Archaeological and Historical Investigations of Joe Pool Lake, North Central Texas

Summary

The field of archaeology addresses the full record of human history before writing was invented. Native Americans have lived in Texas for over 12,000 years. Without archaeological studies, the record of many of these early peoples can not be recognized. At the same time, archaeology is able to provide historians with additional details of our recent past, and useful insights into past settlements.

As a discipline, archaeology is very young in comparison to other fields such as astronomy, chemistry, history, or mathematics. Many of the guiding principles and field techniques in archaeology are little over a century old. What tiling's do modem archaeologists search for among the ruins of the past? Where are archaeologists actively working today? Of what value are their findings to those of us living today?

These three questions are answered in this booklet. Examples are drawn from archaeological investigations conducted during the construction of Joe Pool Lake in North Central Texas. This man made reservoir, located southwest of Dallas, was completed in 1986 by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District. It involved the construction of a dam, 4.2 miles long, on Mountain Creek that created a lake capable of covering 10,900 acres. In order to rescue important archaeological data from destruction due to land alterations, flooding, and other lake related improvements, archaeological excavations were carried out at 18 sites noted for containing significant and valuable information. This booklet explains why these investigations were conducted and reveals the important information which was recovered or rescued.

Cite this Record

Archaeological and Historical Investigations of Joe Pool Lake, North Central Texas. Randall W. Moir, Duane E. Peter, David H. Jurney, Daniel E. McGregor. 1988 ( tDAR id: 447040) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8447040

Spatial Coverage

min long: -97.105; min lat: 32.492 ; max long: -96.945; max lat: 32.675 ;

Record Identifiers

Contract Number(s): DACW63-84-C-0146

File Information

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Contact(s): US Army Corps of Engineers Mandatory Center of Expertise for the Curation and Management of Archaeological Collections, St. Louis District