Investigations of Archaeological Sites Along Reach 9 Realignment, Granite Reef Aqueduct, Central Arizona Project, Maricopa County, Arizona

Summary

Under contract with the Bureau of Reclamation, the Office of Cultural Resource Management, Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University, completed archaeological investigations of six sites within Reach 9 of the Granite Reef Aqueduct, Central Arizona Project. The project area is located about 48 km (30 mi) northwest of Phoenix and encompasses a 16 km (10 mi) long corridor. The western end of the alignment begins at U.S. Highway 60-89, southeast of Wittmann, Arizona, and continues to the Hieroglyphic Mountains just west of the Agua Fria River. The corridor varies in width from 600 m (1969 ft) along the western portion of the alignment to 200 m (656 ft) on the eastern end.

The initial phase of investigations, a survey of 729 hectares (1800 acres) to be affected by the construction of the aqueduct and a detention basin along Reach 9, was conducted by a group from the Office of Cultural Resource Management, Arizona State University, in August and September, 1976 (Brown 1977) (see https://core.tdar.org/document/393069). On the basis of the initial survey, five sites were selected for further study. In addition to these five sites, the second phase included the survey of a 6 hectare (15 acre) parcel at the eastern end of the alignment. A sixth site was identified in this latter area, and additional funds and time were allotted for its systematic investigation.

In recent years, archaeological studies along the northern margins of the Salt River Valley have revealed a settlement-subsistence pattern of natural resource exploitation in areas peripheral to the major tributaries of the Gila-Salt drainage. This has been termed a secondary resource zone pattern. It was determined that the cultural remains in the Reach 9 area most closely resemble this model with some significant exceptions.

This report describes the results of archaeological investigations and data recovery within Reach 9 of the Granite Reef Aqueduct. The six sites discussed in the report do not readily form a cohesive unit of study. They exhibit a marked degree of intersite variability although they all fall into the loosely-defined category of limited activity sites. The marginality of the project area environment would have imposed some constraints on the range of activities carried out there, but archaeologists are still far from comprehending the full range of variability evident in the prehistoric remains in secondary resource zone contexts.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix DAHA Resources   •
• Granite Reef (Hayden-Rhodes) Aqueduct and Transmission System Resurvey and Mitigation   •
• National Archeological Database (NADB)

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 900 to 1100

Calendar Date: 1100 to 1450

Calendar Date: 500 to 700

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Principal Investigator(s): Glen Rice; Donald E. Weaver, Jr.; Charles F. Merbs

Project Director(s): Patricia E. Brown

Sponsor(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Repository(s): Huhugam Heritage Center

Prepared By(s): Office of Cultural Resource Management, Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University

Submitted To(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Record Identifiers

NADB Citation ID No.(s): 000000012051

Bureau of Reclamation Purchase Order No.(s): 7-01-32-05710; 7-01-32-07020

NADB Document ID No.(s): 1000049

File Information