Results of Archaeological Testing of a Portion of AZ U:10:2 (ASM), the Southwest Germann Site, for the Proposed Rittenhouse Ranch Development, Queen Creek, Maricopa County, Arizona

Summary

Arcus Private Capital Solutions, LLC (Arcus) is proposing development of the 24-acre Rittenhouse Ranch parcel, located in Queen Creek, Maricopa County, Arizona. A prior pedestrian survey of the project area demonstrated that a portion of a large prehistoric Hohokam archaeological site, AZ U:10:2 (ASM), also referred to as the Southwest Germann Site, covers the entire parcel. The Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and other State and Federal agencies consider the Southwest Germann Site eligible for the Arizona and National Registers of Historic Places for its potential to provide information important to our understanding of prehistoric Hohokam lifeways in the Queen Creek Delta.

Survey results of the Rittenhouse Ranch portion of the Southwest Germann Site documented a parcel wide, low-density surface scatter of prehistoric artifacts, with some burned bone fragments (Courtright 2014), and a moderately dense artifact concentration in the northern portion of the parcel that contained prehistoric ceramic sherds, marine shell, burned bone, and stone tools. The presence of the artifact concentration suggested that this portion of the project area was of higher archaeological sensitivity. Based on survey data, it was unclear if any of the observed bone was human bone.

The Rittenhouse Ranch property is privately owned. Development of the parcel is not anticipated to require federal, state, county, or town permits with requirements regarding the treatment of cultural resources other than Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 41-865. ARS 41-865 stipulates the treatment of human remains and funerary objects found on private land. Arcus retained SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) to aid in compliance with ARS 41-865 by conducting surface artifact inventory and subsurface testing to determine whether burials, human remains, or funerary objects are present at the site. An archaeological testing plan—Archaeological Testing Plan for a Portion of AZ U:10:2 (ASM), the Southwest Germann Site, for the Proposed Rittenhouse Ranch Development, Queen Creek, Maricopa County, Arizona (Tremblay and Garcia 2016)—was submitted to the Arizona State Museum (ASM) in support of Burial Agreement 2016-001. The plan outlined a program of work comprising a detailed surface artifact inventory and subsurface testing (backhoe test trenching) to determine if significant subsurface artifacts, features, or human remains were present within the project area. This report describes the methods and results of the testing program.

Surface artifact inventory took place from January 14-19, 2016, followed by subsurface testing January 28 through February 11, 2016. Daniel Garcia was the project manager; Caitlin Hayden was crew chief, assisted by crew members Morgan Kinney and Paul Rawson. Casey’s Backhoe Service provided equipment and skilled operators for the project.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SWCA DAHA Resources   •
• Digital Archive of Huhugam Archaeology (DAHA)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): SWCA Environmental Consultants

Contributor(s): Arizona State Museum

Project Director(s): Daniel Garcia

Submitted To(s): Arcus Private Capital Solutions, L.L.C.

Record Identifiers

burial agreement(s): 2016-001

SWCA Project No. (s): 36040

File Information