4.4 Cultural Resources Archaeological and Historic Resources at the INEEL

Idaho HLW & FD EIS

In 1998, INEEL contracts paid $1.4 million to Office and Tribal representatives provide exper- the State of Idaho in Idaho sales taxes and an tise in compliance with historic preservation additional $0.9 million in Idaho franchise tax. laws, archaeology, and anthropology, and the Tribal representatives bring the unique perspec- tive of the contemporary Shoshone-Bannock culture to the management and interpretation of 4.4 Cultural Resources archaeological and historic resources at the INEEL. 4.4.1 CULTURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AND The archaeological and historic resources identi- CONSULTATION AT INEEL fied at INEEL represent the physical record of past cultures and provide only a partial under- Cultural resources at INEEL include archaeolog- standing. A more complete understanding of ical and historic resources, such as prehistoric past and present cultures can be attained by camp sites and historic buildings and trails, as incorporating ethnographic information, historic well as the plants, animals, physical locations, accounts, and Native American oral histories. and other features of INEEL environment impor- This approach, which is being developed by the tant to the culture of the Shoshone-Bannock INEEL Cultural Resources Working Group, Tribes and to national, regional and local history. allows the definition of cultural resources to be Several Federal laws, which are described in expanded to provide a more complete picture of Chapter 6, govern the protection of archaeologi- the interrelationships between humans and the cal and historic resources on lands managed by natural environment. This approach also pro- Federal agencies. These and other laws also vides the necessary background to understand require consultations among Federal agencies, the continuing importance of INEEL resources Native American tribes, the Idaho State Historic to the Shoshone-Bannock culture and to local Preservation Office, and other interested parties communities, the state of Idaho, and the nation. where resources important to the tribes and oth- ers may be affected by proposed activities on Federal lands. To comply with these require- 4.4.2 CURRENT STATUS OF ments, DOE developed a Management Plan for CULTURAL RESOURCE Cultural Resources (Miller 1995) that provides INVENTORIES AT INEEL procedures for consultation and coordination with state and Federal agencies and the Most of the cultural resource inventories com- Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. DOE has also for- pleted to date at INEEL have been performed to malized its relationship with the Shoshone- comply with the requirements of the National Bannock Tribes in an “Agreement in Principle” Historic Preservation Act. The National Historic (DOE 1998) that provides a formal framework Preservation Act requires that, prior to imple- for the consultation process with the Tribes. menting a project or activity, Federal agencies Through the NEPA review process, other inter- determine whether the project or activity could ested parties are provided an opportunity to com- affect properties included in or eligible for inclu- ment on activities that may impact sion in the National Register of Historic Places. archaeological and historic resources. This typically involves completing archaeological surveys of specific areas that would be dis- The DOE and INEEL Cultural Resources Man- turbed or altered by the project or activity, and agement Office, which is staffed by contractor identifying and evaluating any historic proper- archaeologists and historic preservation special- ties that may also be affected. As a result, previ- ists, consults regularly with representatives of ous surveys have been concentrated near active the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes through meetings facilities, covering approximately 7 percent of of the INEEL Cultural Resources Working INEEL land area (Pace 1998). Group. The INEEL Cultural Resources Working Group, formed in 1993, meets informally to Because of the high density of prehistoric sites share information, coordinate field work, and on INEEL and the need to comply with cultural discuss cultural resource management issues at resource protection requirements in all Federal INEEL. The Cultural Resources Management activities, DOE sponsored the development of a

