An Archaeological Assessment of the Proposed Catalina State Park [No. 141]

Abstract

In April of 1980, the Cultural Resource Management Section (CRMS) of the Arizona State Museum (ASM) contracted with Arizona State Parks to provide an archaeological assessment of a portion of the proposed Catalina State Park lands. Approximately 9.7 square km (3.75 square miles) of the proposed park, which is located roughly 22 km (14 miles) north of Tucson, Arizona, were surveyed, and a records check and literature search were undertaken for the area. Two previous CRMS projects, the Rancho Romero reconnaissance (Roubicek, Cummings, and Hartmann 1973) and the Canada del Oro assessment (Brew 1975), had studied portions of the present project area, but to acquire the precise archaeological information required by Arizona State Park planners for the first phase of park development for public use, additional study of the area, especially in the form of survey work, was deemed mandatory.

The archaeological survey that was conducted in conjunction with preparing the archaeological assessment resulted in the location of four previously unrecorded prehistoric sites (two camp sites, one resource- processing locality, and one agriculture-related water-control system); the relocation of known sites, with the correction of some erroneous site loca- tions; the definition of zones of moderate artifact density that will require additional investigation; and photographic documentation of all recent his- toric structures encountered in the project area. The literature search revealed seven previously recorded sites in the project area, some additional historical information on ranching activities in the vicinity, and sources that should produce more in-depth data for future studies. This report provides both a summary of the available information on the prehistoric and historic resources contained in the study area and recommendations regarding their management, and discusses the eligibility of various sites for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places and the Arizona State Register of Historic Places.