American Studies Commons^™

From Mounds To Monasteries: A Look At Spiro And Other Centers Through The Use Of Metaphor, Robert L. Brooks

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

Previous study of the extensive and elaborate funerary offerings at the Spiro site have explained their presence by an exchange system with Spiro functioning as a gateway center. More recently, Schambach has argued extensively and passionately for Spiro’s role as an entrepôt redistributive center. However, this argument fails to account for much of the accumulation of funerary items present at Spiro. As an alternative, I propose that some ceremonial centers such as Spiro functioned solely as religious centers, much like the monasteries of medieval Europe with parallels in the use of architecture, economic support, relics, and the treatment of individuals …

Archeological Investigations At The Hudnall-Pirtle Site (41rk4) An Early Caddo Mound Center In Northeast Texas, James E. Bruseth, Timothy K. Perttula, Gayle J. Fritz, Bonnie C. Yates

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

The Hudnall-Pirtle site (41RK4) is situated on a large T-1 alluvial terrace of the Sabine River in northern Rusk County in Texas. This area of the state, commonly called Northeast Texas, is part of the Southern Gulf Coastal Plain, a relatively level, sloping plain formed by the pre-Pleistocene embayment of the Gulf of Mexico.

From a biogeographical perspective, the site is located in the Oak-Hickory-Pine forest of eastern Texas, otherwise known as the Pineywoods. This area represents the western extension of the southern coniferous forests and is dominated by shortleaf and loblolly pine trees. Hardwood trees, including various oaks, hickory, …

Archaeological Testing At 41bp679, Bastrop County, Texas, Cynthia Moore Munoz

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

During the spring of 2006 (May 11 through May 18, 2006), the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted testing at 41BP679, a site formally listed as a State Archaeological Landmark. Site 41BP679 is located in Bastrop County at the confluence of the Colorado River and Spring Branch Creek, one of its tributaries. The site is on land that is the proposed location for the City of Bastrop Wastewater Treatment Plant. The installation of outflow pipes will impact the northern portion of 41BP679. The testing was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 4117, …

Archaeological Testing Associated With The Stabilization Of Room 4 At Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, Jennifer L. Thompson

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

In May 2006, The Center for Archaeological Research excavated one test unit at the exterior north wall of Room 4, west of the chimney at Mission San Juan Capistrano. The excavation occurred to assess the condition of the foundation and the dimensions of a more recent concrete footing before restoration of the collapsed north wall. The excavation found disturbed deposits throughout the test unit, but was able to locate and record the architectural features for Ford, Powell, and Carson, Architects and Planners, Inc., the project sponsors. A composite map of all excavations conducted at the mission since 1931 is included …

Archaeological Testing For The Walker Ranch Park Bridge Project (41bx1271), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, Barbara A. Meissner

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

In April 2006 the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of the University of Texas at San Antonio was contracted by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Antonio to perform subsurface investigations within the boundaries of site 41BX1251, in north-central San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The purpose of the testing was to learn if the concrete abutment of a planned pedestrian bridge over Salado Creek would impact significant archaeological deposits in this site, which is a part of the Walker Ranch National Historic District.

Five shovel tests and one backhoe trench were excavated. The shovel tests were …

Archaeological Testing At 41bp678, Bastrop County, Texas, Antonia L. Figueroa

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

During the spring of 2006 (April 27 through May 4, 2006), the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted testing at 41BP678, a site formally listed as a State Archaeological Landmark. Site 41BP678 is located in Bastrop County at the confluence of the Colorado River and Spring Branch Creek, one of its tributaries. The site is on land that is the proposed location for the City of Bastrop Wastewater Treatment Plant. The installation of outflow pipes and the excavation of a 500-foot deep water well and associated utilities installations will impact the central …

Testing Of A Portion Of Site 41wn104 In Advance Of Proposed Improvements To Jackson Nature Park, Stockdale, Wilson County, Texas, Antonia L. Figueroa

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

On July 25, 2006 the Center for Archaeological Research at The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted archaeological testing on portions of 41WN104 located in the Jackson Nature Park in Wilson County, Texas. The archaeological work, performed for the Office of the Wilson County Judge, was conducted on portions of 41WN104 that will be impacted by park improvements. The proposed improvements for the Jackson Nature Park will consist of the construction of a pavilion, a headquarters building and the addition of a septic tank. The three planned facilities will be connected with water and utilities lines. The construction of …

