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Abajo Archaeology, PO Box 100, Bluff UT 84512. 801/672-2272
FAX –2284
Uinta National Forest, PO Box 1428,
Provo UT 84602. 801/377- 5780
Anthropology
Dept, 117 Stewart Bldg, University of Utah, Salt Lake City
UT 84112. 801/581-4494
OO-ALC/EME, 7276 Wardleigh Rd, Hill AFB, UT 84056. 801/777-0288
PO Box 1273, Fillmore UT 84631. 801/743-6811
Division
of State History, 300 Rio Grande, Salt Lake City UT 84101.
801/533-3500. FAX
-3503.
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
Bill Davis
The United States Army wants to test missiles over two proposed Booster Drop Zones in San Juan County, west of the towns of Monticello, Blanding and Bluff. The first proposed drop zone is situated north and south of Highway 211 in the Indian Creek region and the second proposed drop zone parallels Comb Ridge/Butler Wash south of Highway 95. What the Army proposes is approximately 100 flight tests, each test flight resulting in the drop of a rocket booster. Each rock booster is 4.3' in diameter and 13.5' high and weights about 3300 lbs. The speed of the booster when it hits the ground would be approximately 382 ft/sec (>250 mph). According to the Army, this would be equivalent to dropping a 4000 lb empty fuel tank from the top of a 17-story building. The proposed program would run from 1995 through the year 2000.
The main problem, besides obvious human safety and economic concerns, is that the Army's draft EIS fails to adequately address potential impacts to archaeological resources. A cultural resource records search performed by the Army indicated that none of the identified sites within the extremely large booster drop zones have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and, therefore, the booster drops would have no adverse effect on significant cultural resources.
This statement is absurd, since as any archaeologist familiar with southeast Utah knows, both of the proposed drop zones contain areas of extremely high site densities (>200 sites/sq. mi. and the majority eligible for listing on the NRHP) . Less than 10% of the two drop zones has been inventoried for cultural resources. The Army's statement should be restated to read "none of the known archaeological sites have been nominated for listing on the National Register."
The draft EIS further states that "Because complete, systematic survey of such a large area is not usually feasible; treatment of potential impacts must be addressed through implementation of mitigation measures or avoidance. Assurance of avoidance is not possible given the nature of missile booster drop activities, but it is expected that the probability of a booster striking a specific resource would be quite low.” I, and many other local archaeologists, disagree with this statement. First, without a Class III (complete) cultural resource inventory of the proposed booster impact areas, there is no way to know the extent of the cultural resources; second, because of the expected high density of archaeological sites in these areas, the probability of a booster striking a specific resource during the testing is relatively high.
The deadline for submitting written comments on the Army's draft EIS was Sept. 28, 1994. I am happy to report that to my own knowledge numerous individuals and organizations have responded with strong written comments that the draft EIS is unacceptable in its treatment of cultural resource protection. Much additional work must be done, including complete cultural resource inventories of the proposed booster impact areas and consultation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, before it can be determined whether potential impacts to cultural resources can be "mitigated to a not significant level."
PLAN TO ATTEND THE FALL MEETING!
The business meeting starts at 1:30 pm on Nov. 18 at State History (300 Rio Grande, Salt Lake City). Items for the agenda should be sent to Bill Davis. On Sat. (Nov 19th) beginning at 9 am archaeologists can present summaries of their fieldwork. A sign-up sheet will be posted at the business meeting.
SUBMISSIONS NEED FOR UTAH ARCHAEOLOGY
Have you been doing some interesting research in and around Utah? Send your article manuscript to the Kevin Jones, Editor of Utah Archaeology. Consul a recent issue for the style guide.