4-9 DOE/EIS-0287 Affected Environment predictive model to assist in planning 4.4.3 PALEONTOLOGICAL cultural resource surveys and siting RESOURCES new INEEL projects (Ringe 1995). The predictive model does not take the Paleontological resources identified to place of field surveys required under date at INEEL include vertebrate and the National Historic Preservation Act, invertebrate animal, pollen, and plant but it helps identify areas where fossils found in alluvial gravels along impacts to significant archaeological the Big Lost River, in caves and lava resources and increased compliance tubes, and in lake sediments. Twenty- costs are most likely to occur. four paleontological localities at According to the model, high densities INEEL have been identified in pub- of resources are likely to be found lished data (Miller 1995). Recently, a along the Big Lost River and Birch horse fossil was identified in a gravel Creek, in the Lemhi mountains, in the pit near the Central Facilities Area. Lake Terreton basin, atop buttes, within Other vertebrate fossils have included craters and caves, and in a 1.75-mile mammoth and camel remains. These wide zone along the edge of local lava and other plant and animal fossils iden- fields. tified at INEEL provide information on past environmental and climatic condi- As of January 1998, 1,839 archaeologi- tions. cal sites had been identified at INEEL. Of these, approximately 94 percent were prehistoric and 6 percent were 4.4.4 PREHISTORIC historic (i.e., representing the last 150 RESOURCES years). Over half the archaeological sites identified to date are potentially eligible for listing in 4.4.4.1 Archaeological Record the National Register of Historic Places. Pending formal significance evaluations, includ- Archaeological investigations completed to date ing archaeological testing and historic record in southeastern Idaho have yielded evidence searches, these sites are treated as potentially indicating human use of the Eastern Snake River eligible for nomination to the National Register Plain for at least 12,000 years. Investigations at of Historic Places. a cave approximately 2 miles from the INEEL boundary provided the earliest evidence of To gain a better understanding of the importance human occupation, which was radiocarbon- of INEEL’s historic buildings and structures, dated at 12,500 years before present (yr B.P.). DOE recently completed an inventory of all Data from these and other investigations have DOE-managed buildings on INEEL (Arrowrock allowed archaeologists to identify three distinct Group 1998). DOE identified 217 buildings out periods: the Early Prehistoric (15,000 yr to 7,500 of 516 surveyed as potentially eligible for listing yr B.P.), Middle Prehistoric (7,500 yr to 1,300 yr in the National Register of Historic Places B.P.), and Late Prehistoric (1,300 yr to 150 yr because of their association with Idaho’s World B.P.). These periods are distinguished by major War II activities and the nation’s nuclear era, and changes in the types of projectile points, in some cases, their design, material, and work- weapons, and tools used for hunting and gather- manship. At present, the Idaho State Historic ing. The archaeological record indicates that Preservation Office is reviewing and drafting weapon technology evolved from large spear comments on the eligibility determinations points to smaller points associated with atlatl (Braun 1998). Currently, the Experimental (spear thrower) use, and finally to bow and Breeder Reactor-I, the first nuclear reactor in the arrow during these periods. Although the tech- world to produce electric power, is the only his- nology changes are significant, the archaeologi- toric property on INEEL that is listed on the cal record shows a relatively consistent lifestyle National Register of Historic Places. The based on hunting large game and gathering Experimental Breeder Reactor-I is also a plants throughout the entire span of human use National Historic Landmark (Pace 1998). (Miller 1995).

