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Sebastopol State Historical Park (41gu9), Seguin, Texas: Archeological Excavations, 1978-1988, Sandra R. Sauer, Art Black, Cynthia Brandimarte

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The town of Seguin in Guadalupe County, Texas, was known for its numerous limecrete structures. Limecrete structures probably once numbered more than 100; now, the house known as Sebastopol is one of only two still standing. Between 1978 and 1988, archeological excavations were conducted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in and around Sebastopol. The excavations were preparatory to and in conjunction with architectural restoration of the building and development of the site as a State Historical Park. Archeological excavations were intended to evaluate only those areas impacted by the architectural restoration. Excavation units were placed primarily in and …

Cultural Resources Survey For A Joing Task Force Six (Jtf-6) Action In Webb, Maverick, And Dimmit Counties, Texas, Jeffrey D. Owens, Johnna L. Buysse, Steve Gaither

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In an effort to aid United States Border Patrol efforts to combat smuggling and illegal immigration in south Texas, road improvements have been proposed along the U.S.-Mexico international border in three south Texas counties by Joint Task Force Six (JTF-6). JTF-6 Operation Number JT513/515/425-98 consists of a single action in Webb, Maverick, and Dimmit counties, Texas. This action includes the repair/upgrade of approximately 211.0 km (131. 1 mi) of existing roads, the construction of roughly 176.7 km (109.8 mi) of new roads (totaling 387.7 km (240.9 mi), the excavation of three borrow pits, the construction of an equipment storage area, …

Fanthorp Inn State Historical Park (41gm79), Grimes County, Texas: Archeological Excavations, 1983-1989, Susan R. Sauer

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

This report summarizes archeological investigations conducted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at Fanthorp Inn State Historical Park from 1983 to 1989. This work was necessary to accompany architectural restoration of the inn as it appeared during the period between 1850 and 1867. Since restoration was completed, Fanthorp Inn State Historical Park in Anderson, Grimes County, has been run as an interpretive site representing a transportation and communication center of the mid-nineteenth century. The archeological excavations were intended to evaluate the areas impacted by the architectural restoration and to determine the appearance of the grounds during the mid-nineteenth century. …

Lake Sam Rayburn Archaeological Site Inventory And Monitoring Project, Velicia Hubbard

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In January 1995, the East Texas Archeological Society (ETAS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and the Texas Historical Commission (THC) agreed to cooperate in a partnership project to inventory and monitor archaeological sites along the Lake Sam Rayburn shoreline. A Letter of Intent (LOI-095-02) was formulated and signed, stating that:

the participants are mutually interested in fostering integrated problem solving among heritage resource managers regarding historic preservation issues, with special emphasis on training and information sharing. The Forest Service [and the COE] will gain additional information on the condition and location of archeological …

Decorated Caddoan Ceramics From Two Sites On The Elm Fork Of The Trinity River, Dallas County, Texas, Timothy K. Perttula

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Caddoan pottery is widely distributed as items of trade and exchange across the northern and eastern parts of the state of Texas (and indeed in several other states outside Texas), although specific information on the amounts and/or kinds of Caddoan pottery actually recovered in such non-Caddoan archaeological contexts is still quite spotty. Over the last several years, l have been compiling this ceramic information where it is available (i.e., in the published literature, from unpublished papers, and in the collections of avocational archaeologists) as part of a broader study of prehistoric Caddoan interaction and trade with neighboring groups. In this …

Historic European Trade Goods From The Willis Place #2 (41bw147) Site In Bowie County, Texas, Timothy K. Perttula, Jay C. Blaine

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In this paper we report on possible historic European trade materials found at the Willis Place #2 site (41BW147), an aboriginal site along the Red River a few miles west of Texarkana, Texas. The possible trade materials were recovered in the 1970s by the landowner, Mr. Julian Cranfill, from a ''fire pit" (or hearth?) exposed during plowing of a natural levee a short distance from the current channel of the river.