Archeological Survey Report Of Fm 536 Improvements Project Near Floresville, Wilson County, Texas, Karla J. Córdova

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 was contracted by Civil Engineering Consultants, Inc. (CEC) of San Antonio to conduct an archeological survey of the proposed improvements within the right-of-way (ROW) of FM 536 near Floresville, Wilson County, Texas. The archeological work was necessary to address the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Antiquities Code of 1966, as amended. The archeological services were performed on behalf of CEC and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to identify any archeological properties that may be eligible for listing on the National Register …

Archaeological Survey Of The North Salado Greenway Belt, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, Antonia L. Figueroa, Kristi M. Ulrich

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

A pedestrian survey was conducted in March and May of 2006 along a portion of Salado Creek located between Blanco Road and Huebner Road in the northern part of San Antonio. The Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio, in conjunction with volunteers from the South Texas Archeological Association, carried out the survey to fulfill the requirements of the contract with Rehler Vaughn and Koone, Inc., of San Antonio. The work was conducted in advanced of construction of hike and bike trails proposed by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Antonio. …

Intensive Pedestrian Survey Along The Banks Of The San Antonio River: Museum “Urban” Reach Section Of The San Antonio River Improvements Project, Bexar County, Texas, Antonia L. Figueroa, Kristi M. Ulrich, Christopher Caran, Charles A. Speer

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

In the spring and fall of 2005, the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio carried out reconnaissance and intensive pedestrian survey of the Museum “Urban” Reach portion of the San Antonio River Improvements Project in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The excavation of eight backhoe trenches and the stratigraphy of 17 auger boreholes revealed the San Antonio River and adjacent properties have been modified extensively since Spanish Colonial settlement. Due to the extensive modifications, the likelihood of encountering prehistoric and early historic sites along the Museum Reach portion of the San Antonio River is …

Data Recovery Excavations At 41pr44, Fort Wolters, Parker County, Texas, Raymond P. Mauldin, Antonia L. Figueroa

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

During the spring of 2004, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted data recovery excavations at site 41PR44 on Fort Wolters. The site had been surveyed and tested by the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory (Brownlow 2001; Brownlow et al. 1999). The results of that testing suggested that the site contained a high density of burned rock features, chipped stone, and bone that dated to the Late Prehistoric period, with additional material possibly dating to the Late Archaic. Based on the testing, site 41PR44 was recommended as eligible for inclusion on the National …

Data Recovery Excavations At The J. B. White Site (41mm341), Milam County, Texas, E. Frances Gadus, Ross C. Fields, Karl W. Kibler

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

In summer and fall 2002, personnel with Prewitt and Associates, Inc., undertook data recovery excavations at prehistoric site 41MM341 for the Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs Division, to address the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and the Texas Antiquities Code. Site 41MM341 is in central Milam County, Texas, just southeast of the town of Cameron, on a low rise in the modern floodplain of the Little River. The excavations were necessitated by the planned replacement of the State Highway 36 bridge spanning the Little River floodplain, which will directly affect the archeological deposits at …

National Register Testing At 41sv153, Somervell County, Texas, Timothy B. Griffith, Douglas K. Boyd

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

Archeological test excavations at 41SV153 were completed by Prewitt and Associates, Inc., in 2004 in conjunction with Texas Department of Transportation road improvements on State Highway 144 in eastern Somervell County. The site is situated in Holocene alluvial deposits adjacent to Squaw Creek, a tributary of the Brazos River. Excavations revealed sparse lithic artifacts, scattered burned rocks, and displaced burned rock features. No organic remains were recovered, and the age of the cultural occupations is not known. The portion of 41SV153 within the proposed construction easement is considered not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or …

An Oral History Of Camp Swift: 2004 Interviews, Martha Doty Freeman, David L. Nickels, Thad Sitton

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

The Adjutant General’s Department of Texas contracted with the Center for Archaeological Studies, Texas State University-San Marcos (CAS) to conduct an oral history project at Camp Swift in Bastrop County. The oral history project could provide information useful in determining National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility assessments of archaeological sites. The facility’s use by the Texas Army National Guard for military training began during World War II, and the Adjutant General’s Department has overseen management of cultural resources for the camp since the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act in 1965. Archaeological inventory of the area began as …

Sandyland Farmers: Life In The Countryside Before Camp Swift, 1920–1942, Thad Sitton

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

This Center for Archaeological Studies report uses oral history to explore the lost countryside through the words and memories of the Bastrop County sandyland farms that predated Camp Swift.

