Archaeological Testing for the City of Phoenix Sixty-seventh Avenue Water Transmission Main, Maricopa County, Arizona

Summary

The project involves archaeological testing in the Maricopa County right-of-way along the course of the City of Phoenix Sixty-seventh Avenue Water Transmission Main. The work was prompted by the possibility that archaeological remains associated with the prehistoric village of Pueblo Primero would be encountered in the southern portion of the waterline corridor.

This report documents the results of archaeological testing activities completed by Desert Archaeology, Inc., along the City of Phoenix Sixty-seventh Avenue Water Transmission Main (WS85500147) in southwestern Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona. The work was initiated due to the possibility that archaeological remains could be encountered during construction of the water main. As part of the City's planning and design process, Soil Systems, Inc., performed an initial cultural resource survey of the proposed Sixty-seventh Avenue water main alignment (Ellis 2000a). A later survey of a 1-mile-long realigned portion of the project corridor was completed in 2003, by Desert Archaeology (Clark 2003). Although no significant cultural remains were identified during these pedestrian surveys, archival records indicate an area in the southern portion of the water main corridor where the remains of the prehistoric village of Pueblo Primero, might be encountered. The site of Pueblo Primero has previously been determined to be potentially eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).

As a result of these findings, HDR Engineering, Inc., contracted with Desert Archaeology to complete an archaeological testing project within the water main construction corridor for the Water Services Division of the City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department. Testing began on 29 December 2003, under the direction of Tiffany Clark, and was completed on 31 December 2003. A total of 64 person-hours was expended in this effort. Fieldwork was conducted for the purpose of compliance under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and was conducted in accordance with the testing plan prepared by Desert Archaeology (Clark 2003). The archaeological work was authorized under Arizona State Museum Permit #2003-127ps. The objective of the testing program was to determine if buried cultural remains associated with Pueblo Primero were present in the project corridor and, if found, to evaluate their depth, age, integrity, and significance.

During testing, 12 trenches, totaling 370 linear m were excavated within the Maricopa County right-of-way. Although a small number of isolated artifacts were found in the test trenches, no cultural features were identified by this work. In the light of the absence of significant cultural resources related to the National Register eligible site of Pueblo Primero, it is recommended that no additional data recovery efforts are warranted within the City of Phoenix Sixty-seventh Avenue Water Transmission Main project corridor. However, because an isolated human burial was found in the vicinity of the project area (Lindly 2004), we recommend caution be exercised as construction proceeds in the southern portion of the waterline corridor. This report presents background information on the project, descriptions of the field methods, results of the testing program, and a recommendation that construction activities proceed with caution in the area between Baseline and Vineyard roads.

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.

Prepared By(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Submitted To(s): City of Phoenix Street Transportation Department

Record Identifiers

Technical Report No. (s): 2004-04

File Information