Archeological Survey and Soil Testing at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma

Archeologists from the National Park Service (NPS), Western Archeological and Conservation Center (WACC), conducted survey and soil testing at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Roger Mills County, Oklahoma, The WACC archeologists were joined in the field by Native American monitors representing fhe Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes and the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes.

The purpose of the archeological survey was to provide an inventory of fhe Park's cultural resources to assist in meeting the requirements of sections 110 and 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended. The WACC survey results will also facilitate the protection and
management of the resources in planning for development as this young Park evolves to meet future needs. The resources recorded during previous NPS surveys to clear proposed development in the Park were not re-recorded.

The soil-testing component of the project was intended to identify, if possible, the location of a historical horse slaughter associated with the 1868 military engagement between fhe U.S. 7th Cavalry and Native American defenders of Peace Chief Black Kettle's Cheyenne encampment. During fhe soil testing, the WACC field team used commercially available testing kits to evaluate the total soil-phosphorus content of buried soils. The soil-testing results are described, including
the interpretation of one ofthe tested areas as a likely location of the horse slaughter.

The report includes conditiou and siguificance evaluations of the recorded resources and management recommeudatious. The condition evaluations are based on field assessments of the resources. The significance evaluations are presented according to NPS standards, following the
guidelines established in the NPS-National Register Bulletin 15.