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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. -.RECQN, 0-1A1* A/AH |Eva^^PpTnt f/ » i/^- —j ', V ,-y .(-^"t^-^.'.' '•'.;; i C«nyt»rf 7" ;.' 1' $. 9(r'"r~-^/' <i ./ 1; )':-'''-.:'-//:. '. "\!'.»v»\ • (';':'-s~- fmtw^s^ PROJECT LOCATION [' ,;: i V i *H •• ..:(.>-• •/ ,"r7 .'/ a ;\ -; .--'-' \' -%. '• / •' I" .' • ' ?.' "•'• 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