Their Own Road: Archaeological Investigations along State Route 260

Summary

At first glance, the potential for sub-Mogollon Rim archaeology sites is not promising. This region, east of Payson and Star Valley, Arizona, is characterized by single-room masonry structures and artifact scatters covered with thick stands of manzanita and pine duff. Many artifact scatters are comprised solely of small pieces of flaked stone; others have pieces of plain brown ware ceramics that blend in easily with the ground cover. However, beneath these less-than-dramatic surface manifestations, the State Route (SR) 260 - Payson to Heber project has uncovered nearly 3,000 years of settlement.

Work in the Preacher Canyon section was the first phase of archaeology preceding construction of six highway sections through the Tonto National Forest (TNF) and within the longer, 46-mile-long Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) highway realignment project between Payson and Heber, Arizona. The sites in the Preacher Canyon area provided our initial glimpse into the prehistory of the region.

Fieldwork for the SR 260 - Payson to Heber project has progressed more quickly than the analyses of artifacts and the production of reports. At the time of writing, Desert Archaeology, Inc., completed fieldwork in four additional construction sections. This volume, which describes the Preacher Canyon phase fieldwork and analyses, will not provide complete answers to questions about culture history or about economic, social, and political organizations. However, the Preacher Canyon sites are the baseline to which all subsequent comparisons will be made, as we search for patterns in the archaeological remains of the sub-Mogollon Rim region.

Many sites in the other sections are smaller, a few are larger, but very few are as well preserved as those excavated in the Preacher Canyon section. These sites alerted us to the potential for a substantive first millennium A.D. occupation of the region, whereas the few published discussions of excavations in the region concentrate on the period after A.D. 1100. This alone was a critical realization, as pithouse occupations proved relatively easy to find, even at low-density artifact scatters, by using the backhoe systematically on project area sites. The full potential of the Preacher Canyon sites will be evident in the final comparative work, a synthetic report to be prepared when all fieldwork and analyses are completed. The sites excavated prior to highway construction in the Preacher Canyon section are located approximately 4 miles (6.67 km) east of Star Valley, between Mileposts 259.5 and 263.5. The Area of Potential Effects (APE) includes the proposed right-of-way for the new alignment of SR 260, tieins, access roads, and temporary construction easements. Seven prehistoric or multicomponent sites with features that date from the Early Agricultural period to the early historic and historic were tested during the investigations of Preacher Canyon (Figure 1.2; Tables 1.1-1.2): AZ O:12:13/AR-03-12-04-1153 (ASM/TNF)1; Twisted Trowel, 0:12:14/04-75; Manzanita Ridge, 0:12:16/04-1156; McGoonie, 0:12:25/ 04-743; Haught Ranch, 0:12:38/04-1372; 0:12:41/04- 1396; and McGoonie West, 0:12:47/04-1436.

This report describes the work at the seven prehistoric and multicomponent sites in the Preacher Canyon section of the SR 260 project, and demonstrates to the TNF, the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), and the ASM that the field and analytic methods outlined in the Plan of Work were followed. It also provides a first assessment of the archaeological research goals outlined in the project Treatment Plan (Herr 1999b).

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Contributor(s): Jenny L. Adams; R. Scott Anderson; Allison Cohen Diehl; Michael W. Diehl; James M. Heidke; Lorrie Lincoln-Babb; Penny Dufoe Minturn; Bruce G Phillips; Ellen C. Ruble; R. Jane Sliva; Susan J. Smith; Susan L. Stinson; Tobi Taylor; Arthur W. Vokes; Jennifer A. Waters

Prepared By(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Submitted To(s): Arizona Department of Transportation

Record Identifiers

Contract No(s): 99-59

TRACS No.(s): 260 GI260 H2762 01L

Project No(s): F-053-2-202

File Information