An Evaluation of Archaeological Resources at Aquilla Lake

Summary

The purpose of the 1977 investigations at Aquilla Lake was to continue testing archaeological sites in the project area in order to determine which sites warranted nomination to the National Register of Historic Places and also to evaluate various archaeological problems relevant to the project area. This information was used to determine which sites in the project area warrant additional investigations and to develop a comprehensive plan to mitigate the unavoidable loss of archaeological resources contained within the lake area. The 1977 season was specifically concerned with sites located in the dam site and borrow pit areas.

Aquilla Dam and Lake is being constructed within Hill County, 6.8 miles southwest of Hillsboro and 24 miles north of Waco, Texas. The lake will cover 3,280 surface acres at the top of the flood control pool (566.0 ft). It will be fed by Aquilla Creek which heads near Cleburne and enters the Brazos River north of Waco. Both Aquilla Creek and its major tributory, Hackberry Creek, are intermittent above their confluence west of Vaughn. Below this confluence, Aquilla Creek normally flows year-round. The project is located within three major biotic zones: the Blackland Prairie, Eastern Cross Timbers, and the Grand Prairie.

Archaeological investigations within the Aquilla Creek Watershed began in the 1920s by amateur archaeologists from the Central Texas Archeological Society. Amateur attention has been continuous since then but professional investigations began in 1972; the Institute for the Study of Earth and Man at Southern Methodist University then conducted an environmental study of the project area and the possible structural alternatives being considered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Skinner 1972). At that time the Archaeology Research Program carried out an intensive survey of the project alternatives, locating a total of 125 archaeological sites (Skinner and Henderson 1972). In 1975, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, sponsored the testing and investigation of 23 archaeological sites located within the selected Dam Site "D" lake impoundment. This study was contracted through the Denver office of the Interagency Archeological Services Division of the National Park Service (Lynott and Peter 1977). After a one year break it was realized that some sites located in construction areas had not been adequately evaluated and that a mitigation plan remained to be prepared. The Fort Worth District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers subsequently contracted with the Archaeology Research Program at Southern Methodist University to complete testing and to prepare a mitigation plan. The following report attempts to satisfy these needs and to provide research direction for future investigations.

The following two chapters summarize the natural and cultural environment of the Aquilla Creek Watershed. The fourth chapter presents the research design and the methodological approaches used in the study. This is followed by individual site descriptions which include descriptions of prehistoric and historic artifacts. The next chapter (6) presents the results of settlement pattern investigations and an evaluation of the research design. The seventh chapter contains an evaluation of a hypothetical catchment area which includes the lake area. The eighth chapter presents the results of an investigation of archaeological sites through the use of collections and information gathered from amateur archaeologists and concerned artifact collectors. The last chapter presents an evaluation of the archaeology and recommendations for mitigation. The appendices include an analysis of molluscs from several sites, the soils analyses conducted for a number of selected sites, a brief note on a human skeleton collected from the project area, and artifact tables.

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

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

Contributor(s): David Pheasant; Richard Fullington; Gary Rutenberg; Joseph G. Gallagher; Robert Mallouf

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

Prepared By(s): Archaeology Research Program, Southern Methodist University

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

Record Identifiers

Contract No.(s): DACW63-77-C-0093

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