Desert Archaeology DAHA Resources

DOCUMENT Full-Text Deborah L. Swartz.

At the request of Cottonwood Properties, Desert Archaeology, Inc., completed archaeological testing of a small site, AZ AA:12:271 (ASM), in the northern Tucson Basin. This project was conducted because surface artifacts were identified during a recent survey of the site area (Stephen 2003) even though the site was reportedly totally collected when it was initially recorded 22 years ago (Arizona State Museum [ASM] site files). The current project was designed to determine if subsurface...

DOCUMENT Full-Text John C. Ravesloot.

The Institute for American Research, while under contract with the City of Tucson, conducted a program of archaeological testing within the Santa Cruz Industrial Park. The Santa Cruz Industrial Park, which is currently under development by the city, covers 186 acres of city owned land in southwestern Tucson. The purpose of the testing program within the Industrial Park was to evaluate the direct and indirect impacts that construction of a road segment would have on cultural resources within the...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Mark D. Elson. Deborah L. Swartz.

The archaeological testing of 19 sites within a 5.4 mile (8.7 km) stretch of State Route 87 in the Upper Tonto Basin of central Arizona provided a wealth of new and significant information on the prehistory of this little known area. The testing was undertaken to determine the cultural significance of the 19 sites prior to an Arizona Department of Transportation road widening and realignment construction project (ADOT Project Number F -053-1-315PE ). Investigated site types include small...

DOCUMENT Full-Text J. Homer Thiel. Barnet Pavao-Zuckerman.

The University of Arizona Spring Field School was held at the Guevavi Mission, AZ EE:9:1 (ASM), from 2013 to 2015. A previous survey at the site had revealed that rodent burrowing was damaging a Mission-era (circa 1690s-1810s) midden. Vehicular traffic and weather-related erosion were damaging features in a dirt road. Among the goals of the fieldwork were to collect information from threatened features to then address several research questions. One question concerned the precontact history...

DOCUMENT Full-Text J. Homer Thiel.

As part of the planning process for the construction of the Evo A. DeConcini Federal Building and United States Courthouse, Desert Archaeology, Inc., has performed a detailed study of the proposed courthouse property for Fugro West, Inc., under a subcontract with the General Services Administration. This study has many purposes: to summarize prehistoric and historic settlement patterns and land-use trends for the project area; to identify the locations of any prehistoric and historic...

DOCUMENT Full-Text J. Homer Thiel. Jeremy W. Pye. James T. Watson.

The Salvation Army constructed a new Hospitality House in 2014-2015. As part of the project, The Salvation Army traded a piece of land to the City of Tucson in exchange for a portion. This land contained the eastern cluster of graves from the Pima Tribe No. 10, Improved Order of Red Men plot, part of the larger Court Street Cemetery, in use from 1875-1909, and subsequently redeveloped for housing and business. The Court Street Cemetery has been assigned Arizona State Museum site number AZ...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

In 1997, a group of scholars assembled at the Amerind Foundation in Dragoon, Arizona, for five and one-half days of secluded focused discussion on the archaeology and history of an area largely absent from archaeological reports and history books, southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. The researchers present at the seminar included Bruce Masse, Anne Woosley, Allan MacIntyre, Jeff Altschul, John Douglas, Jeff Clark, Bill Doolittle, Jim Neely, Jerry Howard, Peggy Nelson, Jonathan...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael W. Lindeman.

The results of boundary definition testing at the southeastern margin of AZ AA:12:18 (ASM), the Hodges Ruin, are presented in this report. Hodges Ruin has been determined to be eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. The parcels are owned by the Flowing Wells School District and the district intends to construct an Early Childhood Center on the parcels. The goal of the fieldwork was to determine the extent of archaeological features on the parcels with the hope that...

DOCUMENT Full-Text J. Homer Thiel.

The El Rio Community Health Center in Tucson, Arizona, is planning on building a parking lot on a portion of an archaeological easement associated with the historic period León farm stead, AZ BB:13:505 (ASM), and the prehistoric period Eastside canals, AZ BB:13:642 (ASM). The archaeological easement was established in 1999 following the discovery of the two sites. Archaeological fieldwork for this project was undertaken in 2013 to mitigate the damage to these significant cultural resources...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Gary A. Huckleberry. Michael W. Lindeman.

Situated along the western edge of the Santa Cruz River floodplain, the 18.6-acre Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) parcel (Parcel Nos. 119-42­ 006E, 119-42-006M, and 119-42-006N) contained a single previously recorded site, AZ AA:16:570 (ASM). The project was undertaken for Swaim Associates Architects prior to the construction of a Tucson Unified School District school on the property. The Arizona Antiquities Act of 1960 (as amended), the State Historic Preservation Act of 1982, and the...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Deborah L. Swartz.

The project along South River Road was conducted for Santa Cruz County prior to road improvements. The data recovery focused on a single site, AZ EE:9:117 (ASM), a small fieldhouse site along the Santa Cruz River, with a prehistoric and a historic-period component. The prehistoric component included two pithouse remnants, numerous extramural pits, and one unique mortuary feature. Dates recovered through several different methods suggest a long, low-intensity, prehistoric use of the site from...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Patricia Cook.

The City of Tucson and Pima County have proposed installation of a reclaimed waterline along Speedway Boulevard in Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. The line will affect several archaeological sites, and a data recovery plan (Elson 2004) recommended data recovery projects at three prehistoric sites — AZ BB:13:68 (ASM), AZ BB:13:123 (ASM), and AZ BB:14:4 (ASM). Monitoring was suggested as the appropriate mitigation at a fourth site, AZ BB:13:444 (ASM). Results of the data recovery excavations...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Mark D. Elson. Paul R. Sheppard. Michael H. Ort.

