Archaeological Pedestrian Survey and NRHP Eligibility Testing of 41WB414 for the Killam Lake Wetlands Area on Chacon Creek, Webb County, Texas

In February of 2008, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted a 100 percent pedestrian survey of the Killam Lake Wetland Area located along Chacon Creek in Laredo, Webb County, Texas. Archaeological sites 41WB413 and 41WB414 were revisited as part of the archaeological investigations and eligibility testing was conducted on 41WB414. The archaeological work was completed for the City of Laredo Solid Waste Services Department, who planned to remove construction and industrial debris from the waterway, as part of a wetlands restoration project. Because the removal process has the potential to impact the Chacon Creek waterway, the project falls under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). As such, the undertaking is subject to archaeological investigations as stated in Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). The archaeological survey and eligibility testing were conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 4807 with Leonard Kemp serving as the Project Archaeologist and Antonia L. Figueroa serving as the Principal Investigator. CAR excavated 60 shovel tests and three 1-x-1 m test units within the Area of Potential Effect (APE). No new sites were documented during the pedestrian survey. No evidence of cultural features or intact cultural horizons was noted upon inspection of 41WB413 and no further work on that site is recommended. CAR has proposed that the boundary of 41WB414 be extended to the west. Based on the findings from test unit excavations at 41WB414, CAR concurs with the previous assessment that 41WB414 is not eligible for inclusion to the National Register of Historic Places. The planned improvements to the APE can proceed and no further archaeological work is recommended on this property. CAR recommends that the proposed wetland project proceed as planned. Artifacts collected and records generated during this project were prepared for curation according to Texas Historical Commission guidelines and are permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio

Archaeological Testing of 41BX1788 on the Salado Creek Greenway near Voelcker Ranch, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

In September of 2008, The Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted eligibility testing of a previously unknown archaeological site adjacent to the Salado Creek Greenway near the Voelcker Ranch, located in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. 41BX1788 was found by a local resident after the construction of piers for a pedestrian bridge associated with the Salado Creek Greenway. The primary purpose of testing was to determine if any intact cultural deposits or features remained that would be impacted by further bridge construction. CAR excavated a 1 x 1-meter test unit and found no features or intact deposits that merit further investigation. Due to the mixing of modern materials with prehistoric deposits caused by multiple processes, CAR suggests that the archaeological deposits have low research value and the site does not warrant nomination to the National Register of Historic Places or designation as a State Archaeological Landmark. We recommend that bridge construction proceed as planned. The archaeological investigations were conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit # 5030 with Steve A. Tomka as Principal Investigator. All collected artifacts and project associated documents are permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Research

Archaeological Monitoring for the Buena Vista Corridor Project, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Between July 11, 2018, and February 28, 2020, The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), in response to a request from the City of San Antonio (COSA), intermittently conducted archaeological monitoring for the Buena Vista (BV) Corridor project in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The project goal was to foster pedestrian traffic by sidewalk, lighting, and aesthetic improvements on Buena Vista Street between S. Leona and S. Santa Rosa streets. The COSA department of Transportation and Capital Improvements (TCI; now Public Works Department) administered the BV Corridor project with the COSA Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) having regulatory control of the archaeological component. The project required review by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) under the Antiquities Code of Texas (Texas Natural Resource Code, Title 9, Chapter 191, Sections 191.003(4) and 191.052(5) as amended) because COSA is a political subdivision of Texas and the work was conducted on publicly owned lands. The THC granted Texas Antiquities Permit No. 8950 to Dr. Paul Shawn Marceaux, former CAR Director. Dr. Marceaux departed CAR late in 2019. José Zapata assumed the permit and served as the Principal Investigator. Leonard Kemp served as the Project Archaeologist. The project area is located on Buena Vista Street just west of S. Leona Street, crosses through S. Pecos Street (where Buena Vista Street turns into Dolorosa Street), and extends along Dolorosa Street to east of S. Pecos Street. The length of the project area is approximately 0.48 km (.29 mile) long and between 14 to 29 m (45.9 to 95.1 feet) wide, and it covers an area of 1.02 hectares (2.49 acres). This location is adjacent to one of the older areas in San Antonio with settlement dating to the 1760s. The area was also a thriving economic district in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century containing the city market house and the International and Great Northern rail depot and hotel. Archaeological monitoring focused on excavations for street and utilities improvements to identify and document archaeological properties that may be present within the BV Corridor. Over the course of the project, CAR monitored the excavation of four trenches, 14 auger holes, and 13 planter box pits. CAR archaeologists identified two new archaeological sites within the BV Corridor project area. The first site, 41BX2345, is a possible water channel or ditch cut into caliche. No artifacts were associated with the channel. Archival research failed to find any documentation of the ditch, and the time frame of the ditch is unknown. CAR recommends there is insufficient data to make a determination regarding 41BX2345 concerning its eligibility for nomination as a State Antiquities Landmark (SAL) or eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The profile of the water channel was covered in permeable fabric and backfilled with gravels. CAR suggests that any future ground-disturbing activities near the site take into account its presence, and at a minimum, the activity be monitored. The second site, 41BX2346, is the remnant of a brick and concrete foundation associated with a building constructed in the early 1900s. The early 1900s foundation that comprised site 41BX2346 lacked significant data or unique associations and lacked site integrity. CAR therefore recommends that 41BX2346 does not warrant nomination as a SAL nor is the site eligible to the NRHP. In consultation with the THC and COSA-OHP, a portion of the site was removed to allow construction to proceed. CAR recommends that if ground-disturbing activities occur to the south of the 41BX2346 on what is now a parking lot, the excavation should be monitored to determine if features of the mid to late nineteenth-century occupation still exist. No diagnostic artifacts were identified, and no artifacts were collected during the project. All other project-related materials, including the final report, are curated at the CAR curation facility, a state certified repository, under accession # 2278

