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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCT 98-17; Hadley Property; Tentative Map (CT) (33)03/23/1999 15:29 03/23/1999 14:02 7604380981 RMW ftlco Associate HENTHORN SPECTRUM PAGE 02 Ok! PaleontologyArchaeology History 23392 Madvro, Suits L Mission Vtejo, CA 92681-2737 (949) 770-8042 FAX (9«) 458-9058 99-1375 23 March 1999 Mr, David Salene Spectrum Communities, LLC 15375 Barranca Parkway, Suite B-211 Irvine, California 92618 Dear Mr. Salene: Subject: Letter Report of Archaeological lest Excavations on CA-SDI-68I9, Carlsbad, San Diego County, California Reference: Cultural Resources Reconnaissance of the Hadley and Carnation Properties in the City of Carlsbad, San Diego County, California, RMW Paleo Associates, December 1998. Background: RMW Paleo Associates staff completed a December 1998 reconnaissance of property in Carlsbad, San Diego County (see Reference). It was determined that one archaeological site existed on the subject property, This site, CA-SDM819 (W-1878, Museum of Man identifier), was recorded by Thesken in 1978. Thesken reported a light to moderate scatter of shell and artifacts over a large area, The plotted sits boundary includes essentially all of the Hadley portion of the current study area and extends far to the north, off the current study area property. A small portion of CA-SDI-6819 was previously subjected to excavation, and that portion lies off the current study area to the north. The excavation was accomplished by Gallegos and Huey (1992). A surface collection, 33 Shovel Test Pits (STP) and one test unit of one by one meter size were completed during the excavation. The collection made during the excavation includes ground and chipped stone artifacts (all of local material), pottery sherds, quantities of shellfish remains and trace amounts of bone. The bulk of the collected material was found in the upper soil strata, all of which had been heavily disturbed by historic activity. A radiocarbon date from shell produced a date of 1110 •*•/- 50 years before present The date and the presence of pottery established the site as a manifestation of the Late Prehistoric period. It was concluded that the tested portion of the site represented a Late Period temporary camp where shellfish processing and limited seed processing occurred, The tested portion of the site was determined to be not important, as defined in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and no further research was recommended. Oallegos and Huey noted that the site extended to the south, off the property they were studying. This is in the direction of a portion of the current study area. The literature reviews conduced for the December 1998 reconnaissance found that no less than 42 03/23/1999 15:29 7604380981 HEN'HORN PAGE 0303/23X1939 14:32 949-7^1^491 bh-tu KUII OUPIVM^ i it« • -- archaeological sites have been recorded within a one mile adius of the study area property. This site density establishes the local area as one of very high archa-xjlogical sensitivity. During the December 1998 reconnaissance a light scatter of marine shell was noted that covered essentially all of the level portions of the Hadley property. One area where the shell was more concentrated was seen along the southern Hadley property boundary, immediately east of a low bedrock outcrop. It was recommended that the area of concentrated shell be subjected to evaluative excavation to determine its horizontal and verticai extent, artifact content, and degree of preservation. Current Project Methods: The current project was undr rtaken to fulfil the recommendations of the December 1999 report as they relate to CA-SDI-6819. Th-r field work for the project was completed on 19 March 1999 by a group of RMW Paleo Associates arch wologists under the supervision of the author. The field work consisted of completion of a surface collection, excavation of 19 STPs,, land survey to accurately document the position of each find or excavatic n, surface examination of most of the Hadley property and photography to document the work. The surface collection was completed by the entire crew v Hiking the site area in closely spaced transects of three to five meters width, with artifacts being marked <vith pin flags. Each artifact was then recovered and bagged, with its location determined by land survey. Land survey was completed using transit and stadia radiation techniques. STPs were 40 by 40 centimeters in size and were excavated in 10 centimeter levels until decomposing bedrock was exposed All soil from the excavations was passed through 1/8 metal hardware mesh, and artifacts/ecofacts were collected and bagged for each level. A form for each STP was maintained as the work progressed. The STPs were placed in two lines that passed through the centers of the areas where most artifacts/ecofact* were seen. Two other STPs were excavated in areas with fewer artifacts, but which were in areas that would have been ideal for camp locations. Photographs were made of selected STPs and of the overall site area. Pin flags were used to mark the boundary of the area of shell concentration. The boundary was then surveyed. The locations of various modern features withi'i and near the site area (outcrops, drainage rim*, etc.) were also surveyed. Results: The