Prehistoric Game Monitoring on the Banks of Mill Creek: Data Recovery at CA-RIV-2804, Prado Basin, Riverside County, California

Summary

This report presents the results of data recovery at archaeological site CA-RIV-2804 (hereafter referred to as RIV-2804), a historic property eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The site is located at an elevation ranging from 499 feet (152.1 m) to 512 feet (156.1 m) above mean sea level (AMSL) on the crest of a small ridge above Mill Creek, in the Prado Flood Control Basin, Riverside County, California. The work was conducted by Statistical Research, Inc. (SRI) for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, in response to flood control and water conservation activities in the basin. SRI's investigations of RIV-2804 began in January, 1993, with the preparation of a data recovery plan. Field work began on May 26, 1993, when a site grid, consisting of 21 20-m by 20-m sections, was established. On May 27, a magnetometer survey of 16 grid sections revealed 17 anomalies. During excavations (May 31 to June 19), 35 test pits (23 1-m by l-m, 12 1-m by 2-m) were excavated in 10-cm levels and screened through 1/8-inch mesh (3.18 ram) hardware cloth. Fourteen anomalies were investigated and two features were discovered.

Data recovery at RIV-2804 located two hearth clean out features, 1,355 lithic artifacts, 27 ground stone artifacts, 19 small mammal (unidentifiable sp.) bone fragments, and four shell (Argopecten sp.) fragments. Based on analysis of these artifacts and their distribution, the site is interpreted as a game monitoring location. Although probably used for hundreds or even thousands of years during the late Middle period, the function of the site shows no change over time. Hunters from surrounding habitation sites probably used the site to procure and process game but rarely stayed on the site for any extended period of time. On the crest of a small ridge, the site is elevated enough to command a view of the surrounding basin yet close enough to Mill Creek to have immediate and direct access to game following the stream course. With Mill Creek a few meters away, hunters had ready access to all of the necessary resources for a successful hunting trip including lithic materials in the form of river cobbles, water, and game animals. Lithic analyses indicate that raw materials were procured as part of an embedded procurement strategy during the game monitoring routine.

There is no evidence for permanent or even seasonal habitation at RIV-2804. Based on the density of lithic debris, most of the game monitoring activities took place at the southern end of the site where a clear view of the creek is available. The presence of two hearth clean outs outside of the densest lithic debris indicates that two probably unrelated events took place at the site. The features contain most of the ground stone on the site but very little lithic debris. This may indicate that the game monitoring and seed processing activities are unrelated. Alternative hypotheses are also provided in this report. Contact with surrounding groups is shown by the presence of obsidian and shell but the low absolute number of these goods indicates that this interaction was minimal.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SRI Press

Keywords

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): SRI Press

Contributor(s): Owen K. Davis; Charles Miksicek; Ronald H. Towner

Prepared By(s): Statistical Research, Inc.

Submitted To(s): US Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District

Record Identifiers

Contract No. (s): DACW09-93-D-0004

Delivery Order No.(s): No. 1

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