Weekly Reports Trinidad State Junior College Trinidad Reservoir Salvage Archaeology Project Las Animas County Colorado PDF Download

Wave action associated with high lake levels at Trinidad Reservoir, Las Animas County, Colorado in 1999 and 2000 caused slumping and erosion of cultural deposits at the Leone Bluff Site (5LA 1211), a Sopris Phase habitation dating roughly AD 950-1200. As water levels fell, artifacts and human remains eroded from those deposits were scattered the surface of a wave-cut terrace that surrounded the site. The exposed human remains were discovered on May 28, 2000, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, Albuquerque District (USACE) contracted the Office of Contract Archeology, University of New Mexico (OCA) to assess the damage and conduct emergency data recovery. The damage assessment and surface collection was completed in June 2000 under MIPR no. W81G6901538023. Subsequently, the USACE authorized testing and additional data recovery at the site under Contract No. DAC-W47-99-D-0023, Deliver Order 0004. This second phase of fieldwork was completed in August, 2000. Letter reports of these activities were submitted to the USACE in June and September, respectively (Doleman 2001, 2000b). The excavations recovered three human burials, one dog burial, identified two new structures, and 6,904 artifacts were collected. Owing to funding constraints, production of a final descriptive and analytical report was not authorized until 2007 under USACE Contract No. W912PP-06-D-0001, Delivery Order 0007. In addition to the analytical report, the USACE authorized two options for additional work--development of a GIS database of documented sites in the Trinidad Reservoir area, and a bag inventory of the 5LA1211 collection curated at the Louden-Henritze Archaeology Museum (LHAM), Trinidad State Junior College. Although these options had separate deliverables, the results of the bag inventory are also summarized in the various analytical chapters of the report. This report presents the final results of the salvage excavations; analyses of the flaked lithic, ground stone, ceramics, and faunal remains; and integration of these results with previous research at the Leone Bluff site. The USACE provided funding for basic analyses of the artifacts and human remains recovered, and preparation of the report. Several researchers also volunteered their time to complete specialized analyses like the XRF pilot studies and analysis of the basket-impressed ceramics, which allowed OCA to leverage the funding provided by the USACE. Because this was essentially a salvage excavation project, most of the artifacts and other cultural materials from the site were collected from disturbed or secondary deposits. Artifact analysis therefore was directed primarily toward providing a basic description of the artifact assemblage. Some research problems that could be addressed using artifact attributes were also investigated, however. Consequently, although the report is primarily descriptive, it does provide some new information concerning lithic reduction strategies, ceramic production, textiles, and exchange patterns during the Sopris Phase that will be of use to future researchers.