Phase 1 Data Testing at AZ U:15:1(REC) on Private Land and Mapping of Historic Architecture at AZ AA:3:215(ASM) and AZ U:16:303(ASM) on Federal Land near Ashurst-Hayden Diversion Dam, Pinal County, Arizona

Summary

As authorized under the Arizona Water Settlements Act of 2004, the San Carlos and Irrigation Drainage District (SCIDD) is undertaking a 10-year rehabilitation project of its irrigation system. SCIDD is the non-Indian irrigation component of the San Carlos Irrigation Project (SCIP), which provides irrigation water to the communities of Florence, Coolidge, and Casa Grande in Pinal County, Arizona. The initial focus of the SCIDD Rehabilitation Project is the rehabilitation of the Ashurst-Hayden Diversion Dam and its associated headworks, which diverts water from the Gila River for SCIP; the armoring of a segment of the south bank of the Gila River, and the construction of a sediment removal pond and storage area downstream of Ashurst-Hayden Diversion Dam. Following consultation with project stakeholders on Archaeological Consulting Services', Ltd. (ACS) Class III survey of the project area, the Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office (Reclamation) directed ACS to conduct Phase 1 data testing at AZ U:15:1(REC) to determine the presence, nature, extent, and integrity of the site's subsurface deposits. In addition, Reclamation directed ACS to conduct additional electronic mapping, photography, and archival research for the historic retaining wall (Feature 15) at AZ U:16:303(ASM) and for the large diversion gate (Feature 2) along the Florence-Casa Grande Canal (AZ AA:3:215[ASM]) in order to assess their eligibility to for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criterion C.

ACS conducted Phase 1 data testing at AZ U:15:1(REC) to determine the presence, nature, extent, and integrity of subsurface deposits, determine the site's outer boundary nearest the Gila River, and make a recommendation for additional archaeological research, if needed. This undertaking revealed that the plow zone significantly damaged the prehistoric site, but many subsurface prehistoric features remained intact, including a canal, well, cienega, cultural surface, and multiple thermal, secondary refuse, and functionally unknown pits. Artifacts were observed on the site surface, within the plow zone, in intact natural stratigraphy beneath it, and within several features. Many features contained charcoal and burned/oxidized surfaces that may be suitable for radiocarbon and archaeomagnetic dating, in addition to potentially containing significant artifactual and macrobotanical data suitable for understanding Hohokam occupation and landscape use of the area.

ACS conducted additional mapping and photography at AZ AA:3:215(ASM) and U:16:303(ASM) to acquire sufficient field and archival data to evaluate the newly recorded features' integrity and the sites' NRHP eligibility under Criterion C. These investigations demonstrated that while both features (Feature 15 at AZ AA:3:215[ASM] and Feature 2 at AZ U:16:303[ASM]) are good examples of their feature type, they are not unique for their feature type, nor for their particular sites. Therefore, ACS recommends that they are not eligible for inclusion in the NRHP under Criterion C. The additional archival and field research likewise exhausted their data potential under Criterion D.

Based on the results of these undertakings , ACS recommends that targeted Phase 2 data recovery at AZ U:15:1(REC) is warranted to recover the remaining significant data within the project area. ACS recommends no additional work for the two historic features at AA:3:215(ASM) and U:16:303(ASM).

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Phase 1: Ashurst-Hayden Diversion Dam Rehabilitation

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1920 to 1960 (Historic sites)

Calendar Date: 950 to 1150 (Prehistoric site)

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Principal Investigator(s): Robert Stokes

Project Director(s): E. Melanie Ryan

Landowner(s): San Carlos Irrigation Project

Sponsor(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Permitting Agency(s): Bureau of Indian Affairs

Prepared By(s): Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd.

Submitted To(s): USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Phoenix Area Office

Record Identifiers

Pinal County Dust Permit No.(s): 10449

Bureau of Reclamation Delivery Order No.(s): R10PB32083

BIA ARPA Permit No.(s): 2011/SCIP/ACS/WRO/001a

ACS Project No.(s): 10-305

ASM Burial Agreement Case No.(s): 2010-038

Bureau of Reclamation Contract No.(s): GS-10F-0224P

Arizona Blue Stake Case No.(s): 2010-1019-00326

Notes

Redaction Note: Maps and other specific site locational information have been redacted from the report. The redacted information is available as a restricted document. Please contact the Bureau of Reclamation for permission to access it.

Source Collections

During this archaeological investigation, artifacts collected from private land within the boundaries of AZ U:15:1(REC) were donated to the Bureau of Reclamation by the landowner. These artifacts are curated in Accession No. PXAO.2022.0002 at the Reclamation repository at the Lower Colorado Basin Regional Office, Date Street Campus, Building 1400, Room 230.

Related Comparative Collections

AZ U:15:1(REC) was later assigned site number AZ U:15:676(ASM). Artifacts collected from AZ U:15:676(ASM) on BIA and private land during later archaeological investigations were not donated to the Bureau of Reclamation. The artifacts collected during these subsequent investigations are curated in Accession 2016.007 at the Arizona State University Repository, in the Alameda Building.