NRHP Eligibility Evaluation of Four Sites on the Lead-in-Lines to Oscura Range and 12 Sites in Oscura Range, White Sands Missile Range, Lincoln County, NM

Summary

Between July 10 and 19 of 2015, archaeologists with Versar, Inc., conducted National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) evaluations at 16 sites on Oscura Range, White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), Lincoln County, New Mexico. This project was conducted under contract to Weston Solutions, Inc. on behalf of the Air Education and Training Command (AFCEC), Holloman Air Force Base (HAFB), and White Sands Missile Range (WSMR). All of the sites are located within or in the vicinity of the Oscura Bombing Range, and, thus, there is the potential for adverse impacts to them from base activities. These site evaluations were conducted in order to assist in compliance with Section 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended through 1992), the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regulation (36 CFR Part 800), and compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990.

To evaluate the NRHP eligibility of the sites, each location was inspected and all cultural manifestations were documented. Information was collected on cultural assemblages to capture temporal data and establish site boundaries. Limited subsurface investigations (e.g., trowel tests) were also implemented to investigate the potential for buried cultural materials and establish and/or confirm geomorphic contexts. Sites that retained geomorphic integrity and demonstrated the potential to provide significant information regarding regional research issues were recommended eligible for inclusion in the NRHP; sites that do not were recommended ineligible.

Of the 16 sites evaluated during this investigation, two prehistoric sites are recommended eligible for inclusion in the NRHP and 14 (12 prehistoric and two historic) are recommended ineligible. One of the NRHP-eligible sites (LA 111311) represents Late Archaic/Early Formative period occupation and the other (LA 111308) multiple components that include Early, Middle and Late Archaic/Early Formative activities as well as U.S. territorial to WWII activities. Of the ineligible sites, four (one post WWII historic [LA 60701], one unassigned prehistoric [LA 86478], one unassigned prehistoric to historic [LA 111315], and one Late Archaic [LA 111442]) were not located at locations initially identified. The remaining ten sites included three unassigned prehistoric (LA 111309, LA 111312, and LA 111313), four multicomponent prehistoric sites (LA 111304, LA 111306, LA 111307, and LA 111317), two Late Archaic period prehistoric sites (LA 111305 and LA 111310), and one Post WWII historic site (LA 60700). The multicomponent sites included one with Late Paleoindian, Middle Archaic and Late Archaic components (LA 111304), one with Early Archaic, Late Archaic and Late Formative components (LA 111306), one with Middle Archaic and Formative period components (LA 111307) and finally one with unassigned prehistoric and Late Paleoindian components (LA 111317).

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Holloman Air Force Base CR Manager

Record Identifiers

WSMR Curation No.(s): 15-01

Versar Project No.(s): 844EP

WSMR Project No.(s): 789

File Information