surface collection produced five whole mar os, 24 nuuno fragments, five groundstone fragments, two scrapers, one chopper, seven flakes and five cores. STPs 2,10 and 16 each produced a single flake hi toe upper levels. A whole mano and a fragment of shell were recovered in the upper level of STP 3, A single fragment of shell was recovered from STP 6. One groundstone fragment was recovered from STP 12. All of the STPs were shallow, with none exceeding 30 centimeters depth. Most STPs were terminated at 20 centimeters depth. The soil was very dark in color, contained almost no cobbles or gravel and was very wet, making it somewhat difficult to screen. The $o< I consisted primarily of very fine sand, with a small amount of day. A very red, decomposing sandston s, the local bedrock, was encountered in every 03/23/1999 15:29 7604380981 HENTHORN PAGE 04 33/23/1959 14:92 349-75*^431 SHt(J!KUM STP, excepting only STP 17. At STP 17, excavated in the northeast corner of the property near the lip of a large drainage, a cobbry deposit in a very coarse sand matrix was encountered This probably represents the edge of ui ancient stream terrace. The entire site area is in an area that is used for agriculture and has been repeatedly plowed or disced. All of the cultural material recovered during the field work was within the plow zone. All of the lithic artifacts are constructed of locally available granitic or metavolcanic materials. No exotic (imported) materials were encountered The identifiable shellfish remains collected during the project are cntone or pecten. These are marine species, and establish that the range bf CA-SDI-6S19 inhabitants extended to the coast. To the west of the shell concentration is a low rock outcrop, above which is another fairly level area that has been in long term agricultural use. Isolated fragments of marine shell were seen in this area, but were nowhere in sufficient concentration to justify controlled excavation. No artifacts were seen in this area. Disturbance in the portion of CA-SDW819 examined during (his study is extreme. The repeated plowing or discing has already been mentioned The area to the south of the site has been thoroughly disrupted by grading for lots and a large drainage channel. The area to the south is not part of the current study area, but it appears that the site originally extended for some distance in that direction. To the north and east, the portion of the site examined during this study abruptly terminates at the edge of rather large and deep drainages. The area to the west, discussed above, has also been heavily disturbed by past agricultural activities. Discussion: The portion of CA-SDI-68I9 examined during this project was a small encampment where the primary activity was the collection and processing of vegetable resources. Virtually all of the lithic tools recovered during the project are of types that were used for vegetable resource processing. The only other indicated activity is the processing of shellfish, as evidenced by the few recovered shells. No time diagnostic material was recovered Manos, cores, flakes, scrapers and choppers were in use throughout archaeological time in the local area, so their presence offers no insights to the Ume of site occupation It will be recalled that Oallegos and Huey recovered numerous pottery sherds from the portion of the site they excavated Pottery was in use locally only during the Late Prehistoric period. The absence of pottery at the portion of the site explored during the current project is a strong indication that the site dates to before the Late Prehistoric. A radiocarbon dale could be obtained from the shell collected during the current project, but dates on shell are notoriously inaccurate, and the date, regardless of when it fell, would not change the interpretation of site activities. In other words, radiocarbon dating would not produce any marked gain in our understanding of local prehistory. Very few non-artiiactual stones of any size were noted in the site area, but some of the few that were seen appeared to be thermally modified. These may have once been parts of fire hearths that have now been thoroughly disrupted by the previous discing and plowing, No intact features, hearths or otherwise, were seen during the field work. 03/23/1999 15:29 7604380981 HENTHORN PAGE 05 03/23/1999 14:92 949-7§fts!343l bKtUIKUn L-UPTUIIA .j^j - - Evaluation: The vegetable/shell processing encampment represented by the portion of CA-SDJ-6819 examined during this study contains a limited range of artifacts/eoofacts and is in an area of shallow soils that have been extensively disturbed by agricultural activities. This portion of the site is evaluated as not important (as defined in CEQA). 1. No further controlled excavation work need be accomplished at the portion of CA-SDI- 6819 examined during this project 2. The whole of the Hadley property should be archaeologicall y monitored during the early stages of construction. The monitoring should end when bedrock is exposed, typically at a depth of no more than 50 to 60 centimeters. Sincerely, Ronald MBissell Registered Professional Archaeologist Cited Study. Galiegos, Dennis and Danielle Huey 1992 Archaeological Test Report for Prehistoric Site CA-SDI-6819, Carlsbad, California. On file at the San Diego Museum of Man.