HomeMy WebLinkAboutCT 97-14; Mariano; Tentative Map (CT) (3)CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY
OF
THE LAUREL TREE PROPERTY
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA
Prepared for
LAUREL TREE INVESTMENT CO.
C/O DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS
2892 JEFFERSON
CARLSBAD, CA 92008
Prepared by
SUSAN M. HECTOR, PH.D.
DIRECTOR, CULTURAL RESOURCES
REC&N
Regional Environmental Consultants RECON NUMBER R-1815
1Z76 Moron* Boulevan). S«n Diego. CA 82110-3815 Z7S-3732 JUNE 21 1988
I. INTRODUCTION
Archival and field archaeological surveys were performed for the Laurel Tree
project in the City of Carlsbad (Figures 1 and 2). Two previous surveys by
RECON were performed within portions of the Laurel Tree project area. In
addition, the surrounding area has been the focus of several archaeological
investigations connected with the Carlsbad Research Center and Palomar Airport
Business Center. As a result of the previous and present investigations, no
cultural resources were located on the project property. No further measures
related to cultural resources are necessary.
H. CULTURAL BACKGROUND
The Laurel Tree project area comprises 65.25 acres of mesa and ridge top
land south of Palomar Airport Road. A drainage running south to north bisects
the project area. The alignment for College Boulevard was surveyed for cultural
resources in 1987 (Hector 1987); this route went through the center of the
Laurel Tree project area. Near the southern border of the project area, the
Hillebrecht project included excavation of three prehistoric cultural resources
(Hector 1985). One of the sites, SDi-6752/W1875, was recorded within the Laurel
Tree project area (Desautels 1982). Other surveys within the area include
Palomar Airport Business Center (Hanna 1981) and Carlsbad Research Center
(Hector 1982).
The current understanding of the cultural patterns in the Agua Hedionda
Lagoon region involves one large base campsite, many temporary use shell camps,
and several lithic scatter sites. One of the most important archaeological
resources in the Carlsbad area is the Kelly Springs site (SDi-8303A/SDM-W-123).
This site covers many acres, consists of several recorded loci, and contains a
large variety of artifacts and faunal materials representative of a habitation
site which was used by many people over a long period of time. Surrounding this
site, within a one-mile radius, lie many shellfish processing camps on the shore
of Agua Hedionda and on the mesa tops overlooking the lagoon. Some lithic
scatters are also present on the mesa tops.
As a result of the RECON monitoring work for the SDG&E gas line, a report
was prepared which included an overview of cultural resources in the Agua
Hedionda Lagoon drainage area. The interrelationship between the Kelly Springs
site and the surrounding special use sites was described as follows:
The economic focus of the inhabitants of the Kelly Springs site lay
within the drainage and downstream to the lagoon. An interrelationship
of base camp and special-use camp has been tentatively identified in San
Diego County by previous investigators. However, no study involving a
base camp and outlying special-use site has detailed this relationship.
The sites within the SDG&E gas line right-of-way could contribute
concrete data relating to this research. . . . Artifact attributes,
proportional shell species quantities, shell radiocarbon dates, and
diagnostic artifacts can provide information related to time and site
function (Wade 1986).
Two shell camps were documented during the cultural resources investigation
for the Carlsbad Research Center. Both resources were determined not to repre-
sent significant cultural resources and no further archaeological measures were
PROJECT LOCATION
FIGURE 1. THE LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT RELATIVE TO THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO.
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FIGURE 2. PROJECT LOCATION ON U.S.G.S. 7.5 MINUTE TOPOGRAPHIC
MAPS, ENCINITAS AND SAN LUIS REY QUADRANGLES
R-1815 6/88
deemed necessary (Hector 1982). Thirteen archaeological sites were recorded
within the Palomar Airport Business Center project area. These sites repre-
sented lithic scatters as well as temporary shell camps.
In summary, based on the previous archaeological survey information for
the surrounding region, although it is not likely that a large base camp site is
located on the project area, it is possible that special use flaking stations or
shell camps could exist.
m. ARCHIVAL INVESTIGATIONS
Record searches were conducted with the San Diego State University South
Coastal Information Center and with the San Diego Museum of Man. These records
will be housed at RECON. Several sites were recorded in the project vicinity.
These sites are discussed in the above section, Cultural Background. One site,
SDi-6752/W1875, was recorded within the Laurel Tree project area. This site is
described as a sparse shell and lithic artifact scatter; one tool and several
flakes were noted on the site record form.
IV. FIELD INVESTIGATIONS
The project property was surveyed by RECON archaeologists on July 7, 1988.
The project is located south of Palomar Airport Road and east of Interstate 5.
The project property is .typified by coastal sandstone mesas cut by steep, wide,
and deep erosional drainages. The sides of these drainages are "highly eroded
and nearly devoid of natural coastal sage scrub vegetation. The drainage
bottoms have wet areas and appear to have been subjected to washing and
alluviation. The mesa tops, especially on the western edge of the property,
slope more softly to- the west due to the effects of wind erosion and long-term
agriculture. Two north-trending ridges extend from the southern boundary of the
property. These are divided by a large drainage which widens at the northern
portion of the property and continues flat to Palomar Airport Road. The eastern
edge of the property is a portion of a drainage which lies to the east of the
eastern ridge and joins with the central drainage. An old quarrying operation
has removed a large portion of the eastern ridge.
The survey concentrated on the tops of the two north-trending ridges. The
westerly ridge constitutes over one-third of the project property and slopes
gently to the western property boundary. The top and gentle side slopes are
currently plowed and fallow. The eastern ridge is highly eroded, due in part to
the quarrying, and consists primarily of exposed sandstone and sparse vegeta-
tion. Visibility was excellent in both these areas and no cultural resources
were located. No trace of archaeological site SDi-6752\W1875 was found at the
time of the survey; this site was not found during the survey of the area for
the College Boulevard alignment (Hector 1987). It is likely that heavy culti-
vation and disturbance by agricultural activities have removed all traces of
this sparse shell scatter.
The central drainage bottom was not surveyed intensively since it had been
previously surveyed as a part of environmental evaluation of the proposed
alignment of College Boulevard and because of the obvious erosional disturbance.
The portion of the eastern drainage which is located on the property was also
obviously eroded and alluviated and was also spot-checked. No cultural
resources were located in the drainage areas.
V. RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Cultural resource record searches and a field survey were performed for the
Laurel Tree project. Although one previously recorded archaeological site was
noted within the project area on the record searches, no trace of this site was
found during the field survey. As a result of these investigations, no cultural
resources were located on the project property. No further measures related to
cultural resources are necessary.
VI. REFERENCES CITED
Desautels, Roger
1982 Cultural Resources Report on the Rancho La Costa Properties Located in
the County of San Diego. Scientific Resource Surveys, Inc.
Hanna, David C.
1981 Cultural Resources of the Airport Business Center/Carlsbad, Reconnais-
sance Report. RECON.
Hector, Susan M.
1982 Archaeological Investigations for Phases II and III, Carlsbad Research
Center, Carlsbad, California. RECON.
1985 Archaeological Test Excavations on the Hillebrecht Property, Carlsbad,
California. REC'ON. - .
1987 Archaeological Survey of the College Boulevard Alignment. RECON.
Wade, Sue A.
1986 Archaeological Monitoring of the Encina Gas Pipeline Project: Profiles
of Subsistence Patterns Along the South Shore of Agua Hedionda Lagoon.
RECON.
VII. PROJECT PERSONNEL
Susan M. Hector, Ph.D. Principal Investigator
Sue A. Wade Project Archaeologist
Shirley Miller Field Archaeologist
Harry Price Technical Illustrator
Stacey Tomlinson Production Typist