, as well as earlier Archaic use. The distribution of projectile points, as well as the assessment of context by the project geoarchaeologists, demonstrated that several areas of the site were mixed. Nevertheless, we were able to isolate Late Prehistoric, Late Archaic, and Archaic age deposits that were used to explore a variety of research areas, including aspects of subsistence, chipped stone technology, and feature technology. While limited by less than ideal temporal resolution and low recovery rates, the analysis of the 41PR44 data provides a basic description of archaeological material for this understudied portion of Texas. Following laboratory processing and analysis, and in consultation with both the Texas Military Forces and the Texas Historical Commission, selected samples and certain classes of materials collected from 41PR44 were discarded. This discard was in conformance with Texas Historical Commission guidelines. Material disposed of included all sandstone and limestone rock collected from non-feature contexts, as well as roughly 75% of all feature rock. All sediment samples not associated with features were discarded as were all metal items. All remaining archaeological samples collected by CAR, along with all associated documents, notes, and photographs, were prepared for permanent curation at the Texas Archaeological Research Laboratory in Austin. ii Table of Contents Data Recovery Excavations at 41PR44
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Archeologists from AmaTerra Environmental, Inc. (AmaTerra), working on behalf of the Tarrant Regional Water District (TWRD) and their environmental compliance subconsultant, Freese & Nichols, Inc., conducted an emergency investigation at the previously recorded Site 41HE377 at the Cedar Creek Reservoir Pump Station in Henderson County, Texas. The investigation was conducted after a private citizen reported finding a human jaw bone along the shoreline at 41HE377 and expressed concern that the pump station, which is currently under construction, may be impacting an unrecorded cemetery. Initially recorded in 2011, 41HE377 was documented as a thin surface scatter of prehistoric artifacts occupying the Cedar Creek reservoir’s shoreline at a proposed pump station site for TRWD’s Integrated Pipeline Project. The site was recommended as not eligible for the NRHP because it contained no intact deposits along the shoreline or farther inland. At the time of recording, archeologists speculated ...
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Index of Texas Archaeology Open Access Grey Literature from the Lone Star State, 2019
On behalf of Central Texas Regional Water Supply Corporation (CTRWSC) and VRRSP Consultants, LLC, SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted archaeological data recovery excavations at multicomponent site 41GU177 (the Snakeskin Bluff Site) within the proposed alignment of the Vista Ridge Regional Water Supply Project (Vista Ridge) in Guadalupe County, Texas. Investigations were conducted in compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) (54 United States Code [USC] 306108) and its implementing regulations (36 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 800), in anticipation of a Nationwide Permit 12 from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in accordance with Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. In addition, the work is subject to compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT), as the Vista Ridge Project will be ultimately owned by CTRWSC, a political subdivision of the State of Texas. The Vista Ridge project will involve construction of an approxima...
From Clovis to Comanchero: Archeological Overview of the Southern Great Plains
1989
This volume presents an overview of archeology-and the nature of archeological resources-in the Southern Great Plains, specifically, the Great Plains subregion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Southwest Division. A brief sketch of the region's environment is presented as well as an account of the history and development of archeological research in the Southern Plains. The area of concern is bordered by the foothills of the Rocky Mountains on the west and by the Cross Timbers on the east. The north to south extent is from the Arkansas to Pecos rivers, respectively. A traditional cultural-historical summary including mention of the numerous archeological taxonomic units from the earliest prehistoric groups to the fully historic period is presented in a series of chapters. The Native American groups who are represented in the area in historic times are surveyed in Appendix I, although almost no archeology has been conducted on the sites of most of these groups. The current status and limited history of bioarcheological research is summarized for the region and significant new data are presented especially concerning Late Prehistoric cultural groups. A detailed summary of known prehistoric and historic skeletal remains from the region is provided. Bioarcheology is already add substantially to our understanding of prehistoric cultural events and processes in the region. A synthesizing chapter is presented using the concept of Adaptation Types in which the various archeological taxa are grouped and discussed in general economic terms disregarding the problems caused by modern political boundaries and archeological research histories. The various prehistoric and historic adaptation types are summarized with regard to economy, technology, bioarcheology, environment, important research problems, and significant data gaps. The concluding chapter presents some of the highlights of the study and discusses some of the current problems confronting archeological research in the region.
Geoarcheology of a Middle Archaic Site in Wyoming: Contexts for Exploration.
FEATURED RESEARCH Geoarcheology of a Middle Archaic Site in Wyoming: Contexts for Exploration. Mark L. Howe, Karin Bryan, Craig Bromley. Bureau of Land Management, Lander Field Office, Lander, Wyoming. Field work for the Bureau of Land Management in Lander, Wyoming over the last several months has revealed a large (40 acre) Middle Archaic to Late Prehistoric site with a small Historical Component. This site is situated near a permanent spring at an elevation of about 7100 ft and an outcrop of Chert and possible Quartzite deposits on the northwest side of the site. The site itself has yielded a surface collection of over 20 projectile points of various source material and 20 different kinds of material ranging from Obsidian, Chalcedony, Chert, Quartzite, Basalt and Quartz. This area is composed of sage and grassland with native rocks of Sandstone and Granite to the West and North and is located in the geologic setting of the extreme southern end of the Wind River Range (Love and Christianson: 1985). Soil development in the site is low on the bedrock outcrops to mature soils in the ravine and adjacent slopes. Investigations for site chronology and scope have yielded buried deposits consisting of hearths (Photo 1), bands of staining (Photo 2) and exposure of adjacent stains and artifacts caused by our friends the range allotment cow. The site recording has spanned several months due to weather conditions, project workload and finding the site boundaries of which gave us the name of the site: Griff’s Hell Site, named after the project proponent. Photo 1.Hearth with secondary hearth to the right. The majority of buried material centered near the southern part of the site in the ephemeral arroyo leading north to the permanent spring source. The areas in the arroyo and the trails leading off the adjoining topography helped to find the cultural deposits. Trowel scrapings with late October light helped to expose a fire pit in Photo 1 and further analysis of the photo revealed a second stain to the right that was not observable during the recording of the site. Both stains show considerable promise for further analysis with intact deposits below them in the hearth floor (Photo 1). To the south of these hearths about three meters away we found peculiar horizontal staining (Photo 2) that continued south along the arroyo side on the east wall. These stains are vertically separated by about 15 cm on average with some concretions on the bottom of the lowermost stain. The stains show a mottled appearance with no observable artifacts associated with them and continued in the arroyo south and north. Further testing will be required to warrant if these are cultural or naturally derived features. Site recording along Point Ridge revealed another stain with artifacts that was exposed by cattle. Our initial analysis leads us to believe this is a well-stratified site ranging in age from at least Middle Archaic to Late Prehistoric with a substantial trade network in and out of the area (McKean Obsidian Point, Bifaces of Dendritic Chert, and McKean Quartzite Points) and consisting of seasonal occupation. Bibliography Love, J.D., and Christiansen, A.C., 1985, Geologic Map of Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey, scale 1:500,000. 4 Photo 2. Close-up of staining (trowel points north).