Understanding the full range of interactions between human groups and volcanic eruptions is of great importance, not only for predicting volcanic hazards and potentially saving lives, but also for insights into human behavior and specifically, on the ways in which populations adapt to catastrophic events. However, most accounts of human/volcano interaction are confined to the past few hundred years, thereby limiting the number of cases and the formulation of predictive models. In this...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

The mountainous zone below the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona was home to Apache in the pre-Reservation period (pre-A.D. 1875). Four Western Apache site components, dating between the late seventeenth and late nineteenth centuries A.D., were identified during excavations conducted in advance of the realignment of the Preacher Canyon and Little Green Valley segments of State Route 260 between Payson and Heber: Plymouth Landing, AZ O:12:89/AR-03-12-04-1411 (ASM/TNF), McGoonie, AZ...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael W. Lindeman.

This report details archaeological investigations at AZ BB:13:74 (ASM), a Middle Rincon phase (A.D. 1000¬ 1100) hamlet. The excavations discussed in this report are part of a larger project related to the expansion of the Desert Vista Campus, Pima Community Colleges. The other portion of this project focused on the site of Valencia Vieja (AZ BB:13:15 [ASM]), a large Tortolita phase village located south and west of BB:13:74. The results of those excavations are reported in a separate volume...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael W. Lindeman.

This report details the results of excavations at the Sunset Mesa Ruin, AZ AA:12:10 (ASM). The predominant occupation of Sunset Mesa Ruin was during the Middle Rincon phase (A.D. 1000-1100). However, limited use of the area was identified during the Early Agricultural period (800 B.C.-A.D. 100) and the later Tucson phase (A.D. 1300-1450). Evidence of Historic period use, first as a turn-of-the-century homestead and later as a dairy, has also been documented (Ciolek-Torrello, Huber, and Neily...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael W. Lindeman.

The slopes of the Avra Valley, lacking perennial water sources, would seem an unlikely place for a large prehistoric community. Yet during the Hohokam Colonial period (ca. A.D. 750-950), a community sprang up along the western slopes of the Tucson Mountains. Centered on the ballcourt village of Water World, AZ AA:16:94 (ASM), numerous households thrived in the area, both in the primary village and in outlying farmsteads (Czaplicki and Ravesloot 1988, 1989a, 1989b, 1989c; Dart 1994; Downum et....

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

The Southern Avra Valley Storage and Recovery Project (SAVSARP) project examined three sites, AZ AA:16:312 (ASM), AZ AA:16:468 (ASM), and AZ AA:16:469 (ASM), and a non-site artifact concentration, Locality A, on the floor of the Avra Valley. The surface manifestations of the sites mirrored those of other sites in the valley bottom, low-density artifact scatters covering broad expanses. Locales of higher artifact density were defined as archaeological sites, but surface artifacts continued...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Gary Huckleberry. Michael W. Lindeman.

In this document, the results of data recovery at AZ BB:13:794 (ASM) are reported. The work was done prior to construction by Pima County of a paved multiuse path along the western bank of the Santa Cruz River. BB:13:794 was recommended to be eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (National Register) under Criterion D, based on the potential of Feature 32 to yield significant information about prehistoric irrigation and farming in the Santa Cruz floodplain....

DOCUMENT Full-Text J. Homer Thiel.

What lies beneath the vacant lots of the Barrio Libre? This old barrio lies on the south side of the downtown core of Tucson and has been occupied as a primarily Mexican- American neighborhood for 100 years. During the Historic period, the Barrio Libre has been home to thousands of people, many of whom have left behind the physical traces of their lives in the form of architectural remains and artifacts. Archaeological excavations of homes, businesses, and the trash created and disposed of by...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

Desert Archaeology, Inc., personnel conducted phased archaeological data recovery at the Boulder Bend site. The site includes a small architectural mound located on Apache-Gravesides National Forests (ASNF) land west of the State Route (SR) 78 right-of-way, and an associated potsherd and flaked stone scatter that extends east of the SR 78 right-of-way, and is migrating down slope from the vicinity of the architectural mound. The Boulder Bend site straddles SR 78. The area of the site west of SR...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael W. Diehl.

The City of Tucson is considering plans to develop the Rio Nuevo South property, a roughly 36-acre parcel of land located along the west bank of the Santa Cruz River near the downtown area. Although the parcel is presently vacant, archaeological testing and historic document research indicate that it was first used around 1000 B.C., and that its use continued intermittently through the present day. Based on the results of preliminary testing (Ahlstrom et al. 1994; Elson and Doelle 1987; Thiel...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Stacy L. Ryan.

This report presents descriptions of features excavated during the 1998 investigations at the Central Cluster locus of the Los Pozos site, which was occupied during the Late Cienega phase (circa 400 B.C.-A.D. 50) of the Early Agricultural period. The project was conducted for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT Contract 94-46) for the Interstate 10 Corridor Improvement project. Features were identified during the testing phase of the project and subsequently excavated by Desert...

DOCUMENT Full-Text C. Vance Haynes, Jr.. Bruce B. Huckell.

As part of the Santa Cruz Industrial Park Project, the City of Tucson planned to bridge and stabilize the banks of a large, deeply entrenched wash that flows into the Santa Cruz River approximately one-quarter mile south of Irvington Road on the right bank of the river. Airport Wash, as it is called, has cut deeply into the ancient sediments filling the valley at this point, exposing a long record of late Pleistocene and Holocene alluvium. Earlier examinations by archaeologists in the mid- to...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Elizabeth Miksa.

Many of the archaeological ceramics found in the Power's Gulch area in the course of investigations for the Carlota Testing Project were found to be tempered with sand size material. In order to assess the composition and local versus non-local origin of the temper, seven sand and rock samples were collected from Power's Gulch and Pinto Creek by Mary-Ellen Walsh-Anduze of SWCA, Inc., in January of 1994. These seven sand and rock samples were submitted to Elizabeth Miksa of Desert Archaeology,...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Pat H. Stein.

