Survey, Mapping, and Limited Testing at Three Sites on the Fort McDowell Indian Community: Report

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) partnered with the Fort McDowell Indian Community (FMIC) on the FMIC Irrigated Farmland Development Project to develop new agricultural fields in accordance with the stipulations set forth in the Fort McDowell Indian Community Water Rights Settlement Act (Public Law 101-628).

At the request of Reclamation, Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd. (ACS) conducted survey of approximately 400 acres, mapping, photographing, and limited testing of cultural resources on the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation. The survey and mapping were performed to record and determine the extent of prehistoric agricultural rockpile features at AZ U:6:81(ASM) and U:6:239(ASM) that will be impacted by agricultural development. Subsurface testing at AZ U:6:87(ASM) was conducted to identify the nature and extent of subsurface cultural resources at the site that will be impacted by road widening. All three sites have previously been determined to be eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Further inspection of a possible historic site on Rattlesnake Point was undertaken and determined to date to the 1960s, and was therefore, not considered eligible for inclusion in the NRHP.