A Cultural Resource Survey of Four Proposed Cell Tower Sites Along I-10, Hudspeth, Pecos, and Crockett Counties, Texas

A cultural resource assessment was conducted of four proposed cell tower site localities along Interstate Highway 10 (IH-10) from ca. 18 miles west of Sierra Blanca, Texas, to ca. 60 miles east of Fort Stockton, Texas. The cell tower localities are located in Hudspeth, Pecos, and Crockett Counties spanning a distance of ca. 250 miles—from the Trans-Pecos basin-and-range landscapes of the Chihuahuan Province to the westernmost extension of the Edwards Plateau within the Balconian Province. The Center for Big Bend Studies (CBBS) of Sul Ross State University, under a contract dated October 21, 2004, with A. Owens & Associates, LLC (AOA), conducted a cultural resource survey of the four proposed wireless antennae-erection telecommunications towers (cell tower localities). A project review by the Texas State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) resulted in the selection of the above mentioned cell tower localities for a cultural resource survey based on the presence of nearby archeological sites with similar environmental settings. Consequently, a pedestrian survey was conducted at the four proposed cell tower localities during December 6–10, 2004, by two archeologists from the CBBS: Cultural Resources Management Coordinator William A. Cloud and Staff Archeologist Richard Walter.

* Contact the Center at (432) 837-8179 or at cbbs@sulross.edu to obtain a photocopy.