Archaeological Investigations At The Levi Jordan Plantation State Historic Site, Brazoria County, Texas, Carole Leezer

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

At the request of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), the Center for Archaeological Studies (CAS) at Texas State University-San Marcos conducted limited test excavations at the Levi Jordan Plantation State Historic Site (41BO165). The Levi Jordan Plantation was established by Levi Jordan in 1848. At its height, this antebellum sugar and cotton plantation sat on more than 2,000 acres of rich river bottomlands in the Gulf Coastal Plains of Brazoria County, Texas. Limited test excavations focused on areas around and within the main house, in addition to areas to be developed for interpretation and public access to the …

National Register Evaluation Of Eight Sites At Camp Swift Army National Guard Training Center, Bastrop County, Texas: Swift V, Jon C. Lohse, C. Britt Bousman

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

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 …

Summer 2006, 90.9 Wmpg Fm

WMPG Program Guides

Newspaper format. "The WMPG 'Zine"

"Monkeying With The Bible”: Edgar J. Goodspeed's American Translation, R. Bryan Bademan

History Faculty Publications

Devotion to the Bible remains an underappreciated aspect of American religious life partly because it fails to generate controversy. This essay opens a window onto America's relationship with the Bible by exploring a controversial moment in the history of the Bible in America: the public reception of University of Chicago professor Edgar J. Goodspeed's American Translation (1923). Initially, at least, most Americans flatly rejected Goodspeed's impeccably credentialed attempt to cast the language of the Bible in contemporary "American" English. Accusations of the professor's irreligion, bad taste, vulgarity, and crass modernity emerged from nearly every quarter of the Protestant establishment (with …

Prairie Suite: A Celebration, Twyla Hansen, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard Collection

25 poems by Twyla Hansen, with illustrations by Paul A. Johnsgard, including:

Walk on the Prairie

There is mystery here, in the shapes of grass,
in the dim movements of an inland sea,
connections to an earlier time. Wander barefoot,
hypothesize the dance of millennia, the unbearable
carvings of the built environment, this ragtag escape.

Let its divine simplicity ooze into your pores.
Comb the steel from your hair, blanket your
tongue with orange. Your breathing will slow.
Breathing slow, unbutton the child within.
Give her permission to go fly a kite.

Archeological Impact Evaluations And Surveys In The Texas Department Of Transportation's Corpus Christi, Laredo, Pharr, And San Antonio Districts 2003-2005, Timothy B. Griffith, Ross C. Fields, E. Frances Gadus, Karl W. Kibler

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

This document constitutes the final report of work done by Prewitt and Associates, Inc. (PAI), under a contract from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide archeological services in four TxDOT districts—Corpus Christi, Laredo, Pharr, and San Antonio. Under this contract, PAI completed Impact Evaluations and Surveys to assist TxDOT in meeting the requirements of their Memorandum of Understanding with the Texas Historical Commission and a Programmatic Agreement between the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Federal Highway Administration, the Texas Historical Commission, and TxDOT. The contract began on March 17, 2003, and the last work authorization was issued …

Archeological Impact Evaluations And Surveys In The Texas Department Of Transportation's Abilene, Austin, Brownwood, Bryan, Fort Worth, Waco, And Yoakum Districts, 2001-2003, Ross C. Fields, Karl W. Kibler, E. Frances Gadus, Douglas K. Boyd, Timothy B. Griffith

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

This document constitutes the final report of work done by Prewitt and Associates, Inc. (PAI), under a contract from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to provide archeological services in seven TxDOT districts—Abilene, Austin, Brownwood, Bryan, Fort Worth, Waco, and Yoakum. Under this contract, PAI completed Impact Evaluations and Surveys to assist TxDOT in meeting the requirements of their Memorandum of Understanding with the Texas Historical Commission and a Programmatic Agreement among the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the Federal Highway Administration, the Texas Historical Commission, and TxDOT. The contract began on 21 September 2001, and the last work authorization …

