Chasing Trail: Documentation and Management of Precontact Trails within Lake Mead NRA

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archeology at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (NRA) has primarily focused on areas where the Section 106 process has required survey such as areas subject to inundation from Lakes Mead and Mohave, as well as developed areas. This has led to only 5% of the 1.5 million acres that make up Lake Mead NRA being surveyed. Included in the previously surveyed land are Precontact trails that have been partially recorded. Other trails have been identified through aerial maps or from Tribal members. Trail systems while known to be located throughout the park, have not been well researched to understand the people that traveled across or alongside the Colorado River that is located in what is now the boundary of Lake Mead NRA. This presentation examines the few trails that have already been identified within the park and surrounding area as well as management challenges we face with a linear site that spans multiple land jurisdictions. The goal of documenting the trail is to contribute to future ethnographic studies to provide a better understanding as to how these trails and surrounding landscapes were utilized.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 37167.0