Caverns, Quarries & Campsites: Land Use Among the Prehistoric and Historic Occupants of Colossal Cave Preservation Park, Pima County, Arizona

Bruce A. Jones; Richard Ciolek-Torello

Caverns, Quarries & Campsites: Land Use Among the Prehistoric and Historic Occupants of Colossal Cave Preservation Park, Pima County, Arizona

Author(s): Bruce A. Jones; Richard Ciolek-Torello

Year: 1991

Summary

This report details the results of a cultural resource inventory by Statistical Research, Inc. (SRI) of 2,880 acres of State of Arizona and Pima County land in the Colossal Cave area in the southeastern portion of the Tucson Basin.

The survey located and recorded a total of 24 sites and 55 isolated finds. Thirteen of the sites represent prehistoric activity loci including 7 artifact scatters, 6 stone quarries, 2 rockshelters, and 2 stationary grinding features. The function of the artifact scatters was difficult to determine on the basis of surficial evidence, but apparently included functions ranging from temporary campsites to small habitation sites. The prehistoric sites include two previously recorded sites, Carter's Cave, and the Aker site, an Archaic campsite. An Apache basket was found in Carter's Cave, indicating a protohistoric or historic Apache component. A third previously recorded site is Colossal Cave, a multicomponent site with reported prehistoric and historic remains. Five sites are twentieth century sites involved with tourism and mining in the area. Two of the sites are mining related and the remainder are associated with the activities of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to develop the area for recreation and tourism. The remaining sites are small, single feature loci that lack artifacts and are of uncertain temporal or cultural association.

A National Register of Historic Places Nomination was prepared for the Colossal Cave Preservation Park Historical District as one product of the research associated with this survey. This district contains 52 contributing historic resources comprised of seven buildings, two sites, and 43 structures associated with ranching and tourism at Colossal Cave and the Posta Quemada Ranch. All but two of the buildings in the district were constructed during the primary development of Colossal Cave Mountain Park by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) between 1934 and 1937.

Cite this Record

Caverns, Quarries & Campsites: Land Use Among the Prehistoric and Historic Occupants of Colossal Cave Preservation Park, Pima County, Arizona. Bruce A. Jones, Richard Ciolek-Torello. Statistical Research Technical Series ,31. Tucson, AZ: SRI Press Reports. 1991 ( tDAR id: 441099) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8441099