Archaeology at the Gillespie Dam Site: Data Recovery Investigations for the Palo Verde to Pinal West 500 kV Transmission Line, Maricopa County, Arizona
Editor(s): T. Kathleen Henderson
Year: 2011
Summary
In this report, the results of data recovery efforts conducted for the Palo Verde to Pinal West transmission line project at the Gillespie Dam site, AZ T:13:18 (ASM), in the Gila Bend area of the Gila River are presented. The site is a prehistoric Hohokam-Patayan settlement with an overlay of Historic era material. Fieldwork primarily occurred within the construction staging area of a transmission tower. Although covering less than an acre, the staging area contained surprising numbers of prehistoric features, including numerous pithouses, a cobble-buttressed adobe structure, ramadas, a storehouse/granary, and myriad other feature types typical of the range of outdoor activities that would be associated with a residential locus in a Hohokam village. Chronological evidence indicates the locus was occupied from the beginning of the Sedentary period, well into the Classic period, or from the tenth century to sometime after the thirteenth century A.D.
Three of the pithouses are among the largest ever excavated within the Hohokam cultural area; the adobe structure was also exceptionally large. The large structures formed a corridor through the center of the staging area, which was accentuated by a fronting, prepared caliche surface. It is these structures that are the essential project finding, providing important insights about village organization and activity at the Gillespie Dam site. In turn, the project results inform on larger prehistoric events occurring within the Gila Bend area.
Fieldwork also included sampling of a historic canal, AZ T:14:143 (ASM), which skirts the edge of the river terrace scarp in the southwestern portion of the Gillespie Dam site. Archival research identified this channel as the Wolfley, or original, Gila Bend Canal. It was the first of several historic canals built on the eastern side of the Gila River north of Gila Bend. The Wolfley/Gila Bend canal operated intermittently between 1892 and 1895, and possibly as late as 1905. The study of the canal during this project provided a rare opportunity to compare the archaeological record of a canal with its documented history of constructions, management, and natural events.
This document contains contributions by Jenny L. Adams, Elizabeth A. Bagwell, Tiffany Clark, Connie A. Darby, Michael W. Diehl, T. Kathleen Henderson, Gary Huckleberry, Christine H. Lange, Manuel R. Palacios-Fest, Stacy L. Ryan, M. Steven Shackley, Susan J. Smith, Pat. H. Stein, Sandra Wadsworth, and Joshua Watts.
Cite this Record
Archaeology at the Gillespie Dam Site: Data Recovery Investigations for the Palo Verde to Pinal West 500 kV Transmission Line, Maricopa County, Arizona, 06. T. Kathleen Henderson. 2011 ( tDAR id: 406074) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8406074
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
Culture
Historic
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Hohokam
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Patayan
Material
Adobe
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Agavaceae
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Agave
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Amaranthus sp.
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Ambrosia-Type sp.
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Amethyst
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Andesite
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Anodonta californiensis
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Argillite
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Argopecten circularis
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Artiodactyl
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Artiodactyla
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Asteraceae
•
Atriplex sp.
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Basalt
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Bittersweet
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Black Mesa Black-on-Whiteware
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Black-on-Whiteware
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Boerhaavia sp.
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Bone
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Brassicaceae
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Buckwheat
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Buffware
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Building Materials
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Bursage
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Cactus
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Caliche
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Callinectes sp.
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Canis sp.
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Carnegiea gigantea
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Carnivora
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Carnivore
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Carnivore-Sized Mammal
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Carya sp
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Catcaceae
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Cattail
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Ceramic
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Cercidium sp.
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Cereus-Type Cactus
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cf. Plantago sp.
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Chalcedony
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Cheno-Am
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Chenopodium sp.
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Chert
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Chipped Stone
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Cholla
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Chrysocolla
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Cobble
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Cockle
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Common Bean
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Common Reed
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Cotton
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Crab
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Crustacean
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Cucurbita sp.
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Cylindropuntia sp.
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Cyperaceae
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Decapoda
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Desert Cottontail
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Desert Plantain
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Desert Tree Legume
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Diabase
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Dock
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Eriogonum sp.
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Euphorbiaceae
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Evening Primrose
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False Purslane
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Fauna
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Fire Cracked Rock
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Fouquieria sp.