Reconstruction Of The Part Vegetation On The Headwaters Of The Piney Creek Watershed In Houston And Trinity Counties, Texas, Velicia R. Hubbard, David H. Jurney

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The National Forests and Grasslands of Texas began a project in 1994 for ecosystem management involving multiple disciplines in an holistic approach to resource inventories. We first began with an intensive archival study of the forest acquisition files and the General Land Office (GLO) files in an effort to identify the western limits of the longleaf pine at the time of initial Anglo-American settlement ca. 1850. Vegetation information was gleaned from this work along with an understanding of the historical occupation of the area, aided by plotting this information onto USGS 7.5' maps overlain by the historic Tobin landownership maps. …

Why We Don't Know Much About The Archaic Period In Northeast Texas, Ross C. Fields

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

While there have been a few studies in recent years that have offered some interesting ideas about the lifeways of the Native Americans that occupied Northeast Texas during Archaic · times, most of what we know (or think we know) about the subject is based on limited data, and much of that data really is not of very good quality. For example, we think that Archaic peoples were nomadic hunter-gatherers who roamed the landscape, staying in one spot only for a few weeks or less until they had collected all the hickory nuts or hunted all the deer they could …

The Archaic Period In East Texas And Surrounding Areas, Timothy K. Perttula

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

It is a tradition of the East Texas Archeological Conference to focus the afternoon portion of the meeting on a particular archeological theme or topic, and ask archaeologists active in the field to come talk at the Conference on these specific themes or topics and then participate in a panel discussion. We have done that with panels on site protection efforts in 1993, the origins of mound-building in the Caddoan area in 1994, the Paleoindian archaeological record in 1995, and the Caddoan people and missions in 1996.

Not With A Bang, But A Whimper: The End Of The Archaic In Northeast Texas, Maynard B. Cliff

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The Archaic period in Northeast Texas lasted for thousands of years and, if this length of time can be taken as any indication, it was as an extremely successful adaptation to the Holocene environment of North America. Accepting this view, however, begs the question: "why and how did the Archaic period come to an end?"

This paper uses the term "Archaic" to describe a "way of life" (see Story 1990:211), and in this sense, the Archaic period in eastern North America may be seen as a "tradition," characterized by small, band-level societies, marked by an economy based on "hunting, fishing, …

Radiocarbon And Oxidizable Carbon Ratio Dates From Archaeological Sites In East Texas, Part Ii, Timothy K. Perttula

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

This paper presents a second compilation of recently obtained radiocarbon and oxidizable carbon ratio dates obtained from archaeological sites in East Texas. An analysis of the age ranges in the more than 585 dates from East Texas archaeological sites indicate that most pertain to prehistoric and protohistoric Caddoan Indian occupations, particularly the Early (A.D. 1000-1200) and Middle Caddoan (A.D. 1200-1400) periods when prehistoric Caddoan settlements were widely distributed throughout the region.

Archaeological Investigations At The Redwine Site (41sm193), Smith County, Texas, Mark Walters, Patti Haskins, David H. Jurney, S. Eileen Goldborer, Timothy K. Perttula

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The Redwine site (41SM193) is a probable Middle Caddoan habitation site located on an upland terrace (Figure I) on the headwaters of Auburn Creek, a small tributary of the Sabine River in central Smith County; the Angelina River drainage basin begins about 1.5 km to the south of the site. Auburn Creek is about 100 meters to the north of the site. The Sabine River lies approximately 24 km to the north. Soils on the Redwine site are Bowie fine sandy loam.

The site was discovered in the early 1960s by Sam Whlteside an avocational archaeologist who lived in the …

Reflections On The Early Ceramic Period And The Terminal Archaic In South Central East Texas, James E. Corbin

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The most significant shift in cultural adaptation in eastern Texas is generally attributed to the Caddoan cultures. Consequently, considerably more archaeology has been focused on the period from ca. A.D. 800-1750 than to the preceding 1000 years of culture change and adaptation. During this period, ceramics and the bow and arrow were incorporated into the subsistence tool kit of the indigenous Archaic cultures of the region. Demographic shifts on the landscape suggest that these societies were exploiting and/or settling on a different and/or greater range of environmental niches than the previous or subsequent societies. The archaeological record also suggests the …

Por Las Espaldas Se Nos Van Entrando Con Silencio: Fr. Hidalgo's Letter To The Viceroy, Mariah F. Wade

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The translation of historical documents is essential to the practices of archaeology and ethnohistory. The present translation presents the complete text of a letter written by Fray Francisco Hidalgo to the Viceroy of New Spain on November 4, 1716. This translation strives for accuracy and adds contextual information to enhance the value of the document. Fray Hidalgo's letter exemplifies how Spanish officials acquired information about the French and the various Native groups, and how they viewed their interrelationships, actions, and customs. It confirms that Fr. Hidalgo did write two letters to the French officials in Louisiana, includes important floral and …

The Potential Applications Of Optical Dating To The Sandy Uplands Of East Texas And Northwest Louisiana, Charles D. Frederick, Mark D. Bateman

