Cultural Resources Investigations Along Whiteoak Bayou, Harris County, Texas

In 1986, cultural resources investigations were carried out to prepare a synthesis of the archeology of the Whiteoak Bayou area in western Harris County, Texas, and to conduct subsurface testing at prehistoric sites that may be affected by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Upper Whiteoak Bayou Flood Damage Reduction Project. The tasks undertaken during these investigations are: (1) background research into the environment and archeology of the area; (2) historic/archival research and reconnaissance survey to summarize the historical development of Whiteoak Bayou and to identify any important sites in the project area; (3) intensive survey of Vogel Creek, a tributary to Whiteoak Bayou, to assess the potential for intact cultural remains; (4) National Register testing and assessment of nine aboriginal sites; (5) geoarcheological investigations to establish the geological context of the archeological remains, to identify the depositional environments represented, and to establish an alluvial sequence for the project area; and (6) analysis of a large collection of artifacts from 46 Whiteoak Bayou sites made prior to 1986 by members of the Houston Archeological Society, as well as the materials recovered during 1986. The nine archeological sites tesLed during this project are 41HR241, 4lHR259, 41HR273, 41HR278, 41HR279, 41HR283, 41HR290, 41HR298, and 41HR541. The testing showed that only three -- 41HR259, 41HR273, and 41HR541 -- have substantial, intact cultural deposits. Two of these -- 41HR273 and 41HR541 -- are judged to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places and for designation as State Archeological Landmarks. One site, 4lHR259, is currently listed on the National Register, although the remaining part of this site is judged to have a limited potential to yield additi0nal information. The other seven sites are judged to be ineligible for listing