Other American Studies Commons^™

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 …

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. …

Archaeological Investigation Of A Spring Lake Lot For Joe's Crab Shack Parking, Owen A. Ford, Anthony S. Lyle

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

On August 19 and 25, 1997, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an intensive survey for cultural resources at the proposed location of a parking lot for Joe's Crab Shack Restaurants along Spring Lake, Hays County, Texas. The work was contracted by Southwest Texas State University (SWTSU) and conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit number 1877. Upon completion of the survey and subsurface testing, CAR determined that no cultural resources would be impacted by the planned parking lot construction. CAR therefore recommended that the project sponsor be allowed to proceed as planned …

Archaeological Monitoring For The City Of San Antonio: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Expansion, Cynthia L. Tennis, I. Waynne Cox

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

In 1997, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archaeological investigations for the city of San Antonio in conjunction with construction activities for the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center Expansion Project in downtown San Antonio. This project included monitoring of mechanical excavations, Gradall testing in selected areas, and mitigating one structure foundation. Through these efforts, 25 post -1850 historic features were identified and recorded.

An Archaeological Survey For The Bexar County Correctional Facility At Cagnon Road, San Antonio, Texas, Diane A. Cargill, Brett A. Houk, David L. Nickels

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

An archaeological survey was conducted near Cagnon Road by the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas for Bexar County. The project area is the proposed location for the Bexar County Correctional Facility. Intensive pedestrian survey and backhoe trenching were employed to determine the presence and depth of cultural material in the project area. One prehistoric site, characterized by a surface lithic scatter, was identified. Due to thin topsoil and agricultural activities, the site exists in a disturbed context. Furthermore, the presence of shallow Cretaceous age subsoil precludes finding buried in situ cultural material in the project area. …

Archaeological Monitoring Of The Heb-Gsa Parking Lot: Impacts To The San Pedro Acequia, I. Waynne Cox, Brett A. Houk

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

In October, 1997, the Center for Archaeological Research of The Univeristy of Texas at San Antonio monitored parking lot construction activities at the Federal Center (4IBX622), part of the old United States Arsenal, in downtown San Antonio, Texas. The new parking lot, being constructed by H. E. Butt Grocery Company on land leased from the General Services Adminstration, will impact a section of the San Pedro Acequia which runs beneath an existing parking lot in the same location. The monitoring of these activities documented two sections of the acequia and corrected previous projections of the acequia's route. It is CAR's …

An Archaeological Survey Of The Proposed Retama/Selma Monopole Project, Bradley J. Vierra, Brett A. Houk, Diane A. Cargill

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 archaeological survey of the proposed Retama/Selma Monopole Project for Southwestern Bell Wireless. The investigations included two backhoe trenches, four shovel tests, and a 100-percent pedestrian survey of the project area and access road. The backhoe trenches and shovel tests did not encounter any subsurface artifacts or features, but the pedestrian survey discovered a lithic scatter in the access road. This site, designated 41GU39, contains an Early Archaic component as evidenced by a Gower point. The artifacts appear to be confined to the surface and …

Archaeological Survey At Rancho De Las Cabras, San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, 41wn30, Wilson County, Texas, Diane A. Cargill, Maureen Brown, Lee C. Nordt, C. Britt Bousman

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

A two-stage archaeological investigation and preliminary geomorphological assessment was conducted at Rancho de las Cabras, San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, by the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio for the National Park Service (NPS). The investigation was prompted by NPS plans to construct a parking lot and visitors' center near the Spanish colonial ruins (41WN30). The geomorphological investigations are preliminary, with more fieldwork needed to test the proposed working model; however, the geomorphological conclusions suggest widespread potential for finding buried prehistoric sites in the alluvial terraces.

Four newly identified surface lithic scatter …

Mission San Jose Indian Quarters Wall Base Project, Bexar County, Texas: With Appendixes On The Monitoring Of The San Jose Bus Drive And Granary Parking Lot, And On The Monitoring And Shovel Testing Of The San Jose Service Drive, Steve A. Tomka, Anne A. Fox

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

In June and September 1997, the Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio, conducted test excavations outside the walls and inside selected rooms of the restored Indian Quarters of Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo (41BX3) for the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park of the National Park Service (NPS). The site is located ca. seven miles south of downtown San Antonio on a high terrace overlooking the west bank of the San Antonio River.