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Four o'Clock
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Gastropod
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Globemallow
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Glycymeris gigantea
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Glycymeris sp.
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Gneiss
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Gossypium hirsutum
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Gramineae
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Granite
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Granodiorite
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Grass
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Ground Stone
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Helisoma sp.
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Hematite
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Igneous Rock
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Indian Wheat
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Jackrabbit
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Jasper
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Juniper
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Juniperus sp.
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Kalstroemia sp.
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Kana'a Black-on-Whiteware
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Laevidcardium elatum
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Lagomorph
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Lagomorpha
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Large Mammal
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Leporidae
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Lepus sp.
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Limestone
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Lower Colorado Buffware
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Macrobotanical
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Maize
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Mammal
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Mammalia
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Marine Shell
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Medium Mammal
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Mesquite
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Metasediment
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Mineral
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Mustard
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Nightshade
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Nyctaginaceae
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Obsidian
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Ocotillo
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Olivella dama
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Olivella sp.
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Olive Shell
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Onagraceae
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Paloverde
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Panic Grass
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Panicum sp.
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Pecan
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Pecten sp.
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Pectinidae
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Pelecypod
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Perognathus sp.
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Phaseolus cf. vulgaris
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Phaseolus vulgaris
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Phragmites sp.
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Phyllite
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Pigweed
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Pine
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Pinon
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Pinus edulius-Type
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Pinus sp.
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Plainware
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Plantago
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Plantago sp.
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Poaceae
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Pocket Mouse
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Pollen
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Polygonaceae
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Porous Wood
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Prosopis sp.
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Quartz
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Quartzite
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Rabbit-Sized Mammal
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Red-on-Buffware
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Redware
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Rhus sp.
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Rhyolite
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Rodent
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Rodentia
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Rosaceae
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Rose
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Saguaro
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Saltbush
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Sand
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Sandstone
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Scallop
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Sedge
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Sedimentary Rock
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Shell
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Silicified Limestone
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Skunkbush Sumac
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Small Mammal
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Solanaceae
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Sphaeralcea sp.
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Spiderling
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Spurge
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Squash
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Summer Poppy
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Sunflower
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Swimming Crab
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Sylvilagus audubonii
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Tidestromia sp.
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Trianthema sp.
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Tuff
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Tusayan Black-on-Whiteware
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Typha sp.
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Ungulate-Sized Mammal
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Vesicular Basalt
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Whiteware
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Wood
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Zea mays
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Zea sp.
Show More
Site Name
AZ T:13:18 (ASM)
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AZ T:14:143 (ASM)
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Gila Bend Canal
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Gillespie Dam Site
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Wolfley Canal
Site Type
Adobe Structure
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Agricultural or Herding
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Ancient Structure
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Archaeological Feature
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Artifact Concentration
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Burned Surface
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Caliche Surface
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Canal
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Canal or Canal Feature
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Domestic Structure or Architectural Complex
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Domestic Structures
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Extramural Surface
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Granary
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Hamlet / Village
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Midden
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Non-Thermal Pit
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Oxidized Area
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Pit
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Pit House
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Pit House / Earth Lodge
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Post
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Post Hole / Post Mold
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Ramada
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Resource Extraction / Production / Transportation Structure or Features
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Roasting Pit
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Roasting Pit / Oven / Horno
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Rock Alignment
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Rock Cluster
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Rock-Filled Pit
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Settlements
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Shade Structure / Ramada
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Storehouse
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Structure
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Trash Midden
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Trash Mound
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Village
Show More
Investigation Types
Data Recovery / Excavation
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Historic Background Research
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Site Evaluation / Testing
General
Andesite Hammerstone
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Andesite Polisher
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Argopecten circularis Pendant
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Basalt Flake
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Basalt Mano
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Basalt Metate
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Basalt Netherstone
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Basalt Polisher
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Bead
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Biface
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Bone (Artiodactyl)
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Bone (Artiodactyla)
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Bone (Canis sp.)
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Bone (Carnivora)
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Bone (Carnivore)
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Bone (Carnivore-Sized Mammal)
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Bone (Desert Cottontail)
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Bone (Lagomorph)
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Bone (Lagomorpha)
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Bone (Large Mammal)
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Bone (Leporidae)
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Bone (Lepus sp.)
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Bone (Mammal)
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Bone (Mammalia)
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Bone (Medium Mammal)
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Bone (Perognathus sp.)
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Bone (Pocket Mouse)
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Bone (Rabbit-Sized Mammal)
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Bone (Rodent)
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Bone (Rodentia)
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Bone (Small Mammal)
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Bone (Sylvilagus audubonii)
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Bone (Ungulate-Sized)
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Bowl
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Bracelet
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Ceramic Bowl
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Ceramic Disk
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Ceramic Jar
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Ceramic Scoop
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Charcoal
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Charcoal (Agavaceae)
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Charcoal (Agave)
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Charcoal (Atriplex sp.)
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Charcoal (Common Reed)
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Charcoal (Desert Tree Legume)
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Charcoal (Fouquieria sp.)
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Charcoal (Porous Wood)
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Charcoal (Saltbush)
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Chopper
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Chrysocolla Bead
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Claw
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Claw (Callinectes sp.)
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Claw (Crab)
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Claw (Crustacean)
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Cobble Hammer
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Core Hammer
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Core Tool
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Cranial Bone (Artiodactyl)
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Cupule
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Diabase Hammerstone
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Diabase Pestle
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Diabase Polisher
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Disk
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Disk Bead
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Figurine
•
Flake
•
Flake Debris
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Flaked Stone Debitage
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GBCC
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geomorphology
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Gila Bend Canal Company
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Gila River Irrigation Company
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Glycymeris Bracelet
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Glycymeris Flake
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Glycymeris gigantea Bracelet
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Gneiss Lapstone
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Granite Hammerstone
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Granite Handstone
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Granite Polisher
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Granodiorite Handstone
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GRIC
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Hammerstone
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Handstone
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Hematite Pigment
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Igneous Rock Lapstone
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Igneous Rock Pecking Stone
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Jar
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Laevicardium Bead
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Laevicardium elatum Zoomorphic
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Lapstone
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Lewis Wolfley
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Mano
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Maul
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Metate
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Netherstone
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Olivella Bead
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Olivella dama Bead
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Ornament
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Paleoecology
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Pecking Stone
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Pecten Pendant
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Pendant
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Pestle
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Phalange (Canis sp.)
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Phyllite Figurine
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Phyllite Tabular Tool
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Pigment
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Polisher
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Pollen (Ambrosia-Type)
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Pollen (Asteraceae)
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Pollen (Boerhaavia sp.)
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Pollen (Brassicaceae)
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Pollen (Buckwheat)
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Pollen (Bursage)
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Pollen (Cactaceae)
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Pollen (Cactus)
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Pollen (Carya sp.)
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Pollen (Cattail)
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Pollen (Cercidium sp.)
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Pollen (Cheno-Am)
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Pollen (Cholla)
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Pollen (Cucurbita sp.)
•
Pollen (Cylindropuntia sp.)
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Pollen (Cyperaceae)
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Pollen (Eriogonum sp.)
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Pollen (Euphorbiaceae)
•
Pollen (Evening Primrose)
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Pollen (Four O'Clock)
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Pollen (Globemallow)
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Pollen (Grass)
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Pollen (Indian Wheat)
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Pollen (Juniper)
•
Pollen (Juniperus sp.)
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Pollen (Kallstroemia sp.)
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Pollen (Maize)
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Pollen (Mesquite)
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Pollen (Mustard)
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Pollen (Nightshade)
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Pollen (Nyctaginaceae)
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Pollen (Onagraceae)
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Pollen (Paloverde)
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Pollen (Pecan)
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Pollen (Pine)
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Pollen (Pinon)
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Pollen (Pinus edulius-Type)
•
Pollen (Pinus sp.)
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Pollen (Plantago sp.)
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Pollen (Poaceae)
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Pollen (Prosopis sp.)
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Pollen (Rosaceae)
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Pollen (Rose)
•
Pollen (Sedge)
•
Pollen (Solanaceae)
•
Pollen (Sphaealcea sp.)
•
Pollen (Spiderling)
•
Pollen (Spurge)
•
Pollen (Squash)
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Pollen (Summer Poppy)
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Pollen (Sunflower)
•
Pollen (Tidestromia sp.)
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Pollen (Typha sp.)
•
Pollen (Zea sp.)
