Archaeological Test Excavations in Sunset Park, Tucson, Arizona
Author(s): J. Homer Thiel
Year: 1995
Summary
The City of Tucson has plans to renovate and re-landscape Sunset park, located in downtown Tucson. The park, which was built between 1904 and 1909, lies over a portion of the Spanish/Mexican period Presidio. A portion of the Presidio wall is purported to run north-south through this location. Concern over the potentially destructive impacts resulted in revisions to the architect's plans. Impacts were expected in two areas, and archaeological testing was recommended. Archaeological test excavations were conducted by Desert Archaeology in July, August, and September 1995.
Trenches 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6 were located in a gravel-covered portion of the park. An east west rock wall foundation is present about 21 inches below the modem ground surface in Trenches 1, 5, and 6. An outhouse pit, depicted on the 1883 Sanborn map, was located in Trench 6. The wall is believed to date to before 1862. Construction of a parking area at this location would destroy this wall and any other cultural resources above grade in this area. The outhouse pit originates at the approximate depth of the proposed construction. Once the parking area has been paved, it should be protected from impacts related to this project.
Trench 2 was excavated in the grass lawn along the west side of the park, where a light pole will be placed. Intact cultural resources, which are believed to include a floor, sheet trash, and a courtyard surface, were located in this area. Placement of the light pole in the excavation unit will prevent damage to the cultural resources present.
Desert Archaeology recommends that the gravel park area be stripped of dirt down to the level of the rock foundation, that the rock foundation be mapped, and that the remaining sediments be stripped down to the level shown on construction plans. An archaeologist would then map any additional features uncovered, collect diagnostic artifacts visible in the upper fill of the features, and record the features on forms. These measures will mitigate impacts to the cultural resources in this area of Sunset Park.
Cite this Record
Archaeological Test Excavations in Sunset Park, Tucson, Arizona, 15. J. Homer Thiel. 1995 ( tDAR id: 448583) ; doi:10.48512/XCV8448583
This Resource is Part of the Following Collections
Keywords
Culture
Chinese American
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Euroamerican
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Historic
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Hohokam
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Huhugam
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Spanish
Material
Building Materials
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Ceramic
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Charcoal
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Chipped Stone
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Fauna
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Fire Cracked Rock
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Glass
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Ground Stone
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Mano
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Metal
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Shell
Site Name
AZ AA:16:187 (ASM)
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AZ BB:13:13 (ASM)
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Sunset Park
Site Type
Archaeological Feature
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Pit
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Rock Alignment
Investigation Types
Data Recovery / Excavation
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Historic Background Research
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Research Design / Data Recovery Plan
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Site Evaluation / Testing
General
Artifact Analysis
Geographic Keywords
Arizona (State / Territory)
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Pima (County)
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Sunset Park
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Tucson, AZ
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Tucson Basin
Temporal Keywords
Prehistoric Period
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Territorial Period
Spatial Coverage
min long: -110.987; min lat: 32.2 ; max long: -110.954; max lat: 32.235 ;
Individual & Institutional Roles
Contact(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.
Principal Investigator(s): William Doelle
Prepared By(s): Desert Archaeology, Inc.
Submitted To(s): City of Tucson
Record Identifiers
Contract No. (s): 051-94-1
File Information
| Name | Size | Creation Date | Date Uploaded | Access | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| tr95-15_final_OCR_PDFA_Redacted.pdf | 3.13mb | Dec 4, 2020 10:37:51 AM | Public | ||
| This file is the redacted version of the resource. | |||||
| tr95-15_final_OCR_PDFA.pdf | 2.72mb | Sep 1, 1995 | May 1, 2019 7:51:28 PM | Confidential | |
| This file is the unredacted version of the resource. | |||||
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): Desert Archaeology, Inc.