FROM THE EDITOR:
THE PROPOSED HONEYVILLE DAM IN BOX ELDER COUNTY
The proposed Honeyville Reservoir will inundated much of the Bear River Valley
upstream from Brigham City. Known significant, but as yet poorly documented,
cultural resources that will be inundated by the proposed reservoir include
Hamptons Crossing, portions of the early trails and roads to Montana and Oregon,
early Mormon and Native American homesteads, possibly a Native American cemetery,
and probably Fremont villages and camps. During the late 19th century two dozen
Native Americans from many groups homesteaded in the vicinity of Tremonton
with assistance from the Mormon Church. Native American consultation for this
project concerning the homesteads and graves will be extremely complex due
to the number of groups involved (at least 7-- Arapahoe, Wind River Shoshone,
Shoshone-Bannock, Lakota, Duck Valley, Elko Colony, Deep Creek Goshutes, Northwest
Band, and probably others). While the Utah Division of Water Resources has
completed numerous planning documents, cultural resources have yet to be adequate
considered. A sample survey of the proposed maximum flood pool, pipelines,
and other areas to be directly and indirectly impacted by the proposed project
is almost certainly called for to provide more detailed information about the
cultural groups with affiliation to the heritage of the project area, it seems
likely that mitigation costs would be very high if the project is built.
--Bill
Fawcett
NEW RESOURCES/PUBLICATIONS
UTM TEMPLATES AVAILABLE
6" x 11" clear film templates
for 1:24,000 scale maps available for $5.00 each from NM Archaeological Council,
PO Box 1023, Albuquerque NM
87103
USU CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANTHROPOLOGY
16. Research Design For 1994 Archaeological Investigations On North Beaver
Mesa, Grand County, Utah, by W.B. Fawcett. $3.00. Mail Orders To: Bill Fawcett,
SSWA, USU, Logan UT 84322-0730. Make checks payable to Utah State University.
NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Four new brochures are available:
1. Heritage Education: A Community- School Partnership. 2. Preservation & The
Recent Past. 3. Coping With Contamination: A Primer For Preservationists. 4.
Quest For Funds Revisited: A Fundraising Starter Kit. Information Series brochures
can be ordered from NTHP, 1785 Mass. Ave NW, Washington DC 20036.
PALEO-INDIAN NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK THEME STUDY is an effort to recognize and protect nationally significant properties associated with the first Americans. Contact: Robert S. Grumet, Cultural Resources Planning Branch, NPS Mid Atlantic Region, 2nd/Chestnut Sts, Rm 251, Philadelphia PA 19106- 2878.
NEVADA
SHPO PREPARES NEW HISTORIC PRESERVATION PLAN & GUIDELINES
AND FORMS FOR RECORDING HISTORIC SITES.
Contact Alice M Baldrica, Deputy SHPO (Capitol Complex, Carson City NV 89710;
702/687-6361) to receive copies of the Guidelines (and forms) For Historical
Archaeology (comments due Sept. 30) and Questionnaire for the preparation of
a New Historic Preservation Plan.
EIGHT PEOPLE INDICTED FOR VIOLATING ARPA
Federal grand juries in Phoenix returned 3 indictments, as part of Operation Heritage, charging 8 people with violations of ARPA and other statutes. (1) Indictment of Hedrick, Shaw & Sullivan. The indictment charges that Shaw was part of a group who removed a ceramic pot, staffs, and wooden bows from a cave on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation that were once part of a religious shrine. The Mogollon bows are believed to date from A.D. 900-1200. Shaw is reported to have approached Sullivan in 1993 for purposes of selling some of the bows. Sullivan contact Hedrick to assist him. On Dec. 2, 1993, the indictment states, Hendrick met with an undercover federal agent and provided the agent with photographs of the bows and indicated that they were "hot". Hendrick agreed to arrange for the agent to purchase the bows from Sullivan, who then offered, them to the agent for $50,000 so long as the location of the cave was not revealed. The indictment alleges that on March 11, 1994 Sullivan sold about 40 of the bows to the agent, and on or about Feb. 11, 1994 Sullivan transported 10 of the stolen bows to Nevada. (2) Bruce, Bruce, & Whitted Indictment charges that the three residents of Ashfork AZ unlawfully removed and trafficked in archaeological resources on or about Jan. 18, 1994 when Bruce sold 4 petroglyphs taken from the Kaibab National Forest to federal undercover agents; and then Whitted and Bruce attempted to sell 7 more petroglyphs in late Feb. (3) Collins and Shipley were indicted for digging on June 22, 1994 at Pueblo Pato, an archaeological site managed by the BLM on Perry Mesa, north of Phoenix.
