An Archeological Survey for a Proposed Prescribe Burn on the Southwest Rim of the Chisos Mountains, Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas

In August and September 2004, personnel from the Center for Big Bend Studies conducted an intensive archeological survey on a 62.24-hectare (153.8-acre) tract of land on the Southwest Rim of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park. The project, funded by the National Park Service, was conducted prior to the initiation of a prescribed burn to satisfy federal requirements relative to Executive Order 11593 of 1971 and Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. Six sites were evaluated, two new sites (BIBE-1565 and BIBE-1566) and four previously recorded sites (BIBE-168, BIBE-873, BIBE-924, and BIBE-925). All of the sites had prehistoric components, while one (site BIBE-873) also had a minor historic component. Avoidance measures are recommended for two of the sites (BIBE-873 and BIBE-925) with intact ring middens. Temporally diagnostic artifacts observed during the project indicate occupations during the Late Archaic and Late Prehistoric periods. Collected specimens will be curated at Big Bend National Park.

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