Backhoe Trenches Research Articles

Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Dripping Springs Wastewater System Improvements Project (EID 1), Dripping Springs, Hays County, Texas

Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Dripping Springs Wastewater System Improvements Project (EID 1), Dripping Springs, Hays County, Texas

Archaeological Investigations of Sections of the San Pedro (41BX337) and Upper Labor (41BX1273) Acequias in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

On January 21 and February 19 of 2020, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) excavated five exploratory backhoe trenches within two project areas in central San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. Project Area 1 is located at 209 E. Fredericksburg Road, and Project Area 2 is at 712 W. Laurel Street. CAR was contracted by the VIA Metropolitan Transit Authority (VIAMTA) to conduct an archaeological investigation of the two locations as they planned to use the areas for employee parking lots. Plans called for the areas to be excavated to a total depth of 25.4 cm (10 in.), with 15.24 cm (6 in.) of new concrete and 10.16 cm (4 in.) of new base. Archival maps suggested that the proposed parking areas could include the intersection of two Spanish Colonial acequias, the San Pedro (41BX337) and the Upper Labor (41BX1273). Both areas are owned by VIA-MTA, a political subdivision of the State of Texas. As such, the work was carried out under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 9229 according to the requirements of the Texas Antiquities Code and the Unified Development Code of the City of San Antonio (COSA). Dr. Raymond Mauldin served as the Principal Investigator, and Sarah Wigley served as the Project Archaeologist. Five backhoe trenches were excavated in the two project areas. Three trenches were excavated in Project Area 1 and encompassed 0.024 ha (0.06 ac.). Two trenches were excavated within Project Area 2 and encompassed 0.089 ha (0.22 ac.). Four features were documented. Feature 1 was identified as a section of the Upper Labor Acequia (41BX1273), and Feature 3 was identified as a section of the San Pedro Acequia (41BX337). Feature 2 was a late construction dump and was found not to be significant. Feature 4 was documented within the channel of Feature 3 and is also part of 41BX337. The San Pedro Acequia (41BX337) has previously been found to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and is also eligible for designation as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL). The Upper Labor Acequia (41BX1273) has been previously recommended as eligible for the NRHP and for designation as a SAL. The acequia is also a contributing resource to Brackenridge Park’s NRHP nomination (National Park Service 2011). Both sites are a part of the San Antonio’s acequia system, which is a designated National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. CAR recommends that the section of the San Pedro Acequia (41BX337) and the section of the Upper Labor Acequia (41BX1273) documented during the course of this project are eligible for inclusion to the NRHP and for designation as a SAL. However, neither of these sites should be impacted by the proposed parking lot construction that has a maximum depth of impact of 25.4 cm (10 in.), which is a depth above the features. As such, CAR recommends that the construction of both parking areas be allowed to proceed, though with an archaeological monitor present. CAR further recommends that should buried cultural features be encountered during construction work in the immediate area cease and that the Texas Historic Commission (THC) and the COSA Office of Historic Preservation (COSA-OHP) be notified to consult on additional actions that may be necessary to protect the cultural remains. Both the THC and COSA-OHP concurred with the recommendations. However, prior to the issuance of the concurrence documents from the THC, VIA-MTA paved Project Area 2 (712 W. Laurel Street) without notifying CAR. No monitor was present for the excavation or paving. CAR subsequently photographed the area. In addition, VIA-MTA no longer plans to do any work in Project Area 1. No artifacts were collected from Project Area 1, but several historic artifacts were collected from Project Area 2. These artifacts along with all records generated on this project are curated at the CAR facility as accession 2259.

Cultural Resources Monitoring Investigations for the San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS) Silverhorn Rehabilitation Project San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Raba Kistner, Inc. (RKI), was contracted by K Friese + Associates (CLIENT) to conduct cultural resources monitoring investigations for the San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS) Silverhorn Rehabilitation Project in northern San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The project involved rehabilitating 3,690 linear feet of existing sewer line within the Silverhorn Golf Club, which is within the Walker Ranch National Register District. The majority of the proposed undertaking was conducted by non-invasive methods (i.e., cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP)); however, point repairs involving excavations were conducted in areas where broken pipe was encountered. Given that the proposed undertaking is located on lands owned by the City of San Antonio (COSA), and because COSA is a political subdivision of the State of Texas, the project falls under the jurisdiction of Chapter 35 of the Unified Development Code (UDC) of the City of San Antonio, as well as the Antiquities Code of Texas (ACT). The UDC is regulated by the COSA Office of Historic Preservation (OHP), while the ACT is administered by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). Cultural resources investigations for the project were conducted on January 11, 12, and 24, 2020. Jason M. Whitaker served as Principal Investigator and Project Manager for the duration of the project, and all fieldwork was completed by Jason M. Whitaker and Christopher Matthews. All work was conducted in accordance with the standards set forth by the Council of Texas Archeologists and adopted by the Texas Historical Commission, under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit Number 9220. The overall undertaking consisted of the rehabilitation of approximately 3,690 linear feet of existing sewer line within the Silverhorn Golf Club. The majority of the project area was rehabilitated through the use of cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) with no subsurface impacts. However, four areas along the 3,960 sewer line alignment were in need of point repairs which required subsurface excavations. For archaeological purposes, the Area of Potential Effects (APE) was comprised of four areas where subsurface excavations were conducted. Excavation within the APE areas were comprised of a single backhoe trench measuring approximately 22.3 by 13.1 feet (6.8 meters [m] by 4.0 m) and three 5-inch diameter boreholes. The combined area of impact of the APE areas measured approximately 0.007 acres. Depths of impacts reached 10.33 feet below surface within the trench, and a depth of 5.5 feet below surface. Disturbances within the APE included the existing sewer line, golf course construction, and various associated utilities. The APE was located entirely within areas impacted by the installation of the existing sewer line and was evident during the monitoring of the excavations. Evidence of previous disturbances was observed during the monitoring of the point repairs. No cultural deposits or features were documented during monitoring excavations of the SAWS Silverhorn Rehabilitation Project. Additionally, no evidence of unmarked burials or human remains were observed. Given that excavations occurred over a previously excavated areas and no cultural materials were identified, RKI recommends no further archaeological investigations for the current APE. However, should additional point repairs along the existing sewer line be required, it is recommended that additional monitoring be conducted. All field records generated by this project will be permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Addendum Report: Additional Cultural Resources Investigations of the Vista Ridge Regional Water Supply Project in Burleson, Lee, Bastrop, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Comal and Bexar Counties, Texas

Addendum Report: Additional Cultural Resources Investigations of the Vista Ridge Regional Water Supply Project in Burleson, Lee, Bastrop, Caldwell, Guadalupe, Comal and Bexar Counties, Texas

Current Research in the Sabine Mine’s Rusk Permit, Rusk County, Texas

In 2014–2015, Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted test excavations at seven Native American sites—41RK674, 41RK680, 41RK693, 41RK695, 41RK703, 41RK704, and 41RK729—in northeast Rusk County, Texas. These sites are in Area W of the South Hallsville No. 1 Mine’s Rusk Permit, which is operated by North American Coal Corporation–Sabine Mine. The excavations consisted of 92 m2 (80.7 m3) of hand-dug test units and 63 backhoe trenches (702 m2). Testing determined that the sites have components dating as early as the Middle Archaic period (ca. 3500 B.C.) and as late as the Late Caddo period (late A.D. 1400s), with Late Archaic, Woodland, Early Caddo, and Middle Caddo components represented as well. Four sites have moderate to high densities of cultural materials representing substantial Native American occupations, although none have middens indicating especially prolonged use. Sites 41RK674 and 41RK693 are interpreted as Late Caddo and Middle Caddo farmsteads, respectively, albeit briefly occupied ones. Site 41RK703 has prominent Middle Archaic and probably Late Archaic components representing repeated use as a campsite, with lesser Woodland and Early Caddo components indicating non-residential use. The primary component at 41RK704 represents repeated use during the Woodland period as a special-purpose campsite, and a secondary Early Caddo component reflects less-intensive use as a procurement/processing location or short-term campsite. The other three sites were used less intensively, with 41RK680 having a Woodland component, 41RK695 having a Late Caddo component, and 41RK729 having an unidentified Caddo component; these sites likely were used as procurement or processing locations or short-term campsites.

Big Hole (41TV2161): Two Stratigraphically Isolated Middle Holocene Components in Travis County, Texas Volume I

Big Hole (41TV2161): Two Stratigraphically Isolated Middle Holocene Components in Travis County, Texas Volume I

Two Radiocarbon Dates from the Salt Lick Site (16SA37a) at Toledo Bend Reservoir, Sabine Parish, Louisiana

The Salt Lick site (16SA37) is an ancestral Caddo site at Toledo Bend Reservoir in Sabine Parish, Louisiana. Before the creation of the reservoir, archaeological investigations on the Sabine River and tributaries in both Louisiana and Texas took place primarily took during the 1960s, with survey and excavations, sometimes of a very limited nature by the University of Texas and Southern Methodist University. The Salt Lick site was investigated by McClurkan in the Fall of 1964. The Salt Lick site (16SA37a) was a Caddo habitation site (with midden deposits) on a natural rise south of La Nana bayou, a westward-flowing tributary to the Sabine River. Hand and backhoe trench excavations uncovered 10 burials, six that may have been flexed and four that were extended burials with the deceased placed in an extended supine position on the floor of the grave. Only two of the flexed burials had funerary offerings: a Pease Brushed-Incised jar and an engraved carinated bowl with a poorly executed design (Burial 1), and two engraved bowls (Burial 4). The engraved bowls resemble varieties of Womack Engraved and Patton Engraved. The extended burials, on the other hand, had a number of funerary offerings, including ceramic vessels (n=25), a clay elbow pipe (n=1), a quiver of Perdiz arrow points (n=12), a sandstone ear spool, mussel shells (n=2), and turtle shells (n=3).

Archaeological Investigations within San Pedro Springs Park (41BX19), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Archaeological Investigations within San Pedro Springs Park (41BX19), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Early Holocene alluvial stratigraphy, chronology, and Paleoindian/Early Archaic geoarchaeology in the Loup River Basin, Nebraska, U.S.A.

The preservation of alluvium dictates the discovery of archaeological sites in valleys. We address two questions in our study of the Loup River Basin in the midcontinent of North America: (1) What is the alluvial chronology of the Loup River Basin between about 10,300 and 7700 BP?; and (2), What is the potential for preservation and exposure of Paleoindian and Early Archaic sites? Cleaned cut banks, walls of backhoe trenches and archaeological test units, cores collected with a trailer-mounted Giddings Soil Probe, and bucket auger samples were described. Buried A horizons, organic-enriched alluvial strata, peat, and charcoal were sampled for radiocarbon dating. Dating was supplemented by temporally diagnostic cultural materials.We recognize the absence of 14,000–10,300 BP alluvium in the Loup River Basin. Floodplain stability/very slow aggradation occurred from 10,300–10,000 BP. Rapid floodplain aggradation is inferred between 10,000 and 9450 BP. Between 9450 and about 9250 BP erosion initially produced the Kilgore Creek Terrace. The valley-floor landscape stabilized from about 9250 to 9100 BP before an episode of rapid aggradation overwhelmed floodplains and alluvial/colluvial fans. The fans stabilized about 8600–8500 BP, while floodplains in larger valleys (≥5th-order) stabilized shortly after about 8400–8200 BP. Renewed valley-bottom aggradation after 8200 was interrupted at about 7750.The absence of alluvium dated between 14,000 and 10,300 BP in the Loup River Basin precludes discovery of Early Paleoindian sites in valleys, and contrasts with the presence of alluvium and buried soils containing Clovis and Folsom Paleoindian sites in other drainage basins in the U.S. Central Great Plains. Although the distribution of the Kilgore Creek Terrace is an excellent proxy of preservation of 10,300–9450 BP alluvium in the Loup River Basin, and thus Late Paleoindian sites, very few remnants of this terrace have been preserved. Two early-Holocene erosional episodes have been documented in the Loup River Basin at 9450–9250 BP, and again immediately before 8300–8200 BP. Alluvium deposited between 10,300 and 9450 contains one archaeological site, and alluvium deposited 9250–8200 contains five other Paleoindian sites. Five Early Archaic sites are documented in three alluvial/colluvial fans and on a terrace remnant in the North Loup River Valley, but have not been discovered in an alluvial stratigraphic context outside of fans. Although stable surfaces are much more likely to accumulate a greater density of artifacts than sedimentary units that are deposited rapidly, we document three Paleoindian components that are in alluvium between buried soils.

Barrett Site (41MM382) Assessment, Milam County, Texas

The Bryan District of Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) proposes to replace the existing bridge at the San Gabriel River along a farm-to-market road and expand the width of the existing two-lane roadway in Milam County (CSJ: 0590-05-027). In response to that proposed development, TxDOT staff archeologists from the Archeological Studies Program in Austin reviewed the Texas Historical Commission (THC) Archeological Sites Atlas, a database which contains previously documented cultural resource sites, and conducted an intensive archeological field survey with mechanical trenching along the proposed area of potential effect (APE) in February 2012. During that survey a buried prehistoric site (41MM382), named the Barrett site, was discovered in Backhoe Trench 7 at the northern end of the APE and on the western edge of the existing roadway. The 1.75 meter (m) deep trench revealed multiple levels/zones of cultural material, which included chipped stone debitage and tools, freshwater mussel shells, and burned rocks. These same types of cultural materials were also observed on the disturbed surface in the spoil from the right-of-way fence posts and a recently installed waterline through the length of the site.

Testing and Data Recovery Excavations at 11 Native American Archeological Sites Along the U.S. Highway 271 Mount Pleasant Relief Route, Titus County, Texas Volume I

This report deals with three episodes of archeological work that began in 2005 and concluded in 2010 for the proposed U.S. Highway 271 Mount Pleasant relief route in Titus County, Texas. The early part of the work was done for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Environmental Affairs Division. The later part was done for PTP, LP, acting on behalf of Titus County. The work was done to address the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Texas Antiquities Code and was governed by the terms of Texas Antiquities Permit Nos. 3786, 4303, and 5495. The project involved 11 Native American archeological sites: 41TT6, 41TT846, 41TT847, 41TT851–41TT854, 41TT858, 41TT862, 41TT865, and 41TT866. The overall goal was to assess these 11 sites in terms of their eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and designation as State Antiquities Landmarks, and to conduct data recovery excavations at any that were found to be eligible. The project began with intensive auger or shovel testing at all 11 sites in July–August 2005. Formal testing was done between December 2006 and February 2008, and data recovery excavations were undertaken at three sites—George Richey (41TT851), William Ford (41TT852), and James Richey (41TT853)—between January and June 2010. In total, the excavations consisted of the following: 1,147 auger tests at 10 sites and 31 shovel tests at the eleventh site; 386 backhoe trenches covering 2,695 m2 and 225 m2 of manual excavations at all 11 sites; and machine excavation of 215 sample units measuring 2.0 m long and 1.0 m wide on average and trackhoe stripping of about 6,875 m2 at the 3 data recovery sites. The excavations identified 378 cultural features, mostly postholes and pits, with much smaller numbers of burials, burned rock concentrations, artifact clusters, and middens. The artifacts recovered consist mainly of 11,713 ceramic sherds and vessels and 8,729 lithic tools and debitage. Most of these remains relate to occupation of the project area during the Middle–Late Caddo periods (a.d. 1250–1700), with minor amounts resulting from earlier and later use during the Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, Early Caddo, and Historic Caddo periods. The primary Middle–Late Caddo components at the three fully excavated sites represent use as rural farmsteads within a dispersed local community associated with the Titus phase Caddo. At least four of the tested sites were occupied less intensively during this same interval.

Geochronology of the Bolson sand sheet, New Mexico and Texas, and its archaeological significance: Discussion

As part of an archaeology study on the Fort Bliss Military Reservation in west Texas, [Hall et al. (2010)][1] reported optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates from two backhoe trenches referred to as localities 100 and 200. In both trenches, a sedimentary unit termed “Q3” was designated

Late Holocene evolution of playa lakes in the central Ebro depression based on geophysical surveys and morpho-stratigraphic analysis of lacustrine terraces

The origin and morpho-stratigraphic evolution of the largest playa-lake system (La Playa–El Pueyo) in the Bujaraloz–Sástago endorheic area, located in the semiarid central sector of the Ebro Depression, are analysed. The enclosed depressions are developed on gypsiferous Tertiary bedrock and show a prevalent WNW–ESE orientation parallel to the direction of the prevalent strong local wind (Cierzo). Yardangs have been carved in bedrock and unconsolidated terrace deposits in the leeward sector of the largest lake basins. A sequence of three lacustrine terrace levels has been identified by detailed geomorphological mapping. The treads of the upper, middle and lower terrace levels are situated at +9m, +6m and +0.5m above the playa-lake floors, respectively. Seismic refraction and electrical resistivity profiles acquired in La Playa reveal a thin basin fill (~2m) with a planar base. These data allow ruling out the genetic hypothesis for the depressions involving the collapse of large bedrock cavities and support a mixed genesis of combined widespread dissolution and subsidence by groundwater discharge and eolian deflation during dry periods. The 5m thick deposit of the middle terrace was investigated in hand-dug and backhoe trenches. Six AMS radiocarbon ages from this terrace indicate an aggradation phase between 3.9ka and ca. 2ka. These numerical ages yield a maximum average aggradation rate of 2.6mm/yr and a minimum excavation rate by wind deflation of 3mm/yr subsequent to the accumulation of the middle terrace. The latter figure compares well with those calculated in several arid regions of the world using yardangs carved in palaeolake deposits. The aggradation phase between 4 and 2ka is coherent with other Iberian and Mediterranean records showing relatively more humid conditions after 4ka, including the Iron Ages and the Iberian–Roman Period.

Pre-and post-Missoula flood geomorphology of the Pre-Holocene ancestral Columbia River Valley in the Portland forearc basin, Oregon and Washington, USA

Geomorphic landscape development in the pre-Holocene ancestral Columbia River Valley (1–5km width) in the Portland forearc basin (~50km length) is established from depositional sequences, which pre-date and post-date the glacial Lake Missoula floods. The sequences are observed from selected borehole logs (150 in number) and intact terrace soil profiles (56 in number) in backhoe trenches. Four sequences are widespread, including (1) a vertically aggraded Pleistocene alluvial plain, (2) a steep sided valley that is incised (125–150m) into the Pleistocene gravel plain, (3) Missoula flood terraces (19–13ka) abandoned on the sides of the ancestral valley, and (4) Holocene flooding surfaces (11–8ka) buried at 70–30m depth in the axial Columbia River Valley. Weathering rims and cementation are used for relative dating of incised Pleistocene gravel units. Soil development on the abandoned Missoula flood terraces is directly related to terrace deposit lithology, including thin Bw horizons in gravel, irregular podzols in sand, and multiple Bw horizons in thicker loess-capping layers. Radiocarbon dating of sand and mud alluvium in the submerged axial valley ties Holocene flooding surfaces to a local sea level curve and establishes Holocene sedimentation rates of 1.5cmyear−1 during 11–9ka and 0.3cmyear−1 during 9–0ka. The sequences of Pleistocene gravel aggradation, river valley incision, cataclysmic Missoula flooding, and Holocene submergence yield complex geomorphic landscapes in the ancestral lower Columbia River Valley.

Results of Cultural Resources Survey for the Spring Lake Section 206 Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project, Texas State University-San Marcos, Hays County, Texas

The Center for Archaeological Studies (CAS) at Texas State University-San Marcos conducted intensive archaeological survey and subsurface testing investigations of the Area of Potential Effect (APE) of the Spring Lake Section 206 Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Project (SLAERP). The SLAERP proposes to restore the aquatic ecosystem components of Spring Lake and riparian corridor/grassland habitat located directly adjacent to the lake to a more natural condition within the constraints of existing land uses. This work will be conducted under Section 206 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1996, which provides authority for the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to restore aquatic ecosystems. A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the USACE, Texas State University-San Marcos (TxState), and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) regarding the Spring Lake Aquatic Restoration Project required CAS to develop and implement a subsurface testing program to determine the extent of intact cultural deposits within the project area. A testing program was developed and implemented by CAS that included both terrestrial and underwater investigations. Terrestrial investigations consisted of pedestrian survey, shovel test excavation, test unit excavation, auger pit excavation and backhoe trench excavation. Underwater investigations included limited reconnaissance survey, test unit excavation and the extraction of sediment cores. Investigations were conducted within or adjacent to State Archaeological Landmarks 41HY160 and 41HY165. Neither site was adequately delineated prior to this undertaking, and the work reported here results in modified site boundaries within the APE. New site boundaries demonstrate nearly continuous deposits across the APE, confirming that these sites actually represent a single extensive complex of archaeological deposits associated with the freshwater springs that presently form Spring Lake. Based on pending impacts as indicated in the 65 percent project design documents together with the results of the survey, six areas were identified as “Archaeologically Sensitive,” as they contained or possess a high probability to contain cultural deposits that would be negatively impacted by proposed demolition, modifications, and construction. Each of these archaeologically sensitive areas is linked with either 41HY160 or 41HY165, although, given the continuous nature of deposits in the APE, CAS concludes that distinctions between these trinomials are less meaningful than previously believed. CAS recommended the development of mitigation efforts to offset the loss of important information from these areas.

Archeological Significance Testing at 41BX17/271, the Granberg Site: A Multi-Component Site along the Salado Creek in Bexar County, Texas

The Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted archeological significance testing at 41BX17, the Granberg Site, from January to March 2006. The testing was conducted for the Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs Division (TxDOT-ENV). The Granberg Site sits on the eastern flood terrace of the Salado Creek south of Loop 410 in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. Planned road improvements including installation of a storm sewer line and a water main prompted the need to assess whether (1) cultural deposits including human remains still exist after previous testing and (2) if the deposits contribute to the site’s National Register of Historic Places eligibility. The archeological work was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 4010. Steve A. Tomka served as Principal Investigator and Jennifer Thompson served as Project Archeologist. Fieldwork included mechanical auger boring and backhoe trenching to determine the horizontal extent of the site boundaries within the median of Loop 410 eastbound. Sixteen 1-x-1-m units were excavated to determine the distribution and integrity of the cultural deposits and to locate any possible burials that may still exist at the site. Materials recovered included burned rock features, chipped stone artifacts, animal bone, snail and mussel shell and charred plant remains. The distribution of the artifacts, the geomorphic investigations, the radiocarbon assays, and temporally diagnostic artifacts indicate the presence of Middle and Late Archaic archeological materials with good stratigraphic integrity. The Granberg Site was determined to be ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Following the completion of eligibility testing efforts, the TxDOT directed the CAR to develop a research design linking the data recovered from the various excavations at the Granberg Site with research goals. The CAR developed the research design (Munoz et al. 2007) under Work Authorization No. 57513SA005 with Cynthia M. Munoz serving as Project Archeologist. At roughly the time of the research design implementation, the CAR was the recipient of a donation of a collection of commingled human skeletal remains recovered from the Granberg Site. These remains were recovered from 41BX17/271 in 1962 by Harvey Kohnitz, an avocational archeologist, without knowledge or permission from the Texas Highway Department. The remains were stored at the Kohnitz home until his son, Mark Kohnitz, donated them to the CAR in 2007. An osteological analysis was conducted at the CAR laboratory during February 2008 for TxDOT, under Work Authorization No. 57513SA005 Supplemental Work

National Register Testing at 41BQ285, Bosque County, Texas: FM 56 Bridge Replacement at the North Bosque River

Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted archeological test excavations at 41BQ285 in June 2006 for the Texas Department of Transportation under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 4102. Site 41BQ285, in southeastern Bosque County, was located during an archeological survey for the proposed replacement of the FM 56 bridge over the North Bosque River. It is a prehistoric campsite buried in a cumulic soil in the upper deposits of a late Holocene alluvial terrace. Mechanical excavations consisted of re-opening four backhoe trenches from the survey phase followed by hand excavation of six 1x1-m test units. This work identified three burned rock features and yielded a moderate amount of materials, including projectile points and bifaces, pottery sherds, unmodified debitage, vertebrate faunal remains, and freshwater mussel shells. Diagnostic artifacts and five radiocarbon ages indicate that the site has a lower but rather ephemeral Late Archaic component and an upper and more substantial Late Prehistoric component. The Late Prehistoric component yielded Perdiz arrow points and ceramics, and it is radiocarbon dated to between a.d. 1280 and 1650. The evidence suggests a series of relatively short occupations and a focus on the use of local resources. Site activities included late-stage biface reduction and bifacial tool production, tool resharpening, and the exploitation and intensive processing of deer. Foodstuffs were processed and prepared using bifacial tools, ground and battered stone tools, rock-lined cooking basins, and small ceramic jars and bowls. The Late Prehistoric component is Toyah-like in many ways, but the small sample size and nature of the materials preclude assigning it a specific sociocultural group or archeological phase. Of particular interest are the five pottery sherds—two plain, two fingernail punctate, and one engraved sherd from a carinated bowl with a Caddo-like design. Geochemical analysis indicates that none of the pottery, including the engraved bowl sherd, matches any Caddo-made pottery from East Texas. The fact that a Caddo vessel form and decorative style appears on pottery that was probably made in or near Bosque County is interesting and adds a new dynamic to our understanding of the Toyah phenomenon in central Texas. The portion of site 41BQ285 within FM 56 is considered eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) or for designation as a State Archeological Landmark (SAL). However, current investigations already recovered most of the Late Prehistoric component within the spatially limited project area, and additional investigations inside the highway right of way cannot reasonably be expected to contribute any more significant archeological information. Therefore, no further fieldwork is recommended, and construction should be allowed to proceed.

Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Wurzbach Parkway Extension Project from Blanco Road to Wetmore Road, Bexar County, Texas

SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted an intensive cultural resources survey on behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), of the proposed Wurzbach Parkway Extension Project in San Antonio, Texas. TxDOT proposes to extend the existing Wurzbach Parkway approximately 5.3 miles between Farm-to-Market Road (FM) 2696 (Blanco Road) and Wetmore Road. The undertaking involves the new construction of a four-lane divided roadway within an approximately 250-foot right-of-way (ROW) that is state-owned property. Overall, the Area of Potential Effects (APE) is 27,984 feet long, 250 feet wide, and maximally 10 feet deep. Additionally, the APE covers roughly 51.77 acres of permanent and temporary easements. SWCA’s investigations of the Wurzbach Parkway Extension Project APE included a background review, and an intensive pedestrian survey with shovel testing and backhoe trenching of selected areas within the APE.

Backhoe Trenching on the Banks of the Old San Antonio River at Pyron Avenue, City of San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Backhoe Trenching on the Banks of the Old San Antonio River at Pyron Avenue, City of San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Rapid seismic reflection imaging at the Clovis period Gault site in central Texas

AbstractUsing a modified seismic reflection imaging system with rapid translation of receivers, stratigraphic profiles were collected at the Gault site in central Texas. For rapid data collection, spikeless geophone receivers were placed in sand‐filled bags at tight spacing, and these receivers were rapidly pulled along the ground surface between shots. Shots were produced by a small hammer strike to a vertical pipe at 20‐cm intervals. High quality ultrashallow seismic reflection profiles were collected at a rate of 25 m h−1, significantly faster than what is possible with conventional seismic reflection imaging using individually planted geophones. Ground‐penetrating radar was attempted, but abandoned owing to the poor penetration of the radar signals in the clay soils present at the Gault site. Electromagnetic induction grids were collected surrounding each seismic reflection profile, and provided information on near‐surface ground water. Seismic reflection images of Gault site stratigraphy provided greater depth penetration than accessible from backhoe trenching and coring, and helped to better outline the site geological context. Seismic images reveal coherent reflections at shallow depths (0–2.5 m), and extensive scattering at deeper levels (2.5–8 m), underlain by reflection‐free zones. These data are interpreted as clay and gravel layers overlaying palaeostream channels carved into the limestone bedrock. Where comparative data were available, the geophysical findings were corroborated by observations of site stratigraphy in archaeological excavation units, backhoe trenches and cores. Seismic reflection studies at the Gault site revealed a palaeochannel filled with pre‐Clovis age sediments. Pre‐Clovis age sediments are not known to occur at other locations within the Gault site. They provide a unique opportunity to test for cultural remains of great antiquity. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.