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Projectile Point
•
Quartzite Chopper
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Quartzite Hammerstone
•
Quartzite Handstone
•
Quartzite Mano
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Quartzite Pestle
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Quartzite Polisher
•
Rhyolite Hammerstone
•
Rhyolite Lapstone
•
Rhyolite Mano
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Rhyolite Polisher
•
Ridgley Ceylon Powers
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Royal A. Johnson
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Salt River Project
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Sandstone Handstone
•
Sandstone Mano
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Sandstone Polisher
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Scoop
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Scraper
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Seed
•
Shell Bead
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Shell Bracelet
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Shell Pendant
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Shell Zoomorphic
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SRP
•
Tabular Tool
•
Tuff Handstone
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Uniface
•
Volcanic Rock Netherstone
•
Volcanic Rock Pecking Stone
•
Volcanic Rock Polisher
•
Zoomorphic
Show More
Geographic Keywords
Arizona (State / Territory)
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Buckeye Hills
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Central Arizona
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Gila Bend, AZ
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Gila Bend Mountains
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Gila River
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lower Gila River
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Maricopa (County)
Temporal Keywords
Classic Period
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Early Classic Period
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Early Sacaton Phase
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Historic
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Late Sacaton Phase
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Middle Sacaton Phase
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Prehistoric
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Sacaton Phase
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Sedentary Period
Temporal Coverage
Calendar Date: 1892 to 1905 (Years of operation of the Wolfley/Gila Bend Canal, the historic component of the site.)
Spatial Coverage
min long: -112.763; min lat: 33.209 ; max long: -112.746; max lat: 33.239 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Salt River Project Cultural Resource Manager
Contributor(s): Richard Anduze; Jenny L. Adams; Elizabeth A. Bagwell; Tiffany Clark; Connie A. Darby; Michael W. Diehl; Gary Huckleberry; Christine H. Lange; Manuel R. Palacios-Fest; Stacy L. Ryan; M. Steven Shackley; Susan J. Smith; Pat H. Stein; Sandra Wadsworth; Joshua Watts; Bureau of Land Management; John Madsen; Dan Hawkins; Ray Kedrick; Tom Novy; Cheryl Blanchard; Ann Howard; Katie Bubnekovich; Patti Cook; Reese Cook; Ally Graver; Susan Hall; Kristen Higgins; Lance Holly; John Hooper; Mike Lindeman; Jason McInteer; Stephanie Ratcliffe; Will Russell; Jasper Shields; Jonathan Spiandorello; Homer Thiel; Mike Brack; Tyler Theriot; Jeffrey Eighmy; Henry Wallace; Masson Riddle; Mike Hughes; Darden Hood; Glen Rice; Chris Watkins; Sara Lely; Ted Oliver; Jen Kramer; Emilee Mead; Andrea Mathews; Donna Doolittle; Susan Hall; Catherine Gilman; Bill Doelle; Trish Castalia; Jeffrey Eighmy
Field Director(s): Greg Whitney
Lab Director(s): Lisa Eppley
Project Director(s): T. Kathleen Henderson
Landowner(s): Private Owner
Sponsor(s): Salt River Project; Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District
Repository(s): Arizona State Museum; Salt River Project
Submitted To(s): Salt River Project
Record Identifiers
Case File No. (s): AZA-32057
Decision No.(s): 67012
Arizona Repatriation Case No.(s): 07-52
Archaeological Resources Protection Act Permit No.(s): AZ-000357
Case No.(s): 124
BLM EA No.(s): AZ-020-2003-0045
ASM Accession No.(s): 2007-311
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Right-of-Way Grant Serial No.(s): AZA-32057
File Information
Name | Size | Creation Date | Date Uploaded | Access | |
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2011_Henderson_ArchaeologyattheGillespie_OCR_Redacted.pdf | 67.33mb | Sep 28, 2021 1:33:37 PM | Public | ||
This file is a redacted copy. | |||||
2011_Henderson_ArchaeologyattheGillespie.pdf | 14.47mb | Jul 1, 2011 | Jul 1, 2016 3:39:09 PM | Confidential | |
This file is unredacted. |
Accessing Restricted Files
At least one of the files for this resource is restricted from public view. For more information regarding access to these files, please reference the contact information below
Contact(s): Salt River Project Cultural Resource Manager