Located along a spring-fed stream, Indian Garden has attracted and supported as wide a range of activities as perhaps any site in the area below the Mogollon Rim. Recent work by Desert Archaelogy has shown that prehistoric people used the Indian Garden area as early as 770 B.C., and that Apaches exploited the locality during the early twentieth century (Ferguson and Anyon 2000a; Sarah Herr, personal communication 2007). From the 1880s to the turn of this century, the site served sequentially as...

DOCUMENT Full-Text William H. Doelle. Henry Wallace.

The intensive archaeological survey of over 18 square miles of the San Xavier Indian Reservation has produced a substantial body of new data regarding prehistoric utilization of this portion of the Tucson Basin. In this chapter a subset of the San Xavier Project data base is utilized to examine stability and change in the prehistoric settlement patterns within the study area. There are three major goals for the present study. The first goal is to describe the analysis methods employed. The...

DOCUMENT Full-Text J. Homer Thiel.

Archaeological testing was conducted at the Salvation Army property. Work identified 20 graves within the Improved Order of Red Men plot in the Court Street Cemetery, as well as eight prehistoric features. A portion of the property contained a single prehistoric pit and no Compliance Summary Page iii human burials. The pit was sampled. The area tested on the eastern side contained 20 graves from the Improved Order of Red Men plot, present in two separate clusters of 10 burials. Two pit houses...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

This volume presents data from large-scale archaeological excavations at the prehistoric site of Las Capas, AZ AA:12:111 (ASM). Data recovery was conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc. and included investigations at both the site itself and a well-developed associated canal, AZ AA:12:753 (ASM), and agricultural field system. An Arizona Antiquities Act permit was obtained, as Pima County, the sponsoring agency, is a subdivision of the state and, as such, is subject to the Arizona Antiquites Act....

DOCUMENT Full-Text Jonathan B. Mabry.

As part of the archaeological mitigation program of the Arizona Department of Transportation's Interstate 10 Frontage Roads Project, the well-preserved remains of an early agricultural village were found buried in the floodplain of the Santa Cruz River during preliminary archaeological investigations at site AZ AA:12:746 (ASM) in 1993. A total of 32 prehistoric cultural features were identified, including 13 pithouses, 1 possible pithouse, 10 roasting pits, 1 trash pit, and 6 concentrations of...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Sam Baar.

Between January 24 and 30, 1996, archaeologists Sam Baar, Rob Ciaccio, Allison Cohen, and Jon Shumaker of Desert Archaeology, Inc., conducted testing of the parcel of land. The archaeological testing was requested by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to determine if any subsurface cultural resources would be impacted by the construction of a new interstate on-ramp and was carried out under the Arizona Department of Transportation Blanket Permit No. 71343. Specifically, previous...

DOCUMENT Full-Text David A. Gregory.

The project discussed in this report is part of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Improvement Plan for the entire Interstate 10 corridor. A general plan for treatment of cultural resources potentially affected by the overall project has been developed by Desert Archaeology, including a project-wide research design (Mabry 1993a). Ultimately, ADOT plans to construct new frontage roads along both sides of the 1-10 freeway alignment. The current project includes the east side frontage...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Timothy W. Jones. Masa Tani. Kathy Cisco. Wilson Hughes.

Two primarily historic period sites were tested within the 1-10 corridor improvement right-of- way. The Embankment site, AZ BB:13:159 (ASM), is literally eroding out of the 1-10 embankment on the east side of the interstate. It was found to contain a basalt foundation with a possible preserved basement, and it may be the remains of a historic habitation. The El Dumpé site, AZ BB:13:110 (ASM), is a large mounded trash deposit located on both sides of the interstate, dating from the 1930s through...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Bruce B. Huckell. Lisa W. Huckell. Suzanne K. Fish.

This report presents the results of archaeological excavations undertaken as part of a land exchange between Pima County and Magna Investment and Development, Ltd. A portion of this right-of-way included a prehistoric archaeological site known as Milagro (AZ BB:10:46), parts of which had been investigated previously. Pima County indicated that prior to completion of the land exchange, archaeological investigations must be performed along the route of a proposed sewer line, and the cutting of a...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Gregory J. Whitney. George L. Tinseth. Barry Price-Steinbrecher. Jessica M. Smith. Robert J. Sinensky.

Field methods and extramural feature descriptions are presented in this report from archaeological investigations at the prehistoric site of Las Capas, AZ AA:12:111 (ASM), situated in the Tucson Basin of southern Arizona. Testing and data recovery excavations at Las Capas were conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., from August 2008 through September 2009, with smaller phases of fieldwork in 2012 and 2013, as part of Pima County's Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department Regional Optimization...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Jenny L. Adams. Joyce Skeldon Rychener. Allen J. Denoyer.

In this report, experimental ground stone and maize processing experiments are described. These experiments stem from archaeological investigations at the prehistoric site of Las Capas, AZ AA:12:111 (ASM), situated in the Tucson Basin of southern Arizona. Testing and data recovery excavations at Las Capas were conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., from August 2008 through September 2009, with smaller phases of fieldwork in 2012 and 2013, as part of Pima County's Regional Wastewater Reclamation...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Robert J. Sinensky. Jessica M. Smith. Barry Price-Steinbrecher. George L. Tinseth.

House and extramural feature descriptions from archaeological investigations at the prehistoric site of Las Capas, AZ AA:12:111 (ASM), situated in the Tucson Basin of southern Arizona, are provided in this report. Testing and data recovery excavations at Las Capas were conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., from August 2008 through September 2009, with smaller phases of fieldwork in 2012 and 2013, as part of Pima County's Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department Regional Optimization Master...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Tyler S. Theriot. Catherine B. Gilman.

