Caprock Canyonlands Archeology: A Synthesis of the Late Prehistory and History of Lake Alan Henry and the Texas Panhandle-Plains Volume I

Archeological investigations at Lake Alan Henry, in Garza and Kent Counties, Texas, between 1987 and 1993 generated much archeological data relevant to interpreting late Holocene human activities. This review goes beyond the project boundary to synthesize the late prehistory and history of the Texas Panhandle Plains, with special emphasis on the north-south band of rugged canyons found along the Caprock Escarpment, herein defmed as the Caprock Canyonlands. This synthesis looks at the human past from an ecological perspective, correlating shifts in subsistence, technology, and settlement patterns with inferred changes in paleoclimate, flora, and fauna. Past fluctuations in bison population size, undoubtedly related in many complex ways tn changes in climate and grassland biotic communities, are emphasized as critical ecological factors affecting long-term patterns of human habitation in the Southern Plains. In addition, other factors identified as having affected human subsistence and settlement are the region\u27s highly seasonal food supply, participation in inter- and extraregional exchange networks, and intercultural conflicts. With climatic conditions more or less comparable to those of today, Late Archaic (2000 B.C. to A.D. 200) peoples adopted a mobile hunting lifestyle and roamed across the vast grassland prairies of the southern High Plains and Rolling Plains in search of bison. Exotic burial artifacts indicate that these nomadic bands were involved in a vast exchange network extending at least as far as the Texas Gulf Coast and the mountainous regions of western Oklahoma and/or Trans-Pecos Texas. Beyond their heavy reliance on bison, however, not much is known about these peoples whose remains are defined archeologically as the Little Sunday complex. Their lifestyle disappeared or changed when bison populations dwindled during the transitional Archaic (A.D. 200 to 500). During a mesic interval spanning the Late Prehistoric I period (A.D. 500 to 110011200), Native peoples adopted a foraging strategy centered around intensive procurement and processing of wild plant foods, perhaps supplemented by limited horticulture, and accompanied by hunting of deer and smaller game. Presumably because of less-favorable grassland conditions, bison populations were so low that bison hunting was not a viable economic pursuit. There appear to have been at least two main groups of people inhabiting the Panhandle-Plains at this time. One group, archeologically recognized as the Lake Creek complex, may have originated from the westward spread of Plains Woodland peoples or ideas, while the other, called the Palo Duro complex, represents the eastward spread of Jornada Mogollon influence among Panhandle-Plains peoples. Burial evidence suggests that the peoples of these two divergent cultural traditions were hostile toward each other. Concomitant with a drying episode evident over all of the Southern Plains and much of the Greater Southwest, large numbers of bison returned to the Texas Panhandle-Plains around A.D. 1100, and Native peoples once again adopted bison hunting lifestyles during the Late Prehistoric II period (A.D. 1100/1200-1541). While peoples along the Canadian River in the northern Texas Panhandle adapted to the drier climate by incorporating horticulture and bison hunting within a Plains Village tradition, at least two groups living in the Caprock Canyonlands practiced nomadic bison hunting-foraging lifestyles. Defined archeologically as the Tierra Blanca and Garza complexes, either or both of these groups may represent new arrivals in the Southern Plains. Intersocietal exchange with sedentary Anasazi farmers became an important economic pursuit for the bison hunters during this period. Although complex and still poorly understood, the Panhandle-Plains groups continued to intensity their bison hunting and Pueblo trading activities throughout the Protohistoric period (A.D. 1541-1750). Increased mobility and hunting efficiency due to the acquisition of horses, along with increasing Spanish demand for bison products, further intensified the Plains-Pueblo exchange. Competition for hunting territory and trade alliances with sedentary peoples may have exacerbated hostilities between the two main groups of nomadic Southern Plains bison hunters

Caprock Canyonlands Archeology: A Synthesis of the Late Prehistory and History of Lake Alan Henry and the Texas Panhandle-Plains Volume I

