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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCT 99-13; Steiner Property; Tentative Map (CT) (8)_uu c July 20, 1999 4241 Jutland Drive, Suite 201 San Diego, CA 92117-3653 619/270-5066 fax 270-5414 Ms. Sondra Harris Assistant Project Manager Western Pacific Housing 2385 Camino Vida Roble #107 Carlsbad, CA 92009 Reference: Steiner Property Cultural Resource Significance Evaluation (RECON Number 3163A) Dear Ms. Harris: This letter report summarizes the result of the cultural resource evaluations for a portion of CA-SDI- 8195, located on the Steiner property in Carlsbad, California (Figures 1 and 2). RECON conducted field excavations to evaluate resource significance under criteria set forth in the California Environ- mental Quality Act (CEQA) and the City of Carlsbad Cultural Resource Guidelines (CRG). The archaeological excavations undertaken at CA-SDI-8195 sampled a deposit of marine shellfish remains deposited during the prehistoric period of Carlsbad's history and found them to be not important under CEQA criteria and not significant under the CRG criteria. No additional investiga- tions are recommended for this locus of cultural activity within CA-SDI-8195. CEQA and the CRG require the identification and evaluation of cultural resources in order to determine the potential impact from a proposed project. The necessary archaeological excavations were undertaken at CA-SDI-8195 on July 1, 1999 and 20 person hours to complete. Standard archaeological field and laboratory methods were followed during the course of the investigation. The recovered materials will be curated at a RECON facility until an appropriate transfer to a curatorial facility is made. The records and documentation of the investigation are on file at RECON as job number 3163 A. The investigation sampled a deposit of marine shellfish remains dating to the prehistoric-era. The deposit located on the Steiner property is spatially associated with the larger site deposit identified as CA-SDI-8195, but had a localized character that distinguished it from the larger site deposit. CA- SDI-8195 was recently reported on by Gallegos and Associates (Kyle and Gallegos 1997). During the Gallegos and Associates investigation, the site record was updated to reflect the conditions and components of the site visible at that time. Kyle and Gallegos (1997) identified the extent of the site as encompassing the ridge and adjacent slopes within the Lohf property and extending onto neigh- boring parcels, including Steiner. Portions of the site located on the Lohf property were evaluated by RECON (Cheever and Collett 1997). The Lohf property abuts the Steiner property on the west and south. Although CA-SDI-8195 was identified by Kyle and Gallegos (1997) as covering a large area, it was composed of several localized deposits of material. Cheever and Collett evaluated two of these loci along the central ridge of the Lohf property and identified them as camp areas from the Archaic and Late Periods (Cheever and Collett 1997). The nearest locus is approximately 100 meters to the west of the Steiner property and has proved very different from the locus identified on the Steiner property. The purpose of the current investigation was to evaluate a deposit of marine shell and possible associated artifacts on the Steiner property under CEQA and CRG criteria. Additionally, the temporal relationship between these deposits would, once determined, allow the chronological sequence of activity in the area to be established. Laylander (1993) has identified research issues concerning the influence of various coastal food resources on settlement patterns during the Archaic and Late Periods. The current investigation would provide additional information useful in these analyses as part of a larger data set of absolute dates. OCEANSIDE BUENA VISTA LAGOON CARLSBAD PROJECT LOCATION LEUCADIA ENCINITAS SOLANA BEACH FIGURE 1 Regional Location of the Project loCATONfa^llgfe^ S^^^^'H^CVk U' / jT/^yj)'.1' V/Y" S/^V; Map Source: U.S.G.S. 7.5 Minute topographic maps, Encinitas and San Luis Rey quadrangles FIGURE 2 Project Location Ms. Sondra Harris Page 2 July 20, 1999 The main difference between the two deposit areas was artifact content. The deposit on the Steiner property contained only one artifact, while the Lohf property yielded numerous artifacts from a variety of tool classes. This difference suggested a couple of possible explanations. One, that intrasite selectivity for certain kinds of activities may be responsible for the differences. A possible cause of such selection may be cultural, as in male and female oriented activity taking place in exclusive areas. A second possibility is that different cultural activities occurred at the site over time, but they did not overlap the locus on the Steiner property. Cheever and Collett conducted radiocarbon studies of marine shell samples from the locus near the Steiner property. The dated material "indicates at least one occupation episode dating to circa 2,130 radiocarbon years before the present and a second episode sequence related to the Late Period" (Cheever and Collett 1997). This result supports the use of the area at different periods over time. An analysis of radiocarbon material from the Steiner locus was not completed at the time of this report; however, the results of the analysis will indicate the temporal relationship between the Steiner locus and the neighboring portions of CA-SDI-8195. The results of the radiocarbon analysis will be included in an updated summary report for this investigation. The investigation of CA-SDI-8195 on the Steiner property included the placement of one sample unit and six shovel test pits to the south of the existing house (Figure 3). The sample unit measured one meter square and went to a final depth of 50 centimeters (cm) below the surface where the subsoil was contacted. The shovel test pits (STPs) were placed to the east, south, and west of the sample unit (see Figure 3). The figure illustrates the placement of the excavations and also whether or not they yielded cultural material. The dimensions of the subsurface deposit are indicated in the figure and are based on the recovery of material from subsurface