An Archaeological Survey of the South Salado Creek Greenway: Rigsby Avenue to Southside Lion\u27s Park East, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

In October and November of 2007, The Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an intensive pedestrian archaeological survey of the South Salado Creek located in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The work was conducted in advance of construction of a multi-use greenway trail between Rigsby Avenue to Southside Lion’s Park East along the Salado Creek proposed by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Antonio and to fulfill contract requirements with Rehler, Vaughn & Koone, Inc. (RVK) of San Antonio. RVK, in turn, was hired by the City of San Antonio. The survey was conducted under the requirements of the City of San Antonio Unified Development Code Chapter 35, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, and the Texas Antiquities Code. The survey was performed under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 4702, with Dr. Steve Tomka, CAR Director, serving as Principal Investigator and Leonard Kemp serving as the Project Archaeologist. This report summarizes the results of the archaeological investigation, and provides recommendations regarding the management of cultural resources located in the project area. Pedestrian reconnaissance, and shovel tests were used to search for cultural resources within the project right of way (ROW). One archaeological site, 41BX1756 was found and recorded within the project area. It is a site with both prehistoric and historic components. The historic component consists of the remains of a house and an agricultural processing structure. In addition, two shovel tests adjacent to the facility were positive for prehistoric artifacts including debitage and burned rock. Field, laboratory and archival investigations suggest that neither the prehistoric nor historic components have significant research value. CAR recommends that because this site falls within the alternative trail designation the primary trail be utilized to avoid any impact to the site. In summary, because no significant deposits were found within the depth of impact along the proposed alignment, CAR recommends that the development of the South Salado Creek Greenway project proceed as planned. Artifacts collected and records generated during this project were prepared for curation according to Texas Historical Commission guidelines and are permanently curated at the Center for Archaeological Research at the University of Texas at San Antonio

Archaeological Monitoring and Testing Associated with the Restoration at Mission Francisco de la Espada (41BX4), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

In the summer and fall of 2014 and spring of 2015, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted monitoring and testing at Mission San Francisco de la Espada. Archaeological investigations were conducted in the parking lot north of the chapel (Area 1) and west of the Priests’ Quarters/Convento (Area 2). Two other areas were investigated directly in front of the church (Area 3) and north of the parking lot in the mission plaza (Area 4). Archaeological work was associated with the installation of 39 bollards and improvements in the parking lot. Additional work included replacing plumbing utilities west of the Priests’ Quarters/Convento and a minimal amount of work performed north of the parking lot in the mission plaza. In the parking lot area, Spanish Colonial period materials were recovered, and the highest density of artifacts was in the southern portion of the parking lot. Subsequent scraping of the parking lot revealed Feature 1, associated with the Spanish Colonial period. During work west of the Priests’ Quarters/Convento, six features were encountered. Features 2 and 3 may define an exterior room. Feature 6 appears to be the remnants of a Spanish Colonial midden. Further work was not recommended for the current project, but Areas 1 and 2 should be investigated further if future work is conducted. The archaeological work was performed under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 6928, with Dr. Paul Shawn Marceaux serving as the Principal Investigator and Antonia L. Figueroa functioning as the Project Archaeologist

