Vertebrate and Invertebrate Paleontological Remains: San Rafael Ranch State Park, Arizona State Parks

Arizona State Parks (ASP) required the assessment of bones found exposed along the arroyo cut of the San Pedro River in San Rafael Valley, Santa Cruz County, southeastern Arizona. These remains held potential of being: 1) modern cattle (Bos) remains; 2) Spanish-age cattle (Bos); 3) Holocene-age Bison; or 4) Rancholabrean-age (> 11,000 B.P.) Bison or other large ungulate remains. This was the initial reason to enter lands held by San Rafael Ranch State Park (SRRSP). Cathy Johnson (ASP) contacted the Quaternary Sciences Program (QSP), Laboratory of Quaternary Paleontology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff and entered into an agreement for QSP to conduct minimal assessment of fossil and potential fossil resources of SRRSP.

The agreement was modified to include: 1) the salvage and assessment of the initial ungulate remains (unofficially named the Bonz Site), 2) a preliminary assessment of the local molluscan species, 3) a minimal project to clean, prepare, and conserve a fragmentary whale bone housed at the park (to be used for education and display purposes), and 4) to assess and prepare (if needed) another ungulate (Bison) skull recovered by ASP from SRRSP lands.