Test Excavations at Seven Archaeological Sites on the Greer Ranch, Maricopa County, Arizona

Summary

This report presents the results of archaeological testing investigations at seven prehistoric and historic sites on the proposed Greer Ranch residential development property. This 353 acre project area is located on privately owned land north of Phoenix, Arizona, in an unincorporated neighborhood known as the Desert Hills (Phoenix Mapping Services 1999:6). Cavalier Development and Construction, Inc., (the project sponsor) proposes to build a residential development on this parcel.

The purpose of this archaeological testing project is to evaluate the eligibility of the seven archaeological sites for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). In 1998, an archaeological survey of the 353-acre project parcel located 11 sites (eight prehistoric, two historic, and one multicomponent prehistoric/historic site) and 82 isolated occurrences of prehistoric and historic archaeological materials (Ellis and Smith 1998). Based on data collected during the survey, one of these sites and all of the isolated occurrences were determined to be ineligible for nomination to the National Register. Three of the sites were determined to be eligible for the National Register. However, the eligibility of the remaining seven sites could not be determined from the survey data (Ellis and Smith 1998).

Subsequently, Wenker and Mitchell (1998) recommended that archaeological testing would be necessary to collect the data required to accurately determine the NRHP eligibility of these seven potentially eligible archaeological sites, and an archaeological testing plan was written (Wenker and Mitchell 1998). This plan identified seven potentially eligible sites that included two prehistoric artifact scatters, three prehistoric artifact scatters with possible or known structural features, one prehistoric artifact scatter with agricultural features, and one historic mining site. The prehistoric sites probably represent use of the area by late prehistoric farming people associated with the Hohokam, and the mining site probably predates the 1920s. The archaeological testing plan created for this project (Wenker and Mitchell 1998) was implemented with some minor changes to the field techniques, following suggestions by the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO).

This report describes the project’s setting and outlines the scope of archaeological testing that was conducted at each of the sites. The seven archaeological sites are described and interpreted, and the significance of each site is assessed according to the criteria of eligibility for NRHP nomination as outlined in 36 CFR 60.4. Based on data collected during the testing project, three of the seven potentially eligible sites are recommended as being ineligible for the NRHP. Four other sites are recommended as being eligible under criterion (d). Work conducted during the testing project exhausted two of these sites’ data potential and no further work is recommended. The remaining two sites at which testing was conducted contain additional data potential, and adverse impacts to these sites should be avoided. This report concludes with recommendations concerning the possible treatment of these two newly identified register-eligible sites as well as the three other register-eligible sites already known in the project area.

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

Submitted To(s): Cavalier Development and Construction, Inc.

Record Identifiers

SWCA cultural Resource Report No.(s): 99-176

SWCA Project #(s): 3227-3341

File Information