Archaeological Monitoring and Test Excavations at the 1722 Presidio San Antonio de Bexar (Plaza de Armas Buildings), San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

From April 2013 to November 2014, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archaeological monitoring and test excavations at the site of the 1722 Presidio San Antonio de Bexar, also known in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries as the Plaza de Armas Buildings (Vogel Belt Complex) within Military Plaza in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The project was performed for Ford, Powell and Carson, Architects and Planners, Inc. under contract with the City of San Antonio in anticipation of renovations and improvements to the Plaza de Armas Buildings (Vogel Belt Complex) to serve as offices and studios for the City of San Antonio. The complex is listed as contributing to the Main and Military Plaza National Register of Historic Places District, with the buildings listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). In addition to the above, the property is owned by the City of San Antonio. Compliance with the Antiquities Code of Texas was required. As such, the State Antiquities Code and Chapter 35 of the San Antonio Local Government Code that require coordination with the City Office of Historic Preservation and the Texas Historical Commission Divisions of Archaeology and Architecture govern the undertakings. CAR, therefore, conducted the work under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit No. 6526. Dr. Steve A. Tomka served as the Principal Investigator for the majority of the fieldwork, the initial analysis, and the description of materials collected. Kristi Nichols served as the Project Archaeologist during this initial monitoring and testing, assisted by Lindy Martinez. Both Dr. Tomka and Ms. Nichols left UTSA in 2014, and Dr. Raymond Mauldin assumed the Principal Investigator role for the project. Clinton McKenzie and Leonard Kemp were the Project Archaeologists for the final phases of monitoring, as well as for assembling the final report. Leonard Kemp oversaw additional test excavation. Trinomial 41BX2088 was assigned to the location. Principal activities during the project included monitoring trenches on the complex’s exterior, monitoring soil removal in sections of the interior, and hand excavations of a series of units in the basement. These basement excavations produced a variety of materials. CAR staff documented eight features, including several trash pits, recovered a variety of Spanish Colonial, Native American, and European/English ceramics, along with faunal material, chipped stone tools and debitage, and construction related items. It was concluded that much of this material was intact, and that additional features and midden deposits are present. The project provides direct evidence of materials associated with the Presidio de Bexar, built by the Spanish at this general location in 1722, as well as occupation in this area through the early twentieth century. CAR recommends that prior to any impacts in the basements, or any external impacts greater than 2.0 m in depth at the rear of the Plaza de Armas Buildings (Vogel Belt Complex), a comprehensive, systematic effort to recover significant data be initiated

Water Sensitive Urban Design: An Investigation of Current Systems, Implementation Drivers, Community Perceptions and Potential to Supplement Urban Water Services