In this report, maps are provided from archaeological investigations at the prehistoric site of Las Capas, situated in the Tucson Basin of southern Arizona. Testing and data recovery excavations at Las Capas were conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., from August 2008 through September 2009, with smaller phases of fieldwork in 2012 and 2013, as part of Pima County's Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department Regional Optimization Master Plan (ROMP). This massive project involved major upgrades...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Barry Price-Steinbrecher. George L. Tinseth. J. Homer Thiel. John R. McClelland. Rachael M. Byrd. James T. Watson.

Burial assemblage descriptions from archaeological investigations at the prehistoric site of Las Capas, AZ AA:12:111 (ASM), situated in the Tucson Basin of southern Arizona, are provided in this report. Testing and data recovery excavations at Las Capas were conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., from August 2008 through September 2009, with smaller phases of fieldwork in 2012 and 2013, as part of Pima County's Regional Wastewater Reclamation Department Regional Optimization Master Plan (ROMP)....

DOCUMENT Full-Text Jonathan B. Mabry.

In August, 1990, archaeologists from Desert Archaeology, Inc. monitored the excavation of a water pipeline trench through the northeastern edge of a multiple-occupation archaeological site sitting upon and buried within an alluvial fan at the western edge of the Santa Cruz River terrace. Several prehistoric cultural features in a buried occupation horizon were identified. Mesquite wood charcoal from the floor of a pithouse yielded a conventional radiocarbon date of 3040 ± 1 1 0 B.P. (radiocarbon...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Linda L. Mayro. William H. Doelle.

Letter report from the Institute for American Research to Cella Barr Associates detailing the completion of archaeological survey of 20 acres in the Old Fort Lowell Neighborhood, on March 26, 1984. The entire project area had been previously developed for agricultural purposes. These land modifications included land grading, plowing and cultivation of fields, construction of water ditches, a reservoir, three houses, a horse barn, two silage pits, silos, and corrals. As a result of the...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

The Dove Mountain sites are situated on the southern flanks of the Tortolita Mountains in the northern Tucson Basin. The parcel is bounded by Cochie Canyon on the west and contains Wild Burro Canyon and Ruelas Canyon within its boundaries. The project was conducted for Cottonwood Properties prior to residential development. Thirty-three sites were investigated during one of three testing and data recovery phases. An additional 15 sites were recorded, although no additional archaeological...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

Approximately 61 percent (74 percent if only the extant portions of the site are considered) of the 60.5-acre Hohokam settlement known as Honey Bee Village, AZ BB:9:88 (ASM) (Arizona State Museum site files designation) was mechanically tested and horizontally exposed during excavations in 2006-2007 by Desert Archaeology, Inc., under contract with Pima County and Rancho Vistoso Partners, LLC. Honey Bee Village is located in the Town of Oro Valley north of Tucson. The core of the village was...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

Approximately 61 percent (74 percent if only the extant portions of the site are considered) of the 60.5-acre Hohokam settlement known as Honey Bee Village, AZ BB:9:88 (ASM) (Arizona State Museum site files designation) was mechanically tested and horizontally exposed during excavations in 2006-2007 by Desert Archaeology, Inc., under contract with Pima County and Rancho Vistoso Partners, LLC. Honey Bee Village is located in the Town of Oro Valley north of Tucson. The core of the village was...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Deborah L. Swartz.

The excavations conducted on the fire station parcel for the Flowing Wells Fire District were situated on the eastern margin of the Hodges site, AZ AA:12:18 (ASM). During the testing phase, 24 features were identified in backhoe trenches, and the eastern boundary of the Hodges site, AZ AA:12:18 (ASM), was defined. The limited excavation phase focused solely on features that would be impacted by construction. Two pit-houses and two trash concentrations were excavated or sampled. Although the...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

The results of archaeological research conducted as part of the Center for Desert Archaeology's (now Archaeology Southwest) San Pedro Preservation Project are presented in this volume. The fieldwork component of this project was conducted in the northern, or lower, San Pedro Valley from 1990 through 2001. Fieldwork included an extensive survey of the terraces overlooking the Lower San Pedro Valley floodplain (1990-1995). In the second phase of the project (1999-2001), test excavations were...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Gregory J. Whitney. Michael W. Lindeman.

Monitoring within the boundary of AZ BB:13:74 (ASM) for the installation of a cellular monopole led to the discovery of a previously undocumented locus at the site. Subsurface features and artifact deposits were uncovered during the excavation of an electric line trench for the cellular monopole. Six features were identified in the trench-three pithouses, two possible pithouses, and a small pit. Test excavations were conducted in two of the pithouses, revealing artifacts and features dating to...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Jason A Hooten. Michael H. Ort. Mark D. Elson.

Sunset Crater is the youngest cinder cone in a cluster of Quaternary volcanoes at the northeastern edge of the Pliocene to Holocene (5 Ma to Recent) San Francisco Volcanic Field. Based on dendrochronologyspecifically the recovery of complacent tree-rings on several archaeological specimens from Wupatki Ruin-the eruption of Sunset Crater is dated at A.D. 1064 (Smiley 1958). The eruption may have continued episodically for approximately 100 to 200 years (Amos 1986; Champion 1980; Ulrich et al....

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael W. Lindeman. Helga Wöcherl.

Prehistoric occupation of the Tucson Basin extends back at least 6,000 years. Not surprisingly, as a primary watercourse, the Santa Cruz River has been the focus of much of the prehistoric activity. Approximately 4,000 years ago, early agriculturalists began farming along the banks of the river, supplementing a diet composed primarily of wild foods. As agricultural technology developed, people built canals in the floodplain. The canals increased crop yields and reduced some of the risks...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Henry D. Wallace.