Archeological investigations at Lake Alan Henry, in Garza and Kent Counties, Texas, between 1987 and 1993 generated much archeological data relevant to interpreting late Holocene human activities. This review goes beyond the project boundary to synthesize the late prehistory and history of the Texas Panhandle Plains, with special emphasis on the north-south band of rugged canyons found along the Caprock Escarpment, herein defmed as the Caprock Canyonlands. This synthesis looks at the human past from an ecological perspective, correlating shifts in subsistence, technology, and settlement patterns with inferred changes in paleoclimate, flora, and fauna. Past fluctuations in bison population size, undoubtedly related in many complex ways tn changes in climate and grassland biotic communities, are emphasized as critical ecological factors affecting long-term patterns of human habitation in the Southern Plains. In addition, other factors identified as having affected human subsistence and settlement are the region\u27s highly seasonal food supply, participation in inter- and extraregional exchange networks, and intercultural conflicts. With climatic conditions more or less comparable to those of today, Late Archaic (2000 B.C. to A.D. 200) peoples adopted a mobile hunting lifestyle and roamed across the vast grassland prairies of the southern High Plains and Rolling Plains in search of bison. Exotic burial artifacts indicate that these nomadic bands were involved in a vast exchange network extending at least as far as the Texas Gulf Coast and the mountainous regions of western Oklahoma and/or Trans-Pecos Texas. Beyond their heavy reliance on bison, however, not much is known about these peoples whose remains are defined archeologically as the Little Sunday complex. Their lifestyle disappeared or changed when bison populations dwindled during the transitional Archaic (A.D. 200 to 500). During a mesic interval spanning the Late Prehistoric I period (A.D. 500 to 110011200), Native peoples adopted a foraging strategy centered around intensive procurement and processing of wild plant foods, perhaps supplemented by limited horticulture, and accompanied by hunting of deer and smaller game. Presumably because of less-favorable grassland conditions, bison populations were so low that bison hunting was not a viable economic pursuit. There appear to have been at least two main groups of people inhabiting the Panhandle-Plains at this time. One group, archeologically recognized as the Lake Creek complex, may have originated from the westward spread of Plains Woodland peoples or ideas, while the other, called the Palo Duro complex, represents the eastward spread of Jornada Mogollon influence among Panhandle-Plains peoples. Burial evidence suggests that the peoples of these two divergent cultural traditions were hostile toward each other. Concomitant with a drying episode evident over all of the Southern Plains and much of the Greater Southwest, large numbers of bison returned to the Texas Panhandle-Plains around A.D. 1100, and Native peoples once again adopted bison hunting lifestyles during the Late Prehistoric II period (A.D. 1100/1200-1541). While peoples along the Canadian River in the northern Texas Panhandle adapted to the drier climate by incorporating horticulture and bison hunting within a Plains Village tradition, at least two groups living in the Caprock Canyonlands practiced nomadic bison hunting-foraging lifestyles. Defined archeologically as the Tierra Blanca and Garza complexes, either or both of these groups may represent new arrivals in the Southern Plains. Intersocietal exchange with sedentary Anasazi farmers became an important economic pursuit for the bison hunters during this period. Although complex and still poorly understood, the Panhandle-Plains groups continued to intensity their bison hunting and Pueblo trading activities throughout the Protohistoric period (A.D. 1541-1750). Increased mobility and hunting efficiency due to the acquisition of horses, along with increasing Spanish demand for bison products, further intensified the Plains-Pueblo exchange. Competition for hunting territory and trade alliances with sedentary peoples may have exacerbated hostilities between the two main groups of nomadic Southern Plains bison hunters

Archeological Survey of a Portion of Old Velasco (41B0125) for the Village of Surfside Beach Proposed Boat Ramp Facility, Brazoria County, Texas

In February 2006 Prewitt and Associates, Inc., conducted an archeological survey of a 5.5-acre property slated for development as a boat ramp and parking lot by the Village of Surfside Beach in Brazoria County, Texas. The property is at the southern end of the Village of Surfside Beach, between City Hall and the U.S. Coast Guard station. The tract overlaps with the western edge of the townsite of Old Velasco (41BO125), which was a prominent port city at the mouth of the Brazos River from the 1820s through 1875. Excavation of 25 trenches revealed historic artifacts associated with Old Velasco in the southern portion of the project area, but no remains were found over the northern three-quarters of the property. Most of the culture-bearing deposits were extensively disturbed and covered with a thick layer of artificial fill. Three bone clusters found in one trench probably represent intact dump features from late-nineteenth-century Velasco. Due to the disturbed nature of the deposits, no further archeological work is recommended

Archeological Testing Of The Fivemile Crossing Site, 41MN55: A Toyah Site On The San Saba River, Menard County, Texas

Archeological testing of the Fivemile Crossing site, 41MN55, was conducted by Prewitt and Associates, Inc., for the Texas Department of Transportation in November 2006. Located on an alluvial terrace along the San Saba River about 4.3 miles west of Menard, Texas, the site consists of a shallowly buried Late Prehistoric or Protohistoric occupation. Eighteen hand-excavated test units sampled 13.5 m2 from two very narrow strips of intact deposits within the right of way on both sides of FM 2092. The excavations recovered chipped stone artifacts and bone-tempered pottery from a single occupation zone attributed to the Toyah culture. What remains of the site inside the right of way is minimal and is considered not eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places or designation as a State Antiquities Landmark. The road improvements were allowed to proceed without further archeological investigations

National Register Testing at 41SV153, Somervell County, Texas

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 designation as a State Archeological Landmark. A prominent geological unconformity in the alluvial stratigraphy probably represents an early to middle Holocene erosional event and has implications for paleoclimatic and archeological studies in north-central Texas

Archeological Excavation and Reburial of Unmarked Historic Graves in the Pioneer Cemetery (41BO202), Brazoria County, Texas