DOE/EIS-0287 4-10 Idaho HLW & FD EIS

Four major cultural resource surveys conducted for foods, medicines, clothing, tools, and build- since 1979 in the vicinity of INTEC have identi- ing materials. Figure 4-2 depicts plant species of fied six cultural resources within an area of cultural importance that occur on or near INEEL approximately 600 acres surrounding the facil- and provides the Shoshone and Bannock names ity. Of these, three of the resources are isolated for each. prehistoric artifacts and have been evaluated as ineligible for the National Register of Historic The importance of plants, animals, water, air, Places. Although the archaeological surveys and land resources in the Eastern Snake River indicate that the area near INTEC contains only Plain to the Shoshone and Bannock peoples is limited evidence of prehistoric use, there is reflected in the sacred manner in which they potential for Big Lost River gravels to contain view the resources. According to Turner et al. buried prehistoric artifacts, as well as paleonto- (1986): logical remains. “for those who perceive the world through the Shoshonean language and culture, the 4.4.4.2 Early Native American Earth is alive and sentient... Cultures the Realm of the Sacred includes all living things: plants, animals, water, and The prehistoric archaeological record does not even the mud.” make clear when the ancestors of the Shoshone and Bannock peoples arrived in southeastern The reverence for all things extends even to the Idaho; however, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes names of places, as stated by a Shoshone- believe that native people were created on the Bannock elder (Yupe 1998), “You can’t say its North American continent and, therefore, regard name around it or there will be trouble like a all prehistoric resources at INEEL as ancestral storm. Its name is sacred.” and important to their culture. Prehistoric sites are located throughout INEEL, and all demon- Specific places in the Eastern Snake River Plain strate the importance of the area for aboriginal have sacred and traditional importance to the subsistence and survival. Shoshone-Bannock people, including buttes, caves, and other natural landforms on or near The ethnographic studies completed by early INEEL. These places are not named here, to anthropologists describe the seasonal migration protect the resources and to respect the of the Shoshone and Bannock peoples across the Shoshone-Bannock view of those resources. Eastern Snake River Plain (Miller 1995). After wintering along the Snake River Bottoms near present-day Fort Hall, groups would disperse in 4.4.5 HISTORIC RESOURCES the spring to salmon (tahwa agai) fishing areas along the Snake River below Shoshone Falls and Historic sites on INEEL reflect continued use of along the Lemhi River and other Salmon River the Eastern Snake River Plain by Shoshone and tributaries, and to camas (zoigah or yambi) Bannock peoples and also include sites associ- prairies near present-day Fairfield and Dubois. ated with the Euroamerican settlement and In late summer and early fall, these groups development of the region. These sites include a would migrate northeast and east to hunt bison portion of Goodale’s (Jeffrey’s) Cutoff transect- (bozhe’na) on the plains east of the Rocky ing the southwestern corner of INEEL, which Mountains. The area now occupied by INEEL was used by settlers as an alternate route along served as a travel corridor for these groups, with the Oregon Trail in the 1850s. The Cutoff and the Big Lost River, Big Southern Butte, and other historic trails on INEEL (Figure 4-3) were Howe Point serving as temporary camp areas also used for cattle drives and sheep drives to providing fresh water, food, and obsidian for tool bring livestock from Idaho, Washington, and making and trade. Oregon to shipping points in Wyoming. Many of the historic sites scattered across INEEL are The Shoshone and Bannock peoples relied on remnants of camps used during cattle and sheep the environment for all of their subsistence needs drives and seasonal movements to various pas- and depended on a variety of plants and animals tures (Miller 1995).

4-11 DOE/EIS-0287 Affected Environment genus are bagwana*** members of the Some MINT medicine. collected for These herbs are uncommon but are sometimes found along growing Big Lost River. A few members of the A few genus BALSAM ROOT BALSAM doyatsayaha'n*** and food used for are They are medicine. common and about scattered the buttes around INEEL. Some members Some

SERVICEBERRY of the throughout INEEL. throughout deambi, wi'yembi*** are common on buttes are . (1 of 2) genus are used for food, used for genus are medicine, and tools. They and tools. medicine, FIGURE 4- Plants used by the Shoshone-Bannock on or near INEEL. located genus is collected for . ge'nga*** The WILD ONION This and dye. medicine, food, onion is common throughout INEEL. do za*** are used for are kah zo ne peh*

GOOSEFOOT kah zo ne bah** scattered along scattered INEEL roadsides. Some members of Some uncommon but are medicine. They are They are medicine.

DESERT PARSLEY DESERT are used for food or food used for are the genus food. They are common and They are food. Many members of the genus abundant throughout INEEL abundant throughout is are used for are

genus harvested for food. This grass is This grass food. for harvested common and abundant INEEL. throughout wai*** bea sa nip* ba sh ea cah** Many members of the FIREWEED and tools. medicine, food, common They are INEEL. throughout INDIAN RICEGRASS is gathered dongiape***

CHOKECHERRY for food, medicine, tools, and tools, medicine, food, for fuel. It is a common tree found fuel. It is a common tree growing on buttes around INEEL. on buttes around growing ah za* a gah boe** members of Several the genus TANSY MUSTARD TANSY and food used for are They are medicine. common in disturbed INEEL. around areas * = Bannock plant name * = Bannock ** = Shoshone plant name by both cultures *** = plant name shared sohna***

CACTUS LEGEND is gathered wogwai'bi*** for food. This food. for disturbed areas. disturbed areas. common cactus flower is common. flower is gathered for a for is gathered grows abundantly grows source of food. This of food. source throughout INEEL's throughout throughout INEEL. throughout

BEGGAR'S TICKS abundantly It grows

DOE/EIS-0287 4-12 Idaho HLW & FD EIS is is used used for food, tools, food, used for It is and medicine. common on parts of the INEEL. JUNIPER waapi*** The genus for multiple purposes. for for It is used as food, smoking, for and in medicine, is This rose rituals. common and abundant along the Big Lost River Big Southern and at Butte. WOOD'S ROSE tsiabe*** tsiemb, 'ake*** are used for are These flowers