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The fine, sandy soils of East Texas and Northwest Louisiana have been the source of archaeological debate for some time. This discourse concerns the mode of burial of cultural material in the easily eroded soils and the mechanics of recent (Holocene) landform evolution. Because these deposits are typically well-drained, organic matter does not preserve well, thus hindering the dating of the geomorphic events that figure prominently in their development and the prehistoric occupations which lie buried throughout uplands of this region. A relatively new dating technique, optical dating, has much to offer this region and the archaeological community as it …

A Keno Trailed Vessel From The Spoonbill Site In Wood County, Texas, Mark Walters

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

A Keno Trailed vessel was discovered by J. A. Walters in 1967 at the Spoonbill Caddo site (41WD109) on the east side of Caney Creek in Wood County, Texas. The site is on a terrace 0.75 miles from Caney Creek, and 0.5 miles east of Crane Lake, a natural lake in the Caney Creek floodplain. The Spoonbill site was later investigated by Southern Methodist University archaeologists in 1 CJ79, prior to the creation of Lake Fork Reservoir. During construction of the reservoir, the portion of the site excavated by Mr. Walters was destroyed by new road construction.

Mr. Walters excavated …

Caddo Lake Archaeology: Phase I Of Archaeological Investigations Along Harrison Bayou, Harrison County, Texas, Timothy K. Perttula, Daniel J. Prikryl, Bo Nelson, Sergio A. Iruegas

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

An important part of the mission of the Caddo Lake Institute, Inc. and its Caddo Lake Scholars Program is the preservation and protection of the unique and irreplaceable cultural heritage of Caddo Lake and its bioregion, the Big Cypress Bayou watershed. The archaeology team of the Scholars Program is meeting these objectives with the initiation of the Harrison Bayou project by:

(a) offering archaeological education and training of teachers, students, and potential mentors,

(b) through fieldwork and research, identifying, assessing, and designating archaeological, historical, and cultural resources of the Caddo Lake bioregion, and

( c) formulating and implementing strategies for …

Archaeological Investigations At 34wg220: A Prehistoric Occupation In The Arkansas River Valley Of Eastern Oklahoma, Robert Bartlett

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In January and February of 1997, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) conducted archaeological work at site 34WG220 within right-of-way for a project involving realignment of SH-72 just south of Coweta, Wagoner County, Oklahoma. The site investigation consisted of the monitoring of trench excavation as well as controlled machine stripping. A few prehistoric artifacts, none of which are diagnostic, were found during the investigation. However, two cultural features were discovered during the monitoring of the trench excavation. The features were investigated by hand excavation of a 1 x 2 test unit.

Obsidian Artifacts From The Ozark Area, Don R. Dickson

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In a paper presented at the Ozark Prehistory II session at the Society for American Archaeology meeting in New Orleans in 1996, the author stated that available evidence suggested two possible movements of Plains oriented peoples into the Ozark area during prehistoric times. The first of these was during the Late Archaic, and is reflected in quantities of Hanna, Duncan, and McKean bifaces being found in western Ozark sites. All of these types were named by Wheeler for examples recovered from Late Archaic sites in Wyoming. Although Perino suggests that the northeastern Oklahoma examples are only similar and should be …

Research Notes: Conch Shell Cups And Black Drink, Jesse Todd

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

Conch shell cups appear during Caddoan times as part of trade with other Mississippian groups.

Preliminary Report On The James Bayou Survey: A Search For Sha-Childni-Ni (1795-1840), Claude Mccrocklin

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

This is a preliminary report on an archaeological survey of the James Bayou area of Marion County, Texas that started in February, 1998 and is still continuing. The primary goal of the survey was to find the location of the large 1795-1840 Caddo Indian village called by them Sha-Childn-Ni (Timber Hill). Historical research and two early maps of 1811 and 1841 clearly show the village on the south side of James Bayou. The sites found prove that both maps are right. This is a report on Sites 2 and 3 of the four sites found to date. [Ed note: A …

Caddo Ceramics From The Middle Caddoan Period Knight's Bluff Site (41cs14), Cass County, Texas, Timothy K. Perttula

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

During 1997 investigations by the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory associated with the placement of a utility sewer line trench at the Knight's Bluff site (41CS14), and the relocation of the prehistoric midden/cemetery at the site, a wide assortment of Caddo ceramics was found. The sample of ceramics includes 651 vessel sherds (including 240 decorated sherds), three pipe sherds, and five pieces of burned clay. With the exception of nine sherds from the camp sewer line trench area, the remainder of the ceramic assemblage is from in and immediately around the midden/cemetery area located near the bluff edge in the western …

Investigations Of The Southeast Gateway At Mission San Jose, Bexar County, Texas, Cynthia L. Tennis

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In April 1996, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archaeological investigations in the vicinity of the southeast gate at Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo, 41BX3. This investigation was necessitated by final-stage improvements associated with the construction of the National Park Service Visitors’ Center which included the installation of a storm drain to channel rain water away from the mission compound. The drain was scheduled to run from a point 22 ft inside the mission compound, through the southeast gateway, and to connect with an existing drainage system …

41mv120: A Stratified Late Archaic Site In Maverick County, Texas, Bradley J. Vierra

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

This report presents the findings of the data recovery program conducted at site 41MV120. The excavation was conducted under a contractual agreement with the Texas Department of Transportation under Texas Antiquities Permit number 1622. A total of 9,147 lithic artifacts, 30,903 g of fire-cracked rock, 1623 g of mussel shells, 457 g of snails, 43 macrobotanical samples, 79 historic artifacts, and 15 bones was recovered from these excavations. 41MV120 is a stratified Late Archaic site dating from ca. 2200-1200 B.P. It was periodically inundated by floodwaters from the Rio Grande which buried a series of occupational levels. The site appears …

An Archaeological Survey Of The New Braunfels Little League Project, Comal County, Texas, John W. Arnn Iii

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In February 1997, the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by the city of New Braunfels to conduct an archaeological investigation of an area to be impacted by the proposed construction of Little League baseball fields. CAR staff conducted a pedestrian survey of the project area along the Dry Comal Creek and monitored backhoe trenching operations. Two sites were recorded and assigned trinomials: Site 41 CM220 lies on an active floodplain and probably represents an open prehistoric campsite with a Late Paleoindian period component. The site is in a previously disturbed setting …

An Archaeological Investigation Of Comanche Lookout Park, Northeast Bexar County, Texas, David L. Nickels

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

During the week of September 22 through 26, 1997, staff archaeologists from the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The Unviersity of Texas at San Antonio conducted a 100-percent-pedestrian survey and limited shovel testing at Comanche Lookout Park in northeastern Bexar County, Texas (Figure 1). The archaeological investigation was conducted at the request of the city of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department as part of an overall development plan for the 96-acre parcel (Figure 2). The purpose of the survey was to identify archaeological sites visible on the surface as well as areas where sites are potentially buried. CAR …

Archaeological Testing At Goliad State Park, Goliad County, Texas, Johanna M. Hunziker, Anne A. Fox

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In December 1996, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio entered into a contract with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to conduct archaeological investigations at Mission Espiritu Santo in Goliad State Park. On December 17, 1996, a seven-member field crew from CAR excavated 32 shovel tests along the proposed trench for replacement of existing park water and electrical lines between the mission compound and the camping area. Artifacts recovered from the shovel tests include Spanish colonial ceramics, glass, metal, stone tools and debitage, and a large quantity of animal bone. Most of …

Archaeological Investigation Of The Gristmill At Mission San Jose Y San Miguel De Aguayo, San Antonio, Texas, Andrew J. Scease, Kevin J. Gross

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio undertook archaeological investigations of the gristmill and adjacent areas at Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo in San Antonio, Texas, in mid-December 1996. The work was completed in advance of work proposed for making the mill operational. The restoration required that six areas be examined: a set of limestone staircases crossing the acequia near the mill, the interior of the mill's sluice, the forebay, the floor of the mill vault, a small portion of the mill race, and a stone-lined pit that is presumed …

An Archaeological Survey Of A Pipeline Right-Of-Way Along Loop 1604 From Ih-37 To The San Antonio River, Southeast Bexar County, Texas, David L. Nickels, Christopher E. Horrell, Gilbert T. Bernhardt, Preston W. Mcwhorter, Lee C. Nordt

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

In February 1997, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by the San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS) to conduct an intensive archaeological survey and geomorphological study along a proposed 5 .5-km water main right-of-way, from the junction of ill -3 7 and Loop 1604 to the San Antonio River in southeast Bexar County. Upon completion of a 1 DO-percent pedestrian survey, 10 backhoe trenches, and 152 shovel tests, CAR concluded that no significant cultural remains would be impacted by excavations for the proposed water main, and recommends that no further archaeological …

An Archaeological Survey Of Walker Ranch Park, Bexar County, Texas, Steve A. Tomka

Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State

The Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an intensive surface survey and subsurface testing for cultural resources at the proposed Walker Ranch Park, in northwest San Antonio, Bexar County. Disturbances associated with the park are to include the construction of a parking lot, playground, pavilion, walking/jogging trail, ramps and traffic paths for wheelchair access to the park, and the installation of utility and drainage lines associated with these facilities. The project was carried out under contract with the city of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department between December 1 and 4, 1997. …