Pueblo Grande (AZ U:9:1(ASM)): Unit 15, Washington and 48th Streets: Soil Systems, Inc. Kitchell Development Testing and Data Recovery (The Former Maricopa County Sheriff's Substation)

Summary

Between March 1999 and March 2000, Soil Systems, Inc. (SSI) archaeologists completed a partial data recovery and burial removal project (SSI Project No. 99-01) for Kitchell Development Co. on a parcel (Unit 15) along the east side of the large Hohokam village site Pueblo Grande (AZ U:9:1(ASM)) in Phoenix, Arizona. The data recovery fieldwork was preceded by a two-phase testing project (SSI Project No. 97-08) designed to identify and locate subsurface cultural remains.

Phase 1 testing involved the excavation and recording of eight backhoe trenches in two parts of the parcel, where existing development plans and previous geomorphic studies indicated that prehistoric cultural deposits (including prehistoric mortuary features) might be encountered during construction. Intact prehistoric remains, including burials, were encountered in one of the two areas tested. Phase 2 testing was designed to define the limits of buried prehistoric cultural remains to the south and west of the area where intact prehistoric cultural deposits were uncovered during Phase 1. Four of the Phase 1 trenches were extended southward and six new backhoe trenches were excavated in areas to the south and west. In the Phase 2 testing program, existing buildings and environmental monitoring wells limited the area that could be tested, but within these constraints, the Phase 2 effort succeeded in determining that more prehistoric cultural remains were present to the southwest and west of the Phase 1 testing area, and that few prehistoric cultural remains were present to the southeast.

The data recovery program was designed to mitigate the impact of proposed building construction and ground surface modification. In addition, the project was to identify and remove burials that might be disturbed by construction. All remains and associated artifacts were to be repatriated to the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC).

In the area of the proposed building foundation, data recovery and burial removal was undertaken until culturally sterile strata were reached. Outside the proposed foundation, data recovery and burial removal were conducted for all intact prehistoric contexts that originated within 2 ft of the modern ground surface. Data recovery included mapping, documentation, and partial hand excavation of all prehistoric features in the zone of potential impact and complete hand excavation and removal of those contexts where mortuary remains were encountered. Because of the shallowness of archaeological deposits in the area, the demolition and removal of existing buildings in the northwest part of the parcel was monitored, after which additional backhoe trenching was conducted to determine whether intact cultural contexts were present under the demolished building foundation. Finally, the construction of a underground gas facility along the lot’s western edge was monitored.

The Kitchell Development Co. never developed the parcel. Later, the Lauth Property Group purchased the property and proposed a new development, the Washington Point Business Center. SSI completed archaeological clearance of the parcel (Unit 15) as SSI Project No. 06-03 (see http://core.tdar.org/project/372317).

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Pueblo Grande (AZ U:9:1(ASM)): Unit 15, Washington and 48th Streets: Soil Systems, Inc. Kitchell Development Testing and Data Recovery (The Former Maricopa County Sheriff's Substation)   •
• Soil Systems   •
• Pueblo Grande (AZ U:9:1(ASM)): Unit 15, Washington and 48th Streets

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Principal Investigator(s): Cory D. Breternitz

Project Director(s): Banks L. Leonard

Record Identifiers

Soil Systems Project No.(s): 99-01

Notes

General Note: The final report for the Kitchell Testing and Data Recovery project (proj. 99-01) and the Lauth Data Recovery project (proj. 06-03) were written as a single report for archaeological investigations in Pueblo Grande Unit 15. Please see http://core.tdar.org/document/373083 for the final report.

General Note: Please note that SSI recorded the Pueblo Grande number as AZ U:9:7(ASM), which is the designation for a portion of Pueblo Grande. The correct number for the site as a whole is AZ U:9:1(ASM).