Effects of Inundation on Cultural Resources in Painted Rock Reservoir, Arizona, An Assessment [No. 149]

Abstract

In August 1981 the Cultural Resource Management Division of the Arizona State Museum carried out a 640-acre archaeological survey at Painted Rock Dam in southwestern Arizona. The study, sponsored by the Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, assessed the effects of inundation on rock alignments and other remains. Intensive survey revealed 82 finds in or near the study area, ranging from isolated artifacts to "Rock City," a complex of trails, rock alignments, and artifacts. The remains range in age from probably Preceramic to Recent, but in many cases the actual age and cultural affiliation of finds were ambiguous. This report attempts to distinguish ancient from recent alignments and assesses the potential significance of the remains. Ability to assess the effects of inundation was limited by the lack of pre-inundation data. Nonetheless, some conclusions were reached. Inundation damage was largely due to wave action and was most pronounced on slopes and on top of ridges or knolls. Wave action could ultimately destroy all sites within the reservoir area, but the rate of destruction is unknown and will vary according to the physical setting of sites. The report ends with recommendations for a program of site monitoring and testing and excavation of sites in immediate danger.