On the Bajada: Archaeological Studies at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona

Summary

This report consists of three parts and documents Statistical Research, Inc.’s (SRI’s) work at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (D-M AFB). Results of an intensive Class II archaeological survey of 4,675 acres at the base are presented in Part 1, Life Away from the River. The surveyed areas represent about 45 percent of the total air base and nearly 66 percent of all non-developed land at D-M AFB. Eight sites and 139 non-sites and isolated occurrences were recorded during the survey, ranging in age from the Late Archaic through the Protohistoric periods, although most date to the Formative period. Models of non-riverine subsistence practices were developed and evaluated against the data. Six sites were considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Testing and data recovery plans for these six sites were presented. No further survey work was recommended.

Part 2, Processing Camps in the Lower Bajada, documents SRI’s data recovery efforts at four sites in the East Range of D-M AFB. Three of these sites (AZ BB:13:388, AZ BB.'13:390 and AZ BB:13:391) were located on the lower bajada, and one site, AZ BB:13:385, lies along Attebury Wash. The sites consisted of artifact scatters, composed mostly of sherds. Archaeological testing was designed to locate subsurface deposits, if they existed. A single feature was discovered during the project: a poorly preserved hearth at AZ BB:13:391. The sites in the lower bajada zone are interpreted as processing camps for the collection and processing of desert succulents and other vegetal resources. The high percentages of ceramics in the artifact assemblages from these sites provide credence to this argument. Petrographic analyses link the processing sites to smaller, short-term camp sites along the washes. The site along Attebury Wash, AZ BB:13:385, may be one such site. Although the assemblage is small, the site's ephemeral nature and the diversity of artifact classes found lend support to this interpretation. Data recovery at the four sites at Davis-Monthan AFB provided information that allowed refinement of Altschul's model of subsistence practices and proved the utility of petrographic studies. Excavation at the probable habitation site in the East Range, AZ BB:13:392 (ASM), is recommended to provide data for further refinement of migrational and resource procurement models.

The results of SRI’s test excavations of one site on D-M AFB are provided in Part 3, An Examination of Site AZ BB:13:392 (ASM): A Base Camp Site on the Lower Bajada. The site is located in the northeast corner of D-M AFB's East Range, a relatively undisturbed area where the lower bajada meets the alluvial floodplain of Pantano Wash. Recorded in 1987 as a 4,500-m2 surface artifact scatter (including chipped stone, ground stone, ceramics, and a rock feature), the site’s size was increased to 14,700 m2 during SRI’s 1992 fieldwork by adding a relatively discrete artifact scatter and rock feature to the east that had been recorded as an isolated find in 1987. The 1992 testing program consisted of point provenience surface collection, mechanical trenching, and manual excavation. The surface collection resulted in over 200 artifacts being plotted and collected. Four artifact concentrations were defined, each designated as a locus.

Based on ceramics, AZ BB:13:392 was dated to either the Sedentary (A.D. 975 to 1200) or, more likely, the Classic period (A.D. 975 to 1450). Two Archaic period projectile points were found on the site, which may reflect an earlier component. Alternatively, the points may have been collected as heirlooms or reused by the Hohokam occupants. AZ BB:13:392 was interpreted as a base camp from which the collection and processing of desert resources were organized. The excavations revealed evidence for the presence of a temporary shelter in the center of the site and plant processing activities on the outskirts. Spatial analysis of site locational information suggests that AZ BB:13:392 was one of three such base camps operating in the D-M AFB area. Data retrieved from AZ BB:13:392 were useful in addressing pertinent research questions. On this basis the site was recommended to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Because of its surficial nature, however, the research potential of the site is exhausted, and no further protective or mitigative measures are suggested.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SRI Press

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): SRI Press

Contributor(s): William L. Deaver; Anthony Della Croce; John Field; Karen G. Harry; Diana Kamilli; Lee W. Lindsey, Jr.; Margaret Newman; Matthew A. Sterner

Prepared By(s): Statistical Research, Inc.

Submitted To(s): U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District

Record Identifiers

Contact No.(s): DACW09-87-D-0024 Delivery Order No. 4 ; DACA-09-90-R-0020 Delivery Order Nos. 1 and 2 ; DACA-09-90-D-0027 Delivery Order No. 9

Notes

General Note: Report in three parts.

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