NATIVE AMERICANS OPPOSE NUCLEAR DUMP
[From: Logan Herald-Journal]
American Indians from Utah and surrounding states are opposed to a proposal to turn Energy Fuels Nuclear's uranium-processing plant, 19 miles south of Blanding, into a radioactive waste dump. Representatives of the Native American Peoples Historical Foundation (NAPHF) asked the state to join with them to prevent the dump. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted the White Mesa Utes a hearing on Sept. 22. The local Utes are concerned about the impacts on ground water. NAPHF owns Avikan, 640 acres of land with numerous ruins and possible sacred sites, located within a mile of the proposed dump.
PROPOSED BLUFF CITY HISTORIC DISTRICT
Bluff, Utah. The name evokes a place and a time in Utah history that lives on in the memories of. descendants of the Hole-in-the-Rock Mormon pioneers, in the history of American architecture, and in the art, literature, and science of the landscape of the San Juan River. Preservationists have completed a major step toward the identification and conservation of the unique qualities of this special place. With the encouragement and assistance of Roger Roper of the Preservation Section of the Utah Division of State History, members of the San Juan County Historical Commission and the Bluff City Historical Preservation Association have completed the necessary documentation of the historic Bluff City for nomination of the National Register as a National Historic District. There are over 20 historic structures in the original village, including a pioneer log cabin (the sole remnant of the historic Bluff Fort), sandstone masonry houses and associated granaries, and two houses built of milled lumber. The historic buildings span the period 1880 through 1935, with the majority dating around the turn of the century and exhibiting elements of Victorian-era architecture. Moreover, many of the historic homes are situated on the large lots that characterized the historic Mormon village pattern of Bluff City.
In addition to recognizing historically significant architecture, the group
is
also seeking to preserve significant landscape elements, since these are recognized
as important components of the rural historic landscape of Bluff City. These
include the Bluff Sandstone Cliffs, Cow and Calf Canyons, the Navajo Twin Rocks,
Locomotive Rock, and the Pioneer Cemetery Hill.
Bluff is unique in that it has retained much of its historic realism, whereas
many other historic places in Utah have been re-developed to the point where
historic associations have been lost. It is hoped that with recognition as
a National Historic District, preservation of the rural historic landscape
values
of Bluff City can be accomplished.
-- Bill Davis
CURRENT RESEARCH
DIVISION OF STATE HISTORY INVESTIGATES EXTINCT BISON.
Construction workers
at the University of Utah's Research Park uncovered the partial skeleton of
an 18,000 year old Bison antiquus. Dave Gillette and Dave
Madsen supervised the excavation without any interruption of the construction
schedule. The construction backhoe operator, Ray Goings, assisted in the search
for additional buried fossils [from: UT St. Hist. Soc. Newsletter 44(4) ].
UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY.
During Aug. 1994 the USU Archaeology Field School investigated
a cave and water control features on North Beaver Mesa, near Moab, as part
of a cooperative
agreement with the Manti-LaSal National Forest. At least 50% of the cave's
deposits were disturbed by illegal digging in during the last 2 yrs. A small
test excavation to 1.5 m depth exposed 50 natural levels comprised of occupational
events separated by relative sterile deposits. A few corner-notched arrow points
and plain course gray potsherds (Fremont?) were found in the deposits above
a major roof-fall event at about 1 m depth. The upper deposits are believed
to span the Formative from ca. A.D. 500 - 1000, while the deposits below the
rock fall are believed to date from the Late Archaic. Corn remains representing
all parts of the plants were found in almost every occupational level. Other
cultigens (beans, squash, sunflower & gourds) occur only above the roof
fall. The overall artifact density is relatively low, but includes some fragments
of yucca, juniper-bark, fur, and possibly cotton cordage. The numerous extremely
ephemeral hearths uncovered provide well controlled charcoal samples for radiocarbon
dates. Combined with the fine stratigraphy,
the site offers excellent chronological resolution and an abundance of evidence
for addressing questions about the intensity and organization of
horticulture at higher elevations (> 7000). A reconnaissance of the pinyon-juniper
cover flat below the cave revealed the existence of water control features
probably from a field created by the occupants of the cave. Further test excavations
in the cave and surveys for similar fields and features are planned for 1995.
