Cultural Resources of the Middle Fork of the American River Archaeological and historic studies in...

Cultural Resources of the Middle Fork of the American River

Archaeological and historic studies in support of The PCWA Middle

Fork American River Project

Image from http://thefirstamericans.homestead.com/Maidu.html

Image from http://www.legendsofamerica.com/CA-Goldrush.html

MIDDLE FORK CULTURAL RESOURCES STUDIESMIDDLE FORK CULTURAL RESOURCES STUDY AREA

MIDDLE FORK CULTURAL RESOURCES STUDIES

- Surveys were performed in 2006 and 2007

MIDDLE FORK CULTURAL RESOURCES STUDIES

- Surveys were performed in 2006 and 2007

- Further surveys will be performed in 2008

MIDDLE FORK CULTURAL RESOURCES STUDIES

- Surveys were performed in 2006 and 2007

- Further surveys will be performed in 2008- To date, 27 resources have been either re-located or newly discovered.

MIDDLE FORK CULTURAL RESOURCES STUDIES

- Surveys were performed in 2006 and 2007

- Further surveys will be performed in 2008- To date, 27 resources have been either re-located or newly discovered.

13 Historic Resources

13 Prehistoric Resources

1 Site with both prehistoric and historic features

Photo from www.goldrush.com

Historic Resources

Historic Sites

• Remains of Post-European contact activity.• Includes the remains of buildings, mining

facilities, ditches, garbage scatters, and campsites.

• In the forest, often visible due to the relatively recent deposition (they tend to be towards the surface of ground cover), the artificial materials present (metals stand out more than stone), and the fact that they often contain structures..

HISTORIC SITES

PL-03The remains of a mining settlement, and a possiblestamp mill. This site contains building foundations, historic trash, and mine tailing piles.

Interior of a Structure

Stone Wall

Trash Dump

The Gates Cabin (FS-05-17-54-214)The remains of the Gates Cabin, this site contained the remains of a structure, a garbage scatter, metal tools, and beer cans.

Lots, and lots of beer cans.

The cone-top beer can allows the site’s occupation to be dated to the early 20th century.

All that remains of the cabin is a pile of loosetimber and corrugated metal sheets.

HISTORIC SITES

The Lambert Ditch (FS-05-17-54-445)The Lambert Ditch, and it’s “sister” the Ralston Ditch (also in the study area), run approximately 20 miles, and carried water to mining operations 20 miles to thesouthwest of their origin near French Meadows.

The Lambert Ditch is just one of many mining ditches found throughout the Sierra Nevada,and only one of several found in the Middle Fork study area.

HISTORIC SITES

Prehistoric Resources

Photo from www.museumca.org

Prehistoric Sites

• Remains of pre-European contact Native American activity.

• Includes seed grinding locations, stone tool manufacturing locations, gathering areas, hunting stands, habitation sites, etc.

• In the forest, often hidden by forest duff and deposited soil, but can frequently be spotted by materials left on rock outcrops.

PREHISTORIC SITES

54-116 (FS-05-17-54-116)This site consists of a scatter of flaked stone tools and the debitage from making the flaked stone tools, ground stone tools, and bedrock mortars.

Bedrock mortars were created in the granite outcrops that dot the area.

This projectile Point was made out of the locally available basalt.

PL-11This site consists of a single bedrock mortar cup. No other archaeologicalmaterials were seen during survey, butthe area will be re-examined in 2008.

This mortar cup was shallow, possibly an indication of the type of grinding Performed at this site.

The mortar was located in a heavily forested area. No other boulders in the

area contained mortar cups

PREHISTORIC SITES

54-400 (FS-05-17-54-400)This site was previously recorded as a bedrockmilling station with two mortar cups, a scatterOf flaked stone (from manufacturing tools), And a midden. Revisiting the site in 2007, onlyOne mortar cup was still visible, other features having been hidden or destroyed. This siteIllustrates the challenges of working in a Dynamic forest environment.

This mortar cup is the only visible, surviving feature of this site. The other mortar cup was lost to erosion.

The decaying granite bedrock has resulted in the loss of one mortar cup,

and it may also have resulted in a ground cover that obscures other features.

PREHISTORIC SITES

Next Steps

Next Steps

Additional Survey

Next Steps

Additional Survey

Significance Evaluations

As the project continues to evolve, the project locationsand boundaries likewise evolves. The following locations

must be surveyed in 2008.

Next Steps

Areas to be Surveyed in 2008 –Modified Facility Boundaries

Areas to be Surveyedin 2008 – Snow

Course Locations

Map from PCWA, 2007

Next Steps

Evaluations

Next Steps

Evaluations

Archaeological and historicresources will be evaluated for NRHP eligibility.

Next Steps

Evaluations

Archaeological and historicresources will be evaluated for NRHP eligibility.

Evaluation methods will be specificTo each location, but may includearchival research, further field observations, and possibly limitedExcavation.

Next Steps

Evaluations

Archaeological and historicresources will be evaluated for NRHP eligibility.

Evaluation methods will be specificTo each location, but may includearchival research, further field observations, and possibly limitedexcavation.

Based on these evaluations,mitigation measures may berecommended.

The moon over French Meadows Reservoirs

Questions?Comments?