Cultural Resources Survey of the DPS Outdoor Bomb and Gun Range Project, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Tarrant County, Texas

Abstract

This report documents the substantive findings and management recommendations of a cultural resources survey conducted by Integrated Environmental Solutions, LLC (IES) for the DPS Outdoor Bomb and Gun Range project located within the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) property in Tarrant County, Texas. The proposed project pertains to improvements of the current facility within approximately 71.8 acres located between Texas State Highway (SH) 360 and West Airfield Drive. Approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be required to modify the Airport Layout Plan (ALP) to reflect the permanent alterations on the DFW property. Since the ALP is considered a federal action, the project will require compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). Additionally, as the DFW is a political subdivision of the State of Texas, the project will be subjected to the provisions of the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). The goal of the survey was to locate, identify, and assess any cultural resources that could be adversely affected by the proposed development, and to evaluate such resources for their potential eligibility for listing as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL) and eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The cultural resources inventory survey was conducted on 16 December 2019 and 08 January 2020 by Project Archeologists Anne Gibson and Thomas Chapman, and Staff Archeologist Josh McCormick. All work conformed to 13 Texas Administrative Code 26, which outlines the regulations for implementing the ACT, and was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 9161. During the survey, one previously recorded historic-age archeological site (41TR87) was revisited within the APE. Based on the lack of association with historically important individuals or events, absence of significant architectural features, the degree of prior disturbance, and lack of contextual integrity, site 41TR87 is recommended to remain not eligible for listing in the NRHP or designation as a SAL. Although multi-component site 41TR18 was partially located within the APE, the site was not evaluated during the survey. However, the results from a previous IES investigation in 2015 indicate the site should remain ineligible for NRHP listing. Project records will be permanently curated at the Center for Archeological Research (CAR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). It is the recommendation of IES that the DPS Outdoor Bomb and Gun Range Project be permitted to continue without the need for further cultural resources investigations. However, if any cultural resources, other than those discussed in this report, are encountered during construction, the operators should stop construction activities in the vicinity of the inadvertent discovery, and immediately contact the project cultural resources representative to initiate coordination with the Texas Historical Commission (THC) prior to resuming construction activities.