During the portion of the San Xavier Survey which covered parts of Black Mountain, the petroglyphs reported by Fontana and others (1959) and Ferg (1979) were encountered, as were several new elements and localities. This report documents the petroglyphs found and provides limited interpretations of their significance, dating, and stylistic relationships to other petroglyphs in the Tucson area. Data gathered from the Black Mountain site (AA:16:12) contribute toward the development of a regional...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Diana C. Kamilli.

Ten plainware potsherds from the Country Club Road Project were submitted for thin sectioning and petrographic analysis in the hopes that differences in the compositional assemblages would give clues to temper collection patterns, pottery movement, material treatment, or firing technology. All ten sherds were cut into standard thin sections, stained for alkali feldspar and calcic plagioclase, and examined under a research Zeiss petrographic microscope.

DOCUMENT Full-Text Elizabeth Miksa.

This report contains the description of data collection procedures and analysis methods for petrographic thin sections of potsherds recovered from the MCDOT Pueblo Blanco project near Scottsdale, Arizona. Fifty-three plainware, redware, polychrome, and buffware sherds from AZ U:9:95 (ASM) and AZ U:9:97 (ASM) were analyzed. In addition, five polychrome sherds from AZ U:15:3 (ASM) were analyzed for comparison with the Pueblo Blanco polychrome sherds. The type of analysis employed for this project...

DOCUMENT Full-Text James M. Heidke. Diana C. Kamilli. Elizabeth Miksa.

The goal of the present study is to identify the provenance of ceramics recovered from project area sites in the lower Verde River on the basis of the temper found within them (Ciolek-Torrello et al. 1992:111-75 to III-85). The focus of this study is on sand temper. Ceramic wares and/or types produced within the study area are distinguished from those imported from other areas. A reconnaissance sample of wash sands from the lower Verde River area was collected and analyzed to provide the...

DOCUMENT Full-Text James M. Heidke. Michael K. Wiley.

Ceramic vessels produced in the prehistoric southwest often contain abundant temper such as sand, disaggregated rock, and crushed sherd. Both sand and disaggregated rock tempers can be used as indicators of the provenance of archaeological ceramics when their geological sources are identified (Arnold 1985; Miksa 1995; Miksa and Heidke 1995; Schaller 1994; Shepard 1936, 1942). The goal of the present study is to identify the provenance of Tanque Verde Red-on-brown ceramics recovered from a...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael K. Wiley. Elizabeth Miksa.

Dr. Patricia Gilman, director of the San Simon Archaeological Project, collected sand and sherd samples from four late Archaic site excavations with ASM site designations located in the Whitlock valley. The purpose of her collection was to examine the relative degree of sedentism and mobility associated with pit structures in the prehistoric Southwest. In February of 1994, the collection was assembled for petrologic analysis. Twenty-three sherd and two sand samples were submitted to Elizabeth...

DOCUMENT Full-Text James M. Vint. Bruce B. Huckell. Penny Minturn.

This report presents the results of Phase 1 data recovery at 13 archaeological sites along the proposed right-of-way for the Punkin Center Section of State Route 188. The Punkin Center Section is one part of a multi-year Arizona Department of Transportation project to realign and improve a 29-km long portion of SR 188, the principal road passing through the Tonto Basin, Gila County, Arizona. The project is funded by the Federal Highway Administration and occurs on Arizona Department of...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Bruce B. Huckell. James M. Vint.

This report presents the results of Phase 1 data recovery of nine archaeological sites along the proposed right-of-way for the Slate Creek Section of State Route 188. The Slate Creek Section is one part of a multiyear Arizona Department of Transportation project to realign and improve a 29-km long portion of SR 188, the principal road passing through the Tonto Basin, Gila County, Arizona. The entire project corridor extends north from Sycamore Creek to the junction of SR 188 with SR 87. The...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Bruce B. Huckell. Brenda G. Randolph. Danielle Desruisseaux.

This report presents the results of the Phase 1 testing of seven prehistoric archaeological sites falling within the proposed right-of-way for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) Sycamore Creek Project, within the Tonto Basin, Gila County, central Arizona. The project is funded by the Federal Highway Administration and occurs on Arizona Department of Transportation right-of-way across Tonto National Forest land. The seven tested sites include a late Preclassic pithouse village [AZ...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Patricia Cook.

The Road Improvement Project (City of Tucson Project No. 07 32) intersected a portion of the Tanque Verde Wash site located in the eastern Tucson Basin, Pima County, Arizona. The affected right-of-way was investigated with Phase 1 and Phase 2 data recovery projects. Archaeological monitoring in both the right-of-way and was conducted during subsurface construction activities within the site. Phased data recovery was conducted between May and June, 2011, while monitoring on an as needed basis...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Allen Dart. William H. Doelle.

The Pima County Inventory Project was carried out by the Institute for American Research under a contract with the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). Three major tasks were called out in the original scope of work. They are briefly summarized here. 1. Compile all existing data on archaeological surveys and archaeological sites in Pima County. These data are to be plotted on USGS maps of Pima County, and any sites not already in AZSITE are to be coded on appropriate forms....

DOCUMENT Full-Text J. Homer Thiel.

The A-Mountain drainage system is being designed by Parsons Brinkerhoff, Inc., for the City of Tucson to alleviate flooding in the residential neighborhood between A-Mountain and the Santa Cruz River. As part of the planning process, Desert Archaeology, Inc., performed an archaeological survey and archival study of the parcel of land on which the drainage system will be placed (Thiel 1993a). On the basis of this preliminary work, Desert Archaeology recommended that an archaeological testing...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Jonathan B. Mabry.

Two archaeological sites (AZ AA:16:334,335 ASM) on the edge of the Pleistocene terrace above the historic floodplain of the Santa Cruz River west of downtown Tucson, Arizona, threatened by widening of a road, were investigated to recover information prior to construction. The prehistoric rock features at site AZ AA:16:334 (ASM) were destroyed by a backhoe before this data recovery program began. On the basis of mapping of surface cultural features and artifact distributions, and total collection...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Douglas B. Craig.

This report presents the results of testing and data recovery efforts at four sites in Sun City Vistoso: AZ BB:9:152 (ASM), AZ BB:9:153 (ASM), AZ BB:9:154 (ASM), and AZ BB:9:190 (ASM). All four sites are Hohokam limited activity sites dating to the Sedentary period. Testing operations consisted of excavating narrowly-spaced backhoe trenches in an attempt to identify subsurface cultural features. No subsurface features were identified at AZ BB:9:152 and AZ BB:9:154; consequently, no further work...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael W. Lindeman.

This document discusses the results of preliminary archaeological work for the Saguaro Knolls development project. The Saguaro Knolls project area is a 55 a tract of land that is slated for residential development. It lies wholly within a previously recorded archaeological site, AZ AA:16:3 (ASM), the West Branch site. A recent archaeological survey confirmed that archaeological remains were present on the surface of the parcel (Stephen 1997). As a result of these findings Desert Archaeology,...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Ellen Ruble.

Pima County and the City of Tucson have developed a Master Plan for the expansion of facilities at Christopher Columbus Park, located on the northwestern side of Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. Previous cultural resource surveys and test excavations have identified the presence of archaeological sites within the expansion area that will be affected by implementation of the Master Plan. Phase 1 data recovery excavations were conducted to determine the extent and distribution of subsurface cultural...

DOCUMENT Full-Text James M. Heidke.

Five hundred and twenty-two sherds recovered from excavations at the West Branch site were submitted for temper characterization. Temper source characterization was based on Lombard's (1987c) reconnaissance mapping of temper resource compositional zones, or petrofacies, in the Tucson Basin and Avra Valley; and incorporates refinements to the Tucson Basin model made by Lombard (1987a, 1987b, 1987d, 1990) and Heidke (1994); and refinement of the Avra Valley model made by KamiUi (1994). Samples...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Douglas B. Craig.

Archaeological fieldwork for the Rancho Vistoso Survey was done between March 31, 1986 and July 3, 1986. A total of 240 person days was expended surveying the nearly 8,000 acres within the project boundaries. Forty-six sites and 128 non-sites were recorded and given field designations (FD’s). Two large prehistoric villages, known from earlier archaeological work in the area, were also mapped in detail and systematic surface collections made. The following section describes all surface artifact...

DOCUMENT Full-Text William H. Doelle. Paul R. Fish.

The study of Tucson’s prehistory has been pursued with an unprecedented intensity in recent years, and it seemed essential that the new results that were emerging be shared on a broader basis. This volume is the outcome of papers prepared for the Second Tucson Basin Conference in conjunction with the 1986 fall meeting of the Arizona Archaeological Council.

DOCUMENT Full-Text Helga Wöcherl. J. Homer Thiel.

This document reports the results of archaeological monitoring and data recovery along a proposed extension, Marana, Arizona. The alignment runs through a portion of the known prehistoric site of Los Morteros (AZ AA:12:57[ASM]), and the historic-period homestead of Charlie Maish (AZ AA:12:377[ASM]). The work was requested by Pulte Homes Corporation for sewer and road construction in a future development section and was performed between June and October 1999 (Arizona State Museum Permit Number...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael W. Lindeman. Ellen C. Ruble.

Tucson Electric Power (TEP) is planning construction of a new substation in Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. This work will include the installation of two buried electric lines and a new steel power pole and overlaps portions of the proposed construction area. Previous examination of the site surface (Ruble 2005a) suggested the potential for buried archaeological features at the site. At that time, the site was considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (National...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Allen Dart.

From March 8 through March 17, 1988, archaeologists from the Institute for American Research spent 22 person-days conducting exploratory excavations at two archaeological sites within the proposed Continental Ranch development in Marana, Arizona. This subsurface testing project, referred to hereafter as the "CR-WAPA testing" project, was sponsored by the American Continental corporation, developer of the property that contains the two archaeological sites. The archaeological sites tested during...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

Archaeological investigations were conducted along the periphery of Honey Bee Village, AZ BB:9:88 (ASM), and in the floodplain of Honey Bee Wash prior to construction activities by Mattamy Arizona, LLC. Honey Bee Village is a large, National Register-eligible site that contains a plaza, a ballcourt and more than 380 pit structures and 277 excavated mortuary features. The goal of the current project was to identify any mortuary features and to excavate them respectfully, before they might be...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Sarah Herr.

This report documents the findings of archaeological testing conducted for Bourn Partners as part of their due diligence assessment of approximately 60 acres of land. Archaeological testing was conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., between 25 July and 2 August 2005. A total of 18 person-days was spent on the field investigations by Sarah Herr, Greg Whitney, Richard Antone, and Sarah Luchetta. William H. Doelle, Ph.D., of Desert Archaeology, Inc., was the principal investigator. Cultural...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Patricia Cook.

Desert Archaeology, Inc., conducted data recovery a prehistoric archaeological site located within the Los Reales Landfill, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. Subsurface archaeological features were encountered in late May 2007, during normal landfill activity by landfill personnel to mine sediments. The exposure of four features caused the sediment excavation activities to cease. Desert Archaeology was contacted by landfill administrators on 25 May 2007, to assess the features and to determine if...

DOCUMENT Full-Text M.L. Brack.