SUNFLOWER INEEL roadsides. Some members of Some are common along are food and medicine. food . (2 of 2) the genus FIGURE 4- Plants used by the Shoshone-Bannock on or near INEEL. located . is washibo go'mbi*** GOOSEBERRY Many members of the These food. used for genus are common and grow shrubs are INEEL. throughout scattered

LILY be ho ve** saw wah be* sogo, sigobi*** sogo, SAGEBRUSH Several members Several of the The genus on the buttes of INEEL. They are commonly found They are This genus is common and used for tools and medicine. used for genus are gathered for food. for gathered genus are abundant throughout INEEL abundant throughout is used for are used for food and food used for are . ba sh ea cah* bia'sonip** medicine. They are uncommon They are medicine. on INEEL. PLANTAIN members of the genus Some sanaka bada'*** medicine. This flower is common This flower medicine. throughout in disturbed areas INEEL GUM WEED INEEL.

WILLOW genus seheebi*** The is used for medicine. medicine. is used for in moist areas throughout in moist areas These small trees are common are These small trees buhibahu*** COYOTE TOBACCO COYOTE smoking is used for It is and medicine. uncommon but can be along the found Big Lost River. . are Some genus * = Bannock plant name * = Bannock ** = Shoshone plant name by both cultures *** = plant name shared

THISTLE LEGEND

WILD RYE doyaba'ke*** are used for are are common are members of the These grasses and abundant food and tools. food bohawehani'*** found scattered scattered found gathered for food. for gathered They are commonly They are genus Many members of the throughout INEEL. throughout throughout INEEL throughout

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DOE/EIS-0287 4-14 Idaho HLW & FD EIS

Historic trails on INEEL became important stage Generation, Westinghouse), A1W (Aircraft, 1st and freight routes in the late 1800s to support Generation, Westinghouse), and S5G mining boomtowns in central Idaho. (Submarine, 5th Generation, General Electric) Enterprising freight companies also established prototype reactor plants at the Naval Reactors several new trails across INEEL. Freshwater Facility; and many other support facilities springs at Big Southern Butte were an important (Miller 1995). stop for stage and freight lines. The completion of the Oregon short line railroad between INTEC, originally named the Idaho Chemical Blackfoot and Arco in 1901 eventually made Processing Plant, was one of the first four facili- stage and freight lines obsolete (Miller 1995). ties constructed at INEEL in the 1950s. INTEC played a key role in the early development of The INEEL includes historic sites associated processes and facilities for managing nuclear with attempts to homestead and farm along the fuels and wastes. Among the “first in the world” Big Lost River around the turn of the century. accomplishments at INTEC are the reprocessing The Cary Land Act of 1894 and the Desert of highly enriched pure uranium on a production Reclamation Act of 1902 provided land and fed- scale and solidification (calcination) of liquid eral funding to develop irrigation systems in an HLW on both plant and production scales. effort to encourage homesteading. The Big Lost Historic sites important to U.S. nuclear develop- River Irrigation Project included a tract of land ment at INTEC include 38 buildings potentially in the south-central portion of INEEL. However, eligible for listing in the National Register of the irrigation system was not able to deliver suf- Historic Places. These eligibility determinations ficient water and many of the small homesteads have been reviewed by the State Historic failed (Miller 1995). Preservation Office (Braun 1998). Table 4-7 lists INTEC buildings and structures identified Two historic sites near INTEC are representative as potentially eligible for listing on the National of this period. One site contains a dugout shel- Register of Historic Places. ter and a variety of domestic artifacts, and the other is a small historic dump that may be asso- Six INTEC structures proposed for demolition or ciated with the dugout shelter. Both these sites modification have undergone State Historic are potentially eligible for listing in the National Preservation Office reviews, and all were deter- Register of Historic Places. A third historic mined to be eligible for listing in the National resource near INTEC is an isolated artifact and is Register of Historic Places. These structures considered ineligible for the National Register of include the Waste Calciner Facility (CPP-633), Historic Places (Pace 1998). the two monitoring stations (CPP-709 and CPP- 734), the Radium-Lanthanum Process Off-Gas The desert environment of INEEL saw little Blower Room (CPP-631), the Underwater Fuel activity after the homestead period until World Receiving and Storage Building (CPP-603), and War II, when the U.S. