Archaeological Test Excavations at Two Sites In the Vicinity of the Lake Pleasant Regional Park

During the summer of 1988, archaeologists from Archaeological Consulting Services of Tempe, Arizona, conducted an archaeological survey of 220 acres in the vicinity of Lake Pleasant Regional Park located northwest of Phoenix. This survey was conducted in order to provide inventory and assessment of the cultural resources that might be affected by the proposed exchange of this parcel to the Maricopa County Water Conservation District by the Bureau of Reclamation. This survey resulted in the identification of four prehistoric sites and 272 isolated occurrences. Two of these sites were determined to have the potential to possess significant archaeological research information and, as such, may have been eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. As a result of this initial survey, it was recommended that a testing program be conducted to determine eligibility.

At the request of the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), SWCA conducted an archaeological testing program at these sites from September 22-26, 1989. The purpose of this testing program was to determine the presence or absence of significant subsurface deposits as they relate to National Register criteria. This report documents the nature and results of the archaeological testing conducted at these two sites.

Neither of the sites (AZ T:4:67 [ASM] and AZ T:4:70 [ASM]) were found to contain significant subsurface deposits and, as such, are not eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. It is suggested that this archaeological testing program reported on herein has exhausted the information potential of these sites. SWCA recommends that archaeological clearance be granted for the Maricopa County Water Conservation District land exchange.