The Prehistory and Management of Cultural Resources in the Red Mountain Area

The report is comprised of two separate "working papers" on the prehistory of the California Desert: 1) Background to Prehistory of the El Paso / Red Mountain Desert Region; and 2) An Archaeological Protection and Stabilization Plan for the Squaw Spring Well Archaeological District near Red Mountain, California.

The first report represents the second in a series of regional (i.e., Planning Unit) studies undertaken or scheduled for the California Desert Planning Program, United States Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management. Both the initial report, "Background to Prehistory of the Yuha Desert Region" (Weide and Barker 1974), and the present one were prepared by the Archaeological Research Unit, Dry Lands Research Institute, University of California, Riverside.

The intent of these studies is to provide the BLM with an overview of information pertaining to the prehistory of a planning unit, which can then serve as background for the cultural resource section of the Unit Resource Analysis. Basic objectives in the studies are to describe and discuss available archaeological and ethnological data. The information is presented in terms of ethnohistory and ethnography, previous archaeological research, culture history (or sequence), potential archaeological significance, and archaeological sensitive areas within the planning unit. Ultimately, the background information may be incorporated into a program of statistical sampling of archaeological inventory areas in the California Desert under development by the BLM (cf. Weide 1973; Weide and Barker 1974:90-96). The program is being designed to yield projections of patterns of site locations and densities in the desert which, ideally, will be instrumental in long-term planning of use and development in the California Desert.

The second report details a plan to protect and stabilize the Squaw Spring Well Archaeological District. A request for determination of National Register eligibility pursuant to Executive Order 11593 was made in 1976. On July 19, 1976, the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation of the National Park Service determined that the area "...is eligible for inclusion in the National Register." Additionally commenting that the district..." is significant because it forms one of the principal hubs for a larger network of subsistence and economic activities (and) further study of this area will likely yield important information on regional culture history, on processes of big game hunting and associated ritual, plant food processing (and gathering) and paleo-environmental reconstructions." The formal nomination was submitted to the Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Monies were allocated for protection of the district during the fiscal year 1978. In 1979 the large protective sign and the protective fence were emplaced to protect the resources at Squaw Spring. In 1981 the permaloy descriptive sign was placed within the district, completing the physical elements of the protection project.

Originally the information in this record was migrated into tDAR from the National Archaeological Database Reports Module (NADB-R) and updated. In 2014, as part of its effort to improve tDAR content, the Center for Digital Antiquity uploaded a copy of the document and further improved the record metadata.