--Bill Fawcett
NAVAJO NATION HISTORIC PRESERVATION DEPARTMENT (NNHPD) -- Glen Canyon
Environmental Studies.
Since 1992 NNHPD has received funding from the Bureau of Reclamation to conduct
cultural resources investigations in the Colorado River corridor in Glen and
Grand Canyons below Glen Canyon Dam. The project is one of many studies being
conducted to determine the impacts of Glen Canyon Dam on natural and cultural
resources for the preparation of an EIS for the long-term operation of Glen
Canyon Dam. For the last 2 yrs the project staff have been consulting with
members of Navajo communities and reviewing literature to identify places of
significance to the Navajo Nation. More than 80 localities were identified,
including 15 archaeological/scared sites within the river corridor between
Lees Ferry and Deer Creek (> 130 mi. downstream). The project documented
a long rich history of Navajo life within and near the Grand Canyon at earlier
dates than previously recognized. The NNHPD will continue to work with the
Bureau of Reclamation to monitor the effects of Glen Canyon Dam on specific
sites. A report on the project is available from NNHPD (Dr. Alexa Roberts,
NNHPD, Window Rock AZ 86515-4950; ph: 871-6437) .[From AZ Archaeological Council
Newsletter 18(3) :7]
ON THE MOVE
KEVIN JONES AWARDED GOVERNOR'S MEDAL.
Kevin Jones, archaeologist
at the Division of State History, received the Governor's Medal for Science & Technology
at a ceremony on June 1. Jones was recognized for his role in creating ZiNj,
a science and history magazine
and education program for kids. Gov. Michael O. Leavitt presented him with
a certificate and a medal, and thanked him for his service [From: UT St. Hist.
Soc. Newsletter 44(4)]
FROM NEW MEXICO.
Michael Romero Taylor (former archaeologist NPS/SW Region) has become the
new NM SHPO, replacing Tom Merlan who is now the NM Office of Cultural Affairs
Historian. Adrian H. Bustamante was appointed NM Cultural Affairs Officer,
replacing Helmuth Naumer [from NewsMAC 7/94:3]
CALENDAR
Oct 12-15, 1994 Governor's Conference on History & Heritage: Excited By History!, Ogden Park Hotel, Ogden UT. $35 Registration.) Contact: Mary Peach 801/533-3345.
Oct 20-22, 1994 8th Mogo1lon Archaeology Conference, University of TX, El Paso. Contract: David Carmichae 915/747-5740.
Nov 2-6, 1994 52nd Plain Anthropological Conference, Lubbock TX. Contact: Eileen Johnson 806/742-22481
Nov 7-9 UDOT Engineers' Conference, Yarrow Hotel, Park City UT. Including Cultural Resources Workshop. Contact: Judy A. Jaramillo 801/964-4432.
Nov 10-13, 1994 American Society for Ethnohistory meetings at Radisson Mission Palms Hotel, Tempe AZ. Contact Dr. Peter Iverson, 602/965-5778.
Nov 30-Dec 4, 1994 93rd American Anthro. Assn. Meeting, Atlanta GA. 703/528-1902 ext 3025
Jan 4-5, 1995 Society for Historical Archaeology, Washington DC. 301/862-0968
THE NEXT NEWSLETTER
Items for the next newsletter should be send to the Newsletter Editor no later than Dec. 1, 1994. Any submission of greater than 100 words should be accompanied by a computer disk with text saved on it either in IBM-readable ASCI or Wordperfect 5.1. Text should be prepared as illustrated in this newsletter.
1994 MEMBERSHIP DUES
If you want to join UPAC or have not (yet) paid your 1994 dues send:
Professional $25.00
Student $12.50
Associate $12.50
Affiliate $12.50
to Nancy Shearin, UPAC Treasurer.
Professional and student members vote and receive the newsletter and journal
(Utah Archaeology). Associate and affiliate members only receive the newsletter.
Refer to the Adobe Acrobat version of the newsletter for the attachment: Draft document on discovery of Native American Human Remains
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