Archaeological Testing and Recommendations for Data Recovery at AZ U:9:73 (ASM), Located at Sheepherder's Park, Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona

Summary

In November 1988, Mr. Viesturs Kalva, Landscape Architect with the Engineering Department of the City of Mesa, requested a proposal from Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd. (ACS) to conduct testing at AZ U:9:73 (ASM) (formerly referred to as AZ U:9:9[ARS]), located within the proposed Sheepherder's Park, Mesa, Arizona. The site is on land leased to the City of Mesa by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that will be affected by activities associated with the construction of the park by the City of Mesa. Because the land is Federally owned, the Section 106 process for federally regulated projects was followed.

Following a review of a research design and budget, ACS was awarded the project by the City of Mesa in December 1988. The objectives of the study were to determine if subsurface cultural remains existed, to establish the lateral and vertical extent of the site, and to assess the eligibility of the site for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Collection and testing of the site was completed under permit number AZ-000019 issued by the BLM. Funding for the project was provided by the City of Mesa. The Mesa Southwest Museum has agreed to curate the artifacts collected during the testing program. The fieldwork was initiated on January 10, 1989 and completed on January 20, 1989.

The following report presents the results of the testing program and provides an assessment of eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places. Recommendations are also included for for further work required to mitigate the effects of the construction of Sheepherder’s Park by the City of Mesa. In brief, the testing program indicates that no further work is required in the northeastern portion of the proposed park. In the southern portion of the proposed park, however, seventeen subsurface cultural features, including pithouses with internal features, roasting pits, and extramural pits, and subsurface artifacts were identified. The area where additional subsurface features are likely to occur has been delineated by the testing program.

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): Barbara S. Macnider

Field Director(s): Adrianne G. Rankin

Lab Director(s): Monique Sawyer-Lang; Ann Valdo Howard

Principal Investigator(s): Richard W. Effland, Jr.

Landowner(s): Bureau of Land Managemant

Prepared By(s): Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd.

Submitted To(s): Engineering Department, City of Mesa

Record Identifiers

BLM Permit No.(s): AZ-000019

File Information