An Arachaeological Reconnaissance of Aurbrey Reservoir

Author(s): Britt Bousman; Linda Verrett

Year: 1973

Summary

This report describes the result of an archaeological reconnaissance conducted within the area of the proposed Aubrey Reservoir. Within the limits of the reservoir 26 archaeological sites were located and recorded. The period of occupation represented by these sites extends from approximately 2000 B.C. to A.D. 1870. Hunting and gathering were the main subsistence activities of the Indians who inhabited the area. No evidence of occupation during the Paleo-Indian stage was recorded in the reservoir. The earliest evidence of occupation began during the Carrollton Focus of the Trinity Aspect of the Archaic stage and aboriginal occupation continued through the historic period.

The reservoir will inundate a 35,050 acre area in northeast Denton, southeast Cooke, and southwest Grayson Counties. The dam site will be located one quarter of a mile south of the junction of Elm Fork and Isle du Bois Creek. Flooding will involve the floodplains of the two above creeks plus Walnut Branch, Wolf, Buck, Range, Indian, and Spring Creeks. The flood control pool elevation will be 636.00' m.s.l.

The area was originally covered by a mixed hardwood forest except in the Grand and Blackland Prairie districts, but pressures for cultivatable land and fuel has reduced the timber stands to a small percentage of their original territory. Recently large portions of the cultivated land has been developed into pasture lands, which are being utilized for cattle grazing. Also the fuel needs of the people have changed from wood to gas and electricity, but the environment displays a lag in its response to the elimination of this pressure, probably because of the pressures applied by cattle grazing.

The reconnaissance was conducted by two Southern Methodist University students who selected archaeologically productive areas in the lab and then evaluated these areas in the field. Artifacts were analyzed at the sites and no collections were made. These methods were employed because they best suited the purpose of the project.

The purpose of this research project was to locate and evaluate the archaeological resources of the reservoir area. This project was not intended to be an in-depth, comprehensive survey of the reservoir, but rather a reconnaissance to discover if there is archaeological material in the region and to help answer questions about what types of prehistoric remains to expect. This information will be utilized to estimate the intensity and nature of archaeological survey that will be necessary to prepare an adequate inventory and evaluation of the historic and prehistoric resources endangered by the planned construction.

Cite this Record

An Arachaeological Reconnaissance of Aurbrey Reservoir. Britt Bousman, Linda Verrett. 1973 ( tDAR id: 447048) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8447048

Keywords

Culture
Archaic • Clovis • Historic • Historic Native American • Late Archaic • PaleoIndian

Material
Ceramic • Chipped Stone • Fauna • Fire Cracked Rock • Ground Stone • Human Remains • Mano • Projectile Point • Shell

Site Name
41CO11 • 41CO12 • 41CO13 • 41CO14 • 41CO15 • 41CO16 • 41CO17 • 41CO18 • 41CO19 • 41CO20 • 41CO21 • 41CO22 • 41CO23 • 41CO24 • 41DN10 • 41DN11 • 41DN12 • 41DN13 • 41DN14 • 41DN15 • 41DN4 • 41DN5 • 41DN6 • 41DN7 • 41DN8 • 41DN9

Site Type
Archaeological Feature • Artifact Scatter • Cemetery • Funerary and Burial Structures or Features • Hamlet / Village • Hunting / Trapping • Quarry

Investigation Types
Archaeological Overview • Heritage Management • Reconnaissance / Survey

General
Collections Management

Geographic Keywords
Cook (County) • Denton (County) • Grayson (County) • Texas (State / Territory)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -98.094; min lat: 32.885 ; max long: -96.232; max lat: 33.899 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

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

Prepared By(s): Southern Methodist University

Submitted To(s): US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District

Record Identifiers

Contract No.(s): DACW 63-73-M-0576

File Information

  Name Size Creation Date Date Uploaded Access
An-Archaeological-Reconnaissance-of-Aubrey-Reservoir--Britt-Bo... 14.71mb Nov 2, 2018 12:43:35 PM Confidential

Accessing Restricted Files

At least one of the files for this resource is restricted from public view. For more information regarding access to these files, please reference the contact information below

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