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) purchased property at North Freeway, Tucson, Arizona, to facilitate improvements along the Interstate 10 (I-10) corridor. Following completion of construction, ADOT proposed selling the property lying outside the I-10 right-of-way. EcoPlan Associates, environmental consultants to ADOT, requested a cultural resources assessment of the property prior to sale. Desert Archaeology, Inc., identified potentially significant surface remains and initiated a...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael W. Lindeman.

This report details the results of limited excavation and in-situ preservation efforts at four loci located on the northern end of the Valencia site, AZ BB:13:15 (ASM), and at AZ BB:13:74 (ASM). Working together, Pima Community College, the City of Tucson, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Tohono O’odham Nation, and Desert Archaeology, Inc., were able to craft a strategy that maximized information gain and preserved these two important archaeological sites. The project contained three...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Helga Wocherl.

The results of archaeological monitoring at AZ AA:16:39 (ASM) and the results of phase 2 data recovery at AZ AA:16:410 (ASM) and subsequent monitoring are detailed in this report. Following recommendations from phase 1 data recovery (Wocherl 2000b), the work was conducted pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) initiated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), as lead federal agency for this project. Under authority of Arizona State Museum (ASM) Permit Number 2000-107ps(A1), Desert...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Helga Wöcherl.

The results of archaeological Phase 1 data recovery, including exploratory excavation and supplemental archival research, of an artifact scatter, Component B, within the municipal boundaries of the Town of Sahuarita, Pima County, Arizona, are presented in this report. The work was requested by Sage Landscape Architecture and Environmental for the planned Quail Crossing Boulevard alignment to be constructed by the Town of Sahuarita on State Trust Land (State Land Department Row #16-112095)....

DOCUMENT Full-Text Andrew Dutt. Michelle N. Stevens.

The City of Tucson had proposed to construct a water recharge basin on the east side of the Santa Cruz River between Sweetwater Road and Camino del Cerro. Phase 1 archaeological data recovery was conducted at the City's request because the project area lies within the boundaries of AZ A A:12:91 (ASM), also known as the Los Pozos site. Previous archaeological work has established the significance of the Los Pozos site, which has been determined to be eligible for inclusion on the National...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Helga Wöcherl.

The purpose of this report is two-fold. It is, first and foremost, a report on the results of a relatively small field investigation within a portion of the Los Pozos site. These recent investigations did not encounter buried archaeological features despite discovery of such in an immediately adjacent area during a previous project. Due to a gradual accumulation of substantial amounts of fieldwork over the past 20 years, the second part of this report is a compilation and synthesis of...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Deborah Swartz.

Current excavations at the West Branch site, AZ AA:16:3 (ASM), by Desert Archaeology, Inc., focused on a small portion of the southern end of the site prior to private construction. Artifacts will be curated at the Arizona State Museum (ASM) with accession number 2003-0382. Forty-one features identified within the project area included: 7 structures, 2 extramural surfaces, 3 trash concentrations, 1 horno, 1 roasting pit, 6 burial features, and 21 additional extramural pits. The horno and...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Andrew Dutt. J. Homer Thiel.

The City of Tucson is considering construction of low-cost housing within a portion of Block 136 in downtown Tucson. A survey of the parcel found historic building remnants and surface artifacts and recommended archaeological testing should the City build on the property (Thiel 1998). In April 1999, the portion of Block 136 located west of Coleta A venue was tested by Desert Archaeology, Inc., revealing the remnants of a rowhouse, the foundation of a flush toilet building, and 14...

DOCUMENT Full-Text M.L. Brack.

The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has proposed construction work along the eastern frontage road of Interstate 19 (I-19), north of Nogales, Arizona. Previous investigations identified two archaeological sites within the scope of this project: AZ EE:9:43 (ASM) and AZ EE:9:174 (ASM). When they were initially recorded, data were insufficient for a determination of eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (National Register). Therefore, archaeological...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Henry D. Wallace.

Archaeological investigations at the West Branch Site (AZ AA:16:3) produced over 5,000 sherds and re-constructible vessels of Rincon Red-on-brown. A numerical seriation of controlled, unmixed contexts reported in a companion volume (Wallace 19 86a) demonstrated the utility of a division of Rincon Red- on-brown into three subtypes. In this study, the three subtypes, Early, Middle, and Late Rincon Red-on-brown, are described and illustrated with special reference to the West Branch and Valencia...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Jonathan B. Mabry.

This report summarizes the results of an archaeological mitigation project for a 30-ft-wide right-of-way for an access road to Tucson Water's new reservoir at the Julian Wash site, AZ BB:13:17 (ASM). This project uncovered a cluster of five pithouses and 36 related extramural features that date to the transition between the Middle and Late Rincon subphases in the Tucson Basin Hohokam chronology, about A.D 1070 to 1150. The cluster of pithouses is probably part of a larger house group arranged...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Mary Bernard-Shaw. Frederick W. Huntington.

In 1985 the Center for Desert Archaeology, Inc. conducted archaeological investigations at the Cienega site, AZ BB:9:143 (ASM), and site AZ BB:9:44 (ASM), in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. These investigations were sponsored by Cienega Properties, Inc., and archaeological testing, mapping, and excavations were conducted prior to the residential development of the area. This report documents the results of this study and focuses primarily on the Hohokam remains of the Cienega...

DOCUMENT Full-Text J. Homer Thiel. Jonathan B. Mabry.

Between October 2000 and January 2003, Desert Archaeology, Inc., conducted archaeological investigations at seven locations for the City of Tucson as part of the Rio Nuevo Archaeology project. The City of Tucson plans to revitalize the downtown area, including the re-creation of the historic San Agustín Mission and the Spanish Presidio fortress, as well as the construction of new homes and businesses. Excavations were conducted to either provide basic data for planned reconstructions, or to...

