Dolores Archaeological Program Technical Reports, DAP-080: Introduction to Field Investigations in the Grass Mesa Locality, 1978-1980

Archaeological investigations in the Grass Mesa Locality from 1978 through 1980 were conducted by Washington State University personnel under the auspices of the Dolores Archaeological Program. Investigations were carried out on four levels, or "tracks," that reflect the relative intensity of effort expended in the investigations. Track 4 work consisted of inventory survey; Track 3 work consisted of more thorough examination of the site surface, including systematic collection of surface artifacts; Track 2 work involved nonintensive subsurface examination; and Track 1 work consisted of intensive excavation. The distribution of effort was designed to provide a representative sample of the functional and temporal variability of prehistoric sites in the locality. An evaluation of the adequacy of the various levels of investigation suggests that Track 4 survey was successful in accurately estimating site population in the locality. Similarly, Track 1 through 3 efforts, in general, appear to have been adequate in terms of sampling the cultural variability of Grass Mesa Locality sites. However, it probably would have been desirable to perform more Track 2 work at sites classed as limited activity loci on the basis of survey results; at sites with small ceramic collections that could be assigned only to very general time periods; and at sites that had been considerably disturbed or at which modern ground surface was obscured by vegetation or postoccupational deposits.