Archeological Testing at Sites 41PS800 and 41PS801, Presidio County, Texas

Between May 19–28, 2000, the Center for Big Bend Studies of Sul Ross State University conducted archeological investigations for the Texas Department of Transportation at two sites (41PS800 and 41PS801) in the highway right-of-way along Farm-to-Market Road 170 in southern Presidio County, Texas. The work at site 41PS800 involved both subsurface testing and instrument mapping, while only instrument mapping, hand-taped measurements, and written descriptions were completed at site 41PS801. The project was conducted for the Texas Department of Transportation prior to reconstruction and rehabilitation of a 17.7-km (11-mi) section of roadway. The subsurface investigations at site 41PS800 identified intact midden deposits on the upper terrace, a single, mostly intact hearth feature within a portion of the midden, a buried cultural zone below the midden deposit in one of the test units, and a relatively deeply buried cultural zone at the back edge of the lower terrace. Temporal diagnostics recovered during the project and three radiocarbon assays from the hearth feature indicate the site was occupied during the Late Prehistoric and perhaps Early Historic periods. Due to the presence of intact deposits which are likely to contain information important in prehistory and history (Criterion D), the site has been determined eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places by both the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Historical Commission. Both agencies concur that the lack of significant or intact deposits within the right-of-way at site 41PS801 preclude its eligibility to the National Register.

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