Summer 2005, 90.9 Wmpg Fm

WMPG Program Guides

Summer 2005

Juanitas Family: Catherine Hufana (Youth), Lori Iwamasa

Filipino American Stories

Catherine Hufana grew up in Stockton, California. Her Filipino culture runs deep in her family and she has always felt “Filipino.” However, after visiting the Phillipines in 1992, Catherine realized that she identified much more strongly with Americans than native Filipinos. As an American, Catherine’s upbringing was much different than her parents. She was raised in a household that spoke mostly English, although her parents are bilingual. As Catherine struggled to fit in with her American peers, her parents continued to introduce her to their own Filipino culture…

Sosa Family: Evangelina Sosa (Elder), Tammy Hunt

Mexican American Stories

Evangelina Sosa begins her story of love and family in Sonora, Mexico. She was born in a small town called Agua Prieta, but raised in Sonora. Life in Mexico revolved around her large family of eleven brothers and sisters. Her father worked as a carpenter and her mother was a homemaker and seamstress. Although Evangelina was only able to attend school through the sixth grade, her mother taught her important domestic skills. Evangelina learned to sew and cook at a very young age, which enabled her to help her mother care for the large family and assist with the sewing…

Cuevas Family: Ricardo Cuevas (Middle), Janelle Fleming

Mexican American Stories

Growing up as the eldest of five children, Ricardo Cuevas had a sense of responsibility and of being more of an adult than his younger siblings. Ricardo was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and grew up in the neighboring town of Zapotitan. He has three sisters—Reynalda, Angelica, Marisela and a brother Gerardo. His feelings of responsibility were enhanced by the absence of his father, who first came to the U.S. in 1961. Ricardo’s father wanted to make a better life for his family, but to do that he first had to leave behind his wife and two young children…

Komure Family: Dean Komure (Middle), Lori Iwamasa

Japanese American Stories

Dean Komure grew up, knowing in his heart, that if his word was good, he would always have something. That would be the pride of being a Japanese American. Dean learned this from his parents and it is what he has passed on to his children…

Hirata Family: Toshiye Hirata (Elder), Amy E. Smith

Japanese American Stories

Toshiye Hirata holds in her hands a valuable letter. Its value doesn’t come from the fame of the writer or from historical significance—but rather from the intense depth of its personal meaning for her. The letter is a Namu Amida Butsu, a Buddhist expression of sincerest, heartfelt gratitude. It was written to her by her husband, Roy Ko Hirata. In the letter he thanks her from the bottom of his heart for how she raised two daughters and a son with him, diligently and lovingly, and how she worked side by side with him through the many hardships of their …

Archeological Survey Of The Proposed State Highway 288 Access Road Bridges, In Harris And Brazoria Counties, Texas, Douglas G. Mangum, Roger G. Moore

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

On February 22, 2005 a crew from Moore Archeological Consulting, Inc. performed a shovel test survey of the proposed State Highway 288 Access Road Bridges Project in Harris and Brazoria Counties, Texas. This was performed for S&B Infrastructure and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) under Antiquities Permit Number 3681. The results will be subject to review by TxDOT, S&B and the Texas Historical Commission.

A total of 10 shovel tests were excavated in the Project Area which totaled approximately 2 acres. The Project Corridor was entirely within the existing, state-owned, right-of-way. No prehistoric or historic resources or features were …

The Rainbow Site, An Unusual Syrup Mill In Gregg County, Texas, S. Alan Skinner

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

The Rainbow site is a historic archaeological site that was recorded during a cultural resources survey of a proposed Wal-Mart SuperCenter site in Longview, Texas. It was first interpreted as the location of an illegal whiskey still, but testing revealed that the furnace had been part of a sugar cane syrup mill. The early 1900s furnace is unusual when compared to other reported furnaces in that the firebox had been constructed below the original ground level and the flue/pan area had walls that were barely 1.5 ft. above the surrounding ground, whereas most furnaces were constructed on level ground and …