contexts. The sample unit was placed at the location of the single surface artifact identified at the locus. This artifact was observed on the surface of the locus among a scatter of marine shell. The recovery from the sample unit is presented in Table 1. The total recovery from the unit includes one milling handstone (mano) from the surface of the unit location. This artifact has two working faces and was fashioned from a rounded stream cobble that weighs 1220.3 grams and measures 145 millimeters (mm) long, 103 mm wide, and 52 mm thick. It is not pecked or otherwise modified. The surface includes striations and polish, which have altered the natural contours of the exposed crystals. Additionally, the surface wear has altered the oxidation pattern of the cortex of each face of the tool, facilitating the identification of the modified surfaces. The marine shellfish fragments recovered from the unit total 2,765.3 grams and were unevenly distributed through the vertical column. Table 1 indicates the variation among the levels, which fluctuate in quantity and then taper off with increased depth. The 40 to 50 cm level shows a dramatic decrease in the amount of shell present in the unit, which also coincides with the change in soil character at this level (Figure 4). The sediments at the location have become mixed over time through the action of burrowing mammals and insects. Such bioturbation is common in San Diego County and has varying effects on archaeological deposits. The integrity of this deposit has been significantly compromised, which is best illustrated by the presence of saw-cut beef bone in the 20 to 30 cm level. This faunal turbation also reduces the application of recovered artifacts and ecofacts in addressing important research issues. The species present in the deposit were from three genera available in the local area and include clam (Chione sp.), scallop (Aequipecten sp.), and marine snail (Polinices sp). These species were obtained from lagoons and from similar areas with tidal flush. These animals represent a reliable food source that was used by the occupants of the coastal margin for thousands of years. Shovel test pits also yielded indications of a marine shell deposit (see Figure 3). The fragments of shell recovered from the STPs were from disturbed contexts and not collected. The identified genera 40 X . N 20 FEET 0 A Site datum | 1m x 1m Excavation unit I Positive STP D Negative STP • —— Approximate locus boundary FIGURE 3 CA-SDI-8195 Site Map 3163a\graphics\sdi-8195 TABLE 1 SUMMARY OF RECOVERED MATERIALS, CA-SDI-8195, LOCUS C, STEINER PROPERTY (grams) Task Surface Collection Unitl Unitl Unitl Unitl Unitl TOTAL Level 0 cm 10cm 20cm 30cm 40cm 50cm Type Clam Scallop Marine Snail Beef Bone Mano 1,220.3 517.0 - - - - 982.8 - - - - 373.1 5.1 4.3 23.8 783.0 0.8 - - 75.4 - - - - 2,731.3 5.9 4.3 23.8 1,220.3 Total 1,220.3 517.0 982.8 406.3 783.8 75.4 3,985.6 Ocm- 10cm - 20cm- 30cm- 40cm- 50cm- 101 Very disturbed sandy loam Friable sandy loam || | || Compact indurated substrate E$OT| Krotovma FIGURE 4 Unit 1, East Wall CA-SDI-8195 o Ms. Sondra Harris Page3 July 20, 1999 were consistent with the recovery from the sample unit and also with other specimens identified at the surface. The variety of the recovered material was limited and, therefore, not sufficient to draw reliable conclusions of the cultural context it reflects. The two reasonable inferences that can be made are an early encampment around 2,130 years before the present (B.P.), or a Late Period encampment less than about 1500 years B.P. In the former scenario the group responsible for creating the deposit would have been engaged in resource collection activities in the area regularly and selected the specific location as the focus of their encampment. The presence of the mano suggests that some processing of plant seeds may also have taken place, but shellfish were the primary food consumed on-site. The reason for this may have been the difference in availability of materials on-site, or a collection strategy that reserved storable seed materials for later use while consuming perishables on site. This model would also explain the lack of bone and charred wood in the deposit, which were items found in the Late Period deposit on the Lohf property. If a Late Period occupation was responsible for the deposit at the Steiner property it may reflect an activity focus associated with an encampment on the Lohf property. In this scenario, the relationship between the two loci reflects intrasite variability that may be due to cultural norms regarding the separation of tasks. The pending radiocarbon analysis will allow the relationship between the Steiner locus and the deposits on the Lohf property to be evaluated. This field excavation to evaluate the resource were accomplished according to criteria set forth in CEQA and the City of Carlsbad Cultural Resource Guidelines. The archaeological excavations undertaken at CA-SDI-8195 sampled a deposit of marine shellfish remains. The results of a radiocarbon analysis for a sample of marine shell is pending and will be included in an updated summary of this investigation. The results of the radiocarbon analyses are expected to reveal the temporal relationship between the Steiner locus and the multi-component locus on the Lohf property, approximately 100 meters to the west. However, the results of the radiocarbon analysis will not change the integrity of the deposit or its inability to address important regional research issues. As a result of this work the deposit on the Steiner property was found to be not important under CEQA criteria and not significant under the CRG criteria. No additional investigations are recommended for this locus of cultural activity within CA-SDI-8195. Sincerel lussell O. Collett Project Archaeologist ROC:sh References Cited Cheever, Dayle M., and Russell O. Collett 1997 Significance Assessment Results for CA-SDI-8195, Dove Lane/Lohf Property, Carlsbad, California. RECON, San Diego. Kyle, Carolyn, and Dennis Gallegos 1997 Historical/Archaeological Survey for the Dove Lane Project, City of Carlsbad, California. Gallegos and Associates, Carlsbad. Laylander, Don 1993 Research Issues in San Diego Archaeology. San Diego County Archaeological Society, San Diego.