An Archaeological Survey of the Cholla-Saguaro Transmission Line Corridor (Volume 1) [No. 135]

Abstract

The Arizona Public Service Cholla-Saguaro Transmission Line corridor extends from Red Rock to Joseph City, Arizona, a distance of about 386 kilometers (240 miles). The corridor, a transect 100.5 meters (330 feet) wide, is associated with numerous access roads. The Arizona State Museum began archaeological survey of the corridor in 1974; field work was completed in 1977. During that time, 158 archaeological sites were identified, representing occupation of the areas involved by a wide cultural and temporal range of prehistoric and historic occupants. During the later stages of the survey, Museum personnel worked closely with representatives of Arizona Public Service and the United States Forest Service in order to develop strategies for the avoidance of archaeologically sensitive areas, to monitor any construction near archaeological sites so that damage to sites could be avoided, and to develop a program of data recovery for the mitigation of information loss associated with unavoidable impacts. Later reports will contain the results of this data recovery study; this report focuses on the results of survey and inventory efforts. Because data recovery work was begun before completion of the survey itself, no effort has been made in this report to detail site-specific recommendations for protection and data recovery. These are included in a series of interim reports submitted to the United States Forest Service and now on file at the Tonto and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest offices and at the Arizona State Museum. Instead, this report provides the archaeological information derived from the survey project, as well as results of early (1974) data recovery efforts within the southern portion of the corridor. It is hoped that this report, in conjunction with the later mitigation reports, will provide a coherent account of the results of these studies.