This report signals the completion of a cultural resource consultation process that began several years ago. In 1998, a planning meeting was held between archeologists with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Historical Commission to discuss the planned improvements to State Highway 332 in Brazoria County, Texas, This work required a cultural resources surveys of many segments of the highway, one of which is adjacent to the historic Pioneer Cemetery, a predominantly African American burial ground in the town of Brazoria. Archeological investigations were conducted adjacent to the cemetery but within the highway right of way in 1998 and 1999, and the results of this work were reported in 2002. The investigations identified several unmarked graves that appeared to be within the highway right of way on the east side of SH 332. A subsequent property survey showed that three well-defined graves, and a possible fourth grave, were within the right of way and two others were very close to the right of way line. Following the state and federal cultural resources laws and the state laws pertaining to cemeteries in the Health and Safety Code of Texas, the Texas Department of Transportation undertook a project to remove and relocate the graves within the highway right of way. Prewitt and Associates, Inc., of Austin, Texas, was contracted to do the work (Contract No. 573XXSA001, Work Authorization No. 57304SA001). The exhumation of the burials took place from March 31 to April 3, 2003, and the remains were reburied during a ceremony held on April 4, 2003. This report documents the excavation, removal, and reburial of three unmarked graves dating to the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries. This archeological study brings closure to this project. From a historical perspective, the remains of three unidentified people—a young woman, an older woman, and an infant—provide a glimpse at African American life in turn-of-the century Brazoria. From a human perspective, the remains from each grave—all human bones, remnants of the wooden caskets, and personal items buried with the person—were treated with the respect and dignity they deserve, and all three have been reburied in a new location safely inside the Pioneer Cemeter

Phase II Historical Investigations at Justiceberg Reservoir, Garza and Kent Counties, Texas

Phase II cultural resources investigations at the proposed Justiceburg Reservoir in Garza and Kent counties, Texas, conducted in 1988-1989 included work at four historic sites, the recording of a previously unrecorded historic site, and development of two National Register contexts. This report documents the archeological work at the sites and presents data that resulted from in-depth research concerning the history of the use and development of these sites. In addition, the report presents two historic contexts which were developed in order to provide tools for the assessment of sites within the project area and, at the same time, to present information that could be used in future archeological and architectural surveys in the Southern Plains area. As a result of the development of the contexts and reexamination of 12 historic sites to which the registration requirements associated with the contexts could be applied, 7 of the sites were found to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places

Search Unmarked Historic Graves At The Comal Cemetery Bank Stabilization Project, City Of Nee Braunfels, Comal County, Texas

This archeological project was conducted for the City of New Braunfels, and the work was coordinated with Adam Michie in Capital Programs Management and Parks and Recreation Department director Stacey Dicke. Our work was contracted through the city’s engineering consultant, Freese and Nichols, Inc., where Leslie Boyd is the project manager. Onsite mapping of our project area was coordinated by Steve Schultz and conducted by the Schultz Group, Inc., of New Braunfels. Manuel Hernandez mapped the archeological trenches and features. Kevin Mandeville for Brierley Associates, Inc., coordinated and directed the borehole drilling. The Comal Cemetery manager and sexton Larry Herrmann with Maintenance Management of San Marcos provided us with cemetery maps and shared his extensive knowledge of the changes that had occurred in our project area over the past two decades. D&M Owens, Inc., in New Braunfels provided the machines and operators for the archeological trench excavations, backfilling, and site restoration, all of which was coordinated by Jimmy Owens. Patrick Ott and Jeremy Owens did most of the trackhoe trenching. For Prewitt and Associates, Inc., Doug Boyd and Aaron Norment were co-principal investigators. The borehole monitoring was conducted by Boyd, Norment, Ross Fields, and Karl Kibler. Boyd and Norment monitored the mechanical grave search. Brian Wootan and Sandy Hannum compiled the figures in this report

Archeological Excavation and Reburial of Unmarked Historic Graves in the Pioneer Cemetary (41BO202), Brazoria County, Texas

Three unmarked graves within the predominantly African American Pioneer Cemetery in the City of Brazoria (Brazoria County), Texas, were exhumed and reburied within the cemetery. The graves were located within the right of way of State Highway 332, and were found during an earlier search phase done in conjunction with a planned expansion of the highway. The burial excavations and reburial were done in March and April 2003, by Prewitt and Associates, Inc., for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The graves contained the remains of three unknown individuals—a young woman (17–23 years old), an older woman (45–60 years old), and an infant (2–4 years old)—who died in the late nineteenth or early twentieth centuries

Phase II Historical Investigations at Justiceburg Reservoir, Garza and Kent Counties, Texas

Phase II cultural resources investigations at the proposed Justiceburg Reservoir in Garza and Kent counties, Texas, conducted in 1988-1989 included work at four historic sites, the recording of a previously unrecorded historic site, and development of two National Register contexts. This report documents the archeological work at the sites and presents data that resulted from in-depth research concerning the history of the use and development of these sites. In addition, the report presents two historic contexts which were developed in order to provide tools for the assessment of sites within the project area and, at the same time, to present information that could be used in future archeological and architectural surveys in the Southern Plains area. As a result of the development of the contexts and reexamination of 12 historic sites to which the registration requirements associated with the contexts could be applied, 7 of the sites were found to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places