Special Issue: Urban Drainage and Urban Stormwater Managemen

Archeological Testing and Data Recovery at 41ZV202, Zavala County, Texas

At the request of the Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs Division (TxDOT-ENV), the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archeological significance testing at 41ZV202, a prehistoric site located in northwestern Zavala County, in March of 2003. The work, conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 3071 issued to Dr. Steven A. Tomka, was done in anticipation of the potential widening by TxDOT of FM 481. While materials dating to the Archaic were also present, the testing demonstrated the presence of significant Late Prehistoric (Austin Interval) deposits with good integrity within a portion of the TxDOT right-of-way (ROW). As TxDOT construction could not avoid these deposits, and as both the Texas Historical Commission (THC) and TxDOT concurred with CAR’s recommendations that the deposits were eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under criterion d of 36CFR 60.4, data recovery investigations were initiated. CAR began that work in July and August of 2003. The testing permit was amended to include the data recovery efforts. Dr. Russell Greaves served as project archeologist for both the testing and data recovery effort at 41ZV202. The testing and data recovery work consisted of the excavation of a 53-m-long Gradall trench, exposing and profiling a 75-m-long road cut, and the hand excavation of 52 1 x 1 meter units that removed approximately 34.6 m3 of soil. Testing identified two large, dark stained areas designated Features 4 and 5, an associated hearth (Feature 7), and a small cluster of FCR (Feature 6). Just over 1,000 chipped stone items were recovered, including several Scallorn points, one reworked dart point, several bifaces, and two flake tools. Eleven AMS radiocarbon dates were submitted from deposits, with eight clustering around 1000 BP. Data recovery efforts defined FCR features 8 through 13. In addition, 24 arrow points, several dart points, a variety of unifacial and bifacial tools, a small number of cores, roughly 6,000 pieces of debitage, and a variety of burned sandstone, were recovered. We also collected small quantities of bone and mussel shell along with about 14,350 gastropod shells, and a variety of soil samples. Finally, all calcium carbonate nodules were retained from the screens. Following the completion of data recovery efforts, the CAR was directed by TxDOT to develop a research design for the analysis of the material from 41ZV202. TxDOT and THC accepted that research design in November of 2004, at which time the CAR began analysis and report production. Unfortunately, by 2005 project archeologist Russell Greaves had left the CAR. At that point, CAR assistant director Dr. Raymond Mauldin took over the project. The analysis of the 41ZV202 Late Prehistoric data outlined in this report is conducted in the context of a large-scale, theoretically driven model of adaptation for hunters and gatherers loosely based on aspects of Optimal Foraging Theory. In addition to 41ZV202, the approach relies on comparative data sets from Late Archaic and other Late Prehistoric sites from South and South-Central Texas to investigate shifts in subsistence, technology, and mobility across this broad region. At this time, discard decisions have not been made. However, all artifacts and associated samples collected and retained during this project, along with all project-associated documentation, are to be permanently curated at the CAR according to Texas Historical Commission guidelines

Archeological Testing and Data Recovery at 41ZV202, Zavala County, Texas

At the request of the Texas Department of Transportation, Environmental Affairs Division (TxDOT-ENV), the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted archeological significance testing at 41ZV202, a prehistoric site located in northwestern Zavala County, in March of 2003. The work, conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 3071 issued to Dr. Steven A. Tomka, was done in anticipation of the potential widening by TxDOT of FM 481. While materials dating to the Archaic were also present, the testing demonstrated the presence of significant Late Prehistoric (Austin Interval) deposits with good integrity within a portion of the TxDOT right-of-way (ROW). As TxDOT construction could not avoid these deposits, and as both the Texas Historical Commission (THC) and TxDOT concurred with CAR’s recommendations that the deposits were eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under criterion d of 36CFR 60.4, data recovery investigations were initiated. CAR began that work in July and August of 2003. The testing permit was amended to include the data recovery efforts. Dr. Russell Greaves served as project archeologist for both the testing and data recovery effort at 41ZV202. The testing and data recovery work consisted of the excavation of a 53-m-long Gradall trench, exposing and profiling a 75-m-long road cut, and the hand excavation of 52 1 x 1 meter units that removed approximately 34.6 m3 of soil. Testing identified two large, dark stained areas designated Features 4 and 5, an associated hearth (Feature 7), and a small cluster of FCR (Feature 6). Just over 1,000 chipped stone items were recovered, including several Scallorn points, one reworked dart point, several bifaces, and two flake tools. Eleven AMS radiocarbon dates were submitted from deposits, with eight clustering around 1000 BP. Data recovery efforts defined FCR features 8 through 13. In addition, 24 arrow points, several dart points, a variety of unifacial and bifacial tools, a small number of cores, roughly 6,000 pieces of debitage, and a variety of burned sandstone, were recovered. We also collected small quantities of bone and mussel shell along with about 14,350 gastropod shells, and a variety of soil samples. Finally, all calcium carbonate nodules were retained from the screens. Following the completion of data recovery efforts, the CAR was directed by TxDOT to develop a research design for the analysis of the material from 41ZV202. TxDOT and THC accepted that research design in November of 2004, at which time the CAR began analysis and report production. Unfortunately, by 2005 project archeologist Russell Greaves had left the CAR. At that point, CAR assistant director Dr. Raymond Mauldin took over the project. The analysis of the 41ZV202 Late Prehistoric data outlined in this report is conducted in the context of a large-scale, theoretically driven model of adaptation for hunters and gatherers loosely based on aspects of Optimal Foraging Theory. In addition to 41ZV202, the approach relies on comparative data sets from Late Archaic and other Late Prehistoric sites from South and South-Central Texas to investigate shifts in subsistence, technology, and mobility across this broad region. At this time, discard decisions have not been made. However, all artifacts and associated samples collected and retained during this project, along with all project-associated documentation, are to be permanently curated at the CAR according to Texas Historical Commission guidelines