DOCUMENT Full-Text J. Homer Thiel.

In 1993, the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office, Arizona State Parks, funded a historic context statement and overview of the state's rock art sites. Desert Archaeology personnel searched through archives for site records, visited libraries to uncover rock art reports, and identified current research topics pertaining to the state's sites. This volume presents the findings of that study. More than 2,300 rock art sites were identified; however, site records were found to vary in quality,...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Henry D. Wallace.

The archaeological research reported in this volume was conducted under contract with the Desert Vista Campus, Pima County Community College District. The contract provided for data recovery excavations at two sites located on portions of the campus property: AZ BB:13:15 (ASM) and AZ BB:13:74 (ASM). Both sites had been tested using backhoe trenching in 1992 (Huckell 1993), and had been found to have significant subsurface remains. While we were aware of the research potential of the portion of...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Sarah Herr. Pat H. Stein.

Over the next several years, State Route 260 (S.R. 260) from Payson, Arizona to Heber, Arizona will be realigned and improved by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). This includes the construction of 45.8 mi of highway between Mileposts (MP) 256.2 and 302. Archaeological sites are found only in the western 22 mi of highway below the Mogollon Rim. Archaeological data recovery has been completed for the Preacher Canyon (Herr, Stein, and Cook 2000) and Christopher Creek segments (Herr...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Sarah Herr. Pat H. Stein.

State Route 260 (SR 260) from Payson to Heber, Arizona, is being realigned and improved by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). This includes construction of 45.8 mi of highway between mileposts (MP) 256.2 and 302. Archaeological sites are found in only the western 22 mi of highway below the Mogollon Rim, on Tonto National Forest (TNF) and private land. Construction below the Mogollon Rim is being staged in six segments. From west-to-east, these segments are: Lion Springs, Preacher...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Michael L. Brack.

The City of Tucson, Arizona has proposed the construction of a recreational bike path paralleling portions of the Santa Cruz River. Previous investigations identified two archaeological sites that will be affected by the undertaking: AZ BB:13:95 and AZ BB:13:96 (ASM). These sites meet eligibility requirements for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, and Desert Archaeology, Inc. was contracted to complete data recovery programs at the sites to mitigate the effects of...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Allen Dart.

On April 15 through 17, 1985, the Institute for American Research conducted emergency archaeological testing and mitigation for a bank stabilization project along the Santa Cruz River in Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. It encompasses both banks of the Santa Cruz River, from Project Station 37+00 to Station 57+00. Elevation ranges from 2438 to 2462 feet. Locations to be affected by construction consist mostly of floodplain silt and sand deposits, overlying a sand and gravel river terrace stratum....

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

Settlement Dynamics on a Transitional Landscape: Investigations of Cultural Resources for the State Route 77 - Snowflake Passing Lanes Project, Navajo County, Arizona describes the results of investigations of seven prehistoric and historic sites along State Route 77 north of Snowflake, in Navajo County, Arizona. Between August 2009 and June 2012, fieldwork was conducted in three phases in advance of the construction of passing lanes and culvert extensions. Seven sites, with artifacts or...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

Archaeological and historical studies were undertaken by Desert Archaeology, Inc., selected and procured via a professional services procurement process approved by the FAA, to address legal compliance of the City of Phoenix Community Noise Reduction Program (CNRP) with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The purpose of the CNRP is to offer noise mitigation services to residential neighborhoods most severely impacted by noise from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. The...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Gregory J. Whitney. Patricia Cook.

Desert Archaeology, Inc., conducted data recovery at the Silverbell Golf Course, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, in anticipation of renovations to the golf course. The work was undertaken in 2005, at two known archaeological sites within the project area: AZ AA:12:93 (ASM) and AZ AA:12:95 (ASM), as well as in an interstitial area between the two sites. During data recovery, two additional archaeological sites were encountered — AZ AA:12:980 (ASM), a Historic era ditch identified previously, and AZ...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Uploaded by: Rachel Fernandez

In 2013, Pima County planned to construct a temporary channel in a small City of Tucson parcel along the northwestern margin of Los Pozos, AZ AA:12:91 (ASM). A limited data recovery program conducted in the parcel revealed a new portion of a known paleochannel complex related to the Santa Cruz River eastern floodplain and a small area with Hohokam era features, including several burials and a possible ceramic kiln. The discovery of these significant cultural features, with the potential to...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Sarah Herr.

This report details archaeological testing and data recovery plan for the widening of State Route 260 (SR 260) project from Payson, Arizona, to Heber, Arizona. The construction occurred along 45.8 mi of highway between Mileposts (MP) 256.2 and 302. Archaeological sites were identified in the western 22 mi of highway below the Mogollon Rim on Tonto National Forest (TNF) land. Construction is being staged in six segments. From west-to-east, these segments are: Lion Springs, Preacher Canyon, Little...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Sarah Herr.

State Route 260 (SR 260) from Payson to Heber, Arizona, is scheduled for realignment and improvement by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) over the next several years. This includes construction of 45.8 mi of highway between mileposts (MP) 256.2 and 302. Archaeological sites are found in only the western 22 mi of highway below the Mogollon Rim. Construction below the Mogollon Rim is being staged in six segments; from west-to-east, these segments are: Lion Springs, Preacher Canyon,...

DOCUMENT Full-Text Sarah A. Herr.

State Route (SR) 260 from Payson to Heber, Arizona, is currently being realigned and improved, in sections, by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT). The overall SR 260 project includes construction of 45.8 miles of highway between mileposts 256.2 and 302. Archaeological sites are found only in the western 22 miles, on Tonto National Forest land below the Mogollon Rim. Construction is being staged in six segments, including (from west to east): Lion Springs, Preacher Canyon, Little...