Archaeological Testing of Block 174 and Block 175, Tucson, Pima County, Arizona

Summary

Presented here are the results of an archaeological testing project to determine if subsurface cultural resources are present on Block 175 and a small area within Block 174 in downtown Tucson, Pima County, Arizona. These blocks are within the original Tucson town site, surveyed in 1872. Block 174 was the location of the First Baptist Church and dwellings, block 175 was primarily the location of private residences.

The two parking lot areas are owned by the Industrial Development Authority of the City of Tucson (the "IDA"), a non-profit corporation designated as a political subdivision of the State of Arizona, authorized to provide lower cost financing for qualified projects through the issuance of revenue bonds exempt from Arizona income taxation. The IDA provides financing of community development projects whenever appropriate, and where traditional sources of funding may be unavailable. Although not a City agency, by statute, the IDA board is appointed by the Mayor and Council. However, due to state involvement, cultural resource compliance on this project is under the jurisdiction of Arizona state legislation.

The IDA is considering development of two parcels it owns in downtown Tucson, currently used as parking lots. The testing project was initially prompted by IDA plans to replace three rows of trees damaged by a hard frost in January 2011. Those plans were later modified to include a more generalized testing of the two parking lots to determine if intact cultural resources are present. Currently, no detailed plans for the future use of the two parking lots have been prepared.

Archaeological testing was recommended to explore the extent and nature of any surviving cultural deposits within the two blocks and to determine if additional data recovery is appropriate prior to any future development. Intact, undisturbed historic archaeological features were located on both blocks. These features contain artifacts and food remains that can provide significant inform action about Tucson's history.

A review of the history of the two blocks, pertinent research questions, methods used for testing, and the results of testing are outlined below. The project was conducted under Arizona State Museum (ASM) project specific permit 2012-084ps. Project records will be curated at ASM as Accession No. 2012-163.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

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

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1870 to 1910 (Dates of Blocks 174 and 175 Features)

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Prepared By(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.

Submitted To(s): City of Tucson

Record Identifiers

Technical Report No.(s): 2012-07

File Information