Archaeological Survey and Test Excavations at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona

Summary

Archaeological investigations at Williams Air Force Base (WAFB), located in southeast Maricopa County, Arizona, were initiated in response to the 1991 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission’s (the Closure Commission) recommendation to close WAFB following the passage of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (the Closure Act) (Public Law 101-510, Title XXIX). Prior to closure or realignment of base facilities, preparation of an environment impact statement (EIS) was required, including documentation and evaluation of all cultural resources on WAFB. Each cultural resource was to be evaluated according to criteria established by the Secretary of the Interior for inclusion to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), with recommendations provided regarding each property’s eligibility and recommendations for future protection or treatment (National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended). If a property was determined not to possess qualities required for inclusion to the NRHP, further protection or treatment would not be recommended. Should a property be found to possess such qualities, provisions would need to be developed to provide future protection. If a cultural property could not be protected, a treatment plan would need to be developed and implemented to mitigate impacts to that property. Insomuch as this document presents the findings of investigations at WAFB, it is also designed to provide the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) and the Air Force Base Conversion Agency (AFBCA) with information necessary to develop a Record of Decision that will detail acceptable measures of protection or treatment for each NRHP-eligible property.

AFCEE contracted with Halliburton NUS Corporation to complete the EIS for WAFB. Halliburton NUS in turn subcontracted SWCA, Inc., Environmental Consultants, under Subcontract No. 4011 -92- 014, to conduct the cultural resource inventory for all portions of WAFB that previously had not been inventoried or were not occupied by existing facilities. SWCA conducted investigations on approximately 2000 acres of the base and examined inventory documents from previous investigations. Three cultural properties (sites) were known from previous archaeological efforts at WAFB and on parcels that lay adjacent to the base. The Midvale Site, AZ U:10:24(ASU), which lies under much of the administrative and residential area of the base, had already been surveyed and listed on the NRHP. The other two cultural properties (AZ U: 10:20, ASU, and AZ U: 10:25, ASU) were re-examined and included in the evaluation process; the Midvale Site received no additional study.

In order to determine the number of cultural properties present at WAFB and to develop recommendations for those cultural properties, two levels of examination were necessary. First, a cultural resource inventory for the 2000-acre portion of the base not previously inventoried was conducted, resulting in the discovery and recording of nine additional sites (AZ U: 10:60, ASM, through AZ U: 10:68, ASM). The results are presented as Part I of this document. Second, to define site boundaries and determine NRHP eligibility, a subsurface testing phase was implemented at eleven sites. The boundary definition that took place was done primarily for planning purposes and was not meant to be definitive. Additional testing or monitoring may be required if construction occurs near the "boundary" of a National Register eligible site, and extent testing will be required on any eligible site prior to implementation of development plans. The results of testing are presented as Part II.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Salt River Project Digital Library

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Salt River Project Cultural Resource Manager

Contributor(s): Susan Bierer; Robert Haynes-Peterson; Preston Payton; Mary-Ellen Walsh-Anduze

Field Director(s): Richard Anduze

Lab Director(s): Mary-Ellen Walsh-Anduze

Principal Investigator(s): Douglas R. Mitchell

Project Director(s): David H. Greenwald

Repository(s): Salt River Project, Tempe, AZ

Prepared By(s): SWCA Environmental Consultants

Submitted To(s): Halliburton Nus Corporation

Record Identifiers

Subcontract No.(s): 4011-92-014

SWCA Archaeological Report No.(s): 93-12b

File Information

	Name	Size	Creation Date	Date Uploaded	Access
	1994_SWCA_ArchaeologySurveyWilliams_OCR_PDFA_Redacted.pdf	161.46mb		Sep 28, 2021 1:45:47 PM	Public
	This file is a redacted copy.
	1994_SWCA_ArchaeologySurveyWilliams_OCR.pdf	114.30mb	Jul 27, 1994	Mar 21, 2017 12:15:59 PM	Confidential
	This file is unredacted.