National Register Evaluation of Eight Sites at Camp Swift Army National Guard Training Center, Bastrop County, Texas: Swift V

Abstract

The Texas Army National Guard (TXARNG) conducts military training on Camp Swift, an approximately 11,500-acre tract in northern Bastrop County, Texas. The TXARNG is responsible for complying with federal legislation regarding the assessment and management of environmental and cultural resources. An earlier cultural resources assessment by the Center for Archaeological Studies (CAS), Texas State University-San Marcos, conducted under compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NRHP), identifi ed 11 sites deemed potentially capable of contributing meaningful information on the record of prehistoric human occupation at Camp Swift. In particular, Criterion D of National Park Service Rule 36 CFR Part 60, addressing sites or properties that have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history, is often used for assessing the potential NRHP eligibility of Camp Swift prehistoric sites. These 11 sites were shown by survey and shovel tests to contain or potentially contain signifi cant cultural deposits including intact burned rock features. Eight of these sites (41BP105, 41BP111, 41BP113, 41BP118, 41BP121, 41BP471, 41BP491, 41BP528), containing robust deposits but no specifi c features, were selected for more extensive examination before recommendations for additional research could be fi nalized. This work was carried out by CAS archaeologists in October of 2005. The remaining three (41BP91, 41BP100, 41BP471) will be examined in more detail through a combination of hand-excavated units and backhoe trenching in a future effort. The current report describes the results of work carried out at the eight sites, evaluates those fi ndings in a local and regional culture historical framework, and provides recommendations to the TXARNG for treatment of those sites so that they can fulfi ll their Section 106 obligations.