The purpose of the excavations was to expose the foundations of these rooms in advance of a project to …

Archaeological Monitoring For San Antonio Water Systems: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Expansion, Cynthia L. Tennis, I. Waynne Cox

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

In 1997 the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archaeological investigations for San Antonio Water Systems (SAWS) in conjunction with sewer and water-line installations for the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center Expansion Project in downtown San Antonio. Gradall trenching was used to test portions of the proposed route of a 60-inch sanitary-sewer line being installed in connection with the construction project. Excavation for the sewer line and for an additional 8-inch water main within HemisFair Park were periodically monitored. Although three late-nineteenth-or early-twentieth century features were encountered, no pre-1850 deposits were …

Archaeological Testing And Monitoring For A Proposed Drainage Channel At Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Antonio, Texas, Kevin J. Gross

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

In October 1996 the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) completed preliminary archaeological investigations south of Mission San Juan Capistrano in areas specified for a proposed 800-ft drainage channel. Shovel tests, excavated at five-meter intervals along this route, revealed this area contains a very limited amount of Colonial period and modern artifacts in a mixed context.

Archaeological Monitoring Of An Electrical Conduit Trench At Mission San Francisco De La Espada (41bx4), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, Barbara A. Meissner

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

In April 1998, a hand-dug trench was excavated outside the parish offices of Mission San Francisco de la Espada to place below-ground electrical conduit. Due to the historic importance of the mission site, personnel from the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio monitored the digging of this trench. The remains of a possible Colonial-period wall were uncovered outside the southern end of the building. Plans were made to run the electrical conduit above ground in that area, in order to avoid damaging the historic structure.

Camp Elizabeth, Sterling County, Texas: An Archaeological And Archival Investigation Of A U.S. Army Subpost, And Evidence Supporting Its Use By The Military And "Buffalo Soldiers", Maureen Brown, Jose E. Zapata, Bruce K. Moses

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 (UTSA) engaged in a two-phase contract with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to complete archaeological and archival investigations of the Camp at the Head of the North Concho (41 STIll). The camp, known locally as Camp Elizabeth, was a military outpost of Fort Concho in San Angelo, Texas, and is now located approximately nine miles northwest of Sterling City along V.S. Highway 87. The camp lies within the right-of-way along V.S. 87 that will be impacted by a highway improvement project.

CAR's archaeological and archival …

Archaeological And Historical Investigations At Rancho De Las Cabras, 41wn30, Wilson County, Texas: Fourth Season, Anne A. Fox, Brett A. Houk

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

During the month of July, 1983, the Center for Archaeological Research conducted a fourth season of excavations at Rancho de las Cabras (41 WN30) near Floresville, Texas. Eleven excavation units were completed in the east part of the compound. Details of the construction of the south wall of Room 3 and the southeast portion of the compound wall were recorded. A trench for a palisade-type fence was located and followed out in the vicinity of the original northeast wall section. The fence was probably constructed for use in small livestock raising during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Additionally, …

An Archaeological And Geomorphological Investigation Of Northrup Park, Boerne, Kendall County, Texas, David L. Nickels

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 contracted with the city of Boerne, Texas, to conduct a pedestrian survey with limited shovel and backhoe testing of 103 acres of raw land planned for development as a city park in south Kendall County. The purpose of the survey was to identify archaeological sites visible on the surface and areas with potential for buried sites. Seven prehistoric sites were found and recorded. A plan of avoidance was recommended for all sites; however, the proposed construction plan could not be altered to accommodate both the needs …

Archaeological And Historical Investigations At Rancho De Las Cabras, 41wn30, Wilson County, Texas: Fourth Season, Anne A. Fox, Brett A. Houk

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

During the month of July, 1983, the Center for Archaeological Research conducted a fourth season of excavations at Rancho de las Cabras (41 WN30) near Floresville, Texas. Eleven excavation units were completed in the east part of the compound. Details of the construction of the south wall of Room 3 and the southeast portion of the compound wall were recorded. A trench for a palisade-type fence was located and followed out in the vicinity of the original northeast wall section. The fence was probably constructed for use in small livestock raising during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Additionally, …

Results Of Significance Testing At 41dw269 Dewitt County, Texas, Sterling H. Hays, James T. Abbott

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

Site 41DW269 was tested by Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) archeologists in July of 1997. The investigations were conducted in the right-of-way of a proposed bridge replacement project on DeWitt County Road 122 at its crossing of Clear Creek. The investigations at Site 41DW269 consisted of mechanical trenching for archeological prospection and stratigraphic evaluation of the site, and the manual excavation of two 1 x 1 m test units and two shovel tests.

Site 41DW269 is a multi-component terrace site with cultural deposits ranging in age from the Early Archaic through the Late Archaic. Two discrete alluvial fills, both containing …

Wilson-Leonard An 11,000-Year Archeological Record Of Hunter-Gatherers In Central Texas Volume V: Special Studies, Michael B. Collins, Barry Balinsky, Joy Becker, C. Britt Bousman, Susan Decker, J. Phillip Dering, Glen Fredlund, Marion J. Henry, Mervin Kontrovitz, Raymond W. Neck, Leslie C. Shaw, Jerry Marie Slack, D. Gentry Steele, James L. Theler, Larry L. Tiezen, Diane Wilson, Barbara Winsborough

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

Study of the archeology of the Wilson-Leonard site has opened broad new vistas for the reexamination and improved interpretation of regional prehistory. Beyond that, it is of national importance in terms of both data and interpretation (for example, on the Paleoindian era) and the concepts used in its excavation and analysis. It is unique in other ways. In most cases, deep, stratified, multicomponent sites of this integrity are rarely excavated (in Texas, at least) more than once and the potential for long-term research is not fully met. As the reader will learn, Wilson-Leonard was first excavated on a large scale …

A Radiocarbon Date From The Coker Mound (41cs1), Timothy K. Perttula, Mike Turner, Bo Nelson

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

The Coker Mound (41CS1) on the Sulphur River is one of the more poorly known Caddoan mound sites in Northeast Texas. Recorded and tested by the University of Texas in 1932, the work done then at a conical mound at the site did not clearly establish either the function of the mound, its age, or its cultural affiliations with other prehistoric Caddoan groups in the region.

Limited Testing At The Bob Turbeville Site (41wd382), Wood County, Texas, Eric A. Schroeder

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

The Bob Turbeville site (41WD382) is an Early to Middle Caddoan period occupation on the upper Sabine River, likely a small farmstead or hamlet containing a trash midden and possible house areas. Previous work at the site had identified a human burial with associated grave goods. Radiocarbon analysis suggests that the occupation of the site dates to around A.D. 1165 to 1290.

Work at the Turbeville site was conducted in October 1995 by Paul Price Associates, Inc. under the auspices of the Antiquities Code of Texas in association with a proposed expansion of the existing wastewater treatment facilities at Mineola, …

A Study In Frustration: Analysis Of Human Remains Removed From The Coker Mound Site (41cs1), Sharon Mccormick Derrick

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

Human skeletal remains were removed from the Coker Mound site (41CS1) by unidentified excavators sometime immediately prior to the Texas Archeological Society (TAS) meetings of 1995. Mike Turner, a Steward in the Office of the State Archeologists' Texas Archeological Steward Network and a founding member of the Friends of Northeast Texas Archaeology, was able to retrieve a cranium, mandible; and six cervical vertebrae from this collection for a brief period, bringing them to the TAS meetings. It was his dedication that provided the opportunity for these remains to be studied.

41hss74, The Coleman Farm Site On Starkey Creek, Timothy K. Perttula, Bo Nelson

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

Recent archaeological research on the Middle Caddoan period in Northeast Texas has made it abundantly clear that Middle Caddoan archaeological sites are much more common in the region than previously thought. Furthermore, with additional archaeological investigations, some radiocarbon dates, and a different perspectives on the regional archaeological record, a number of sites in the Sabine River drainage that used to be considered of Late Caddoan age are now more properly seen to be part of an intensive Middle Caddoan settlement of much of the basin. Truly, a broader and more complete view of the important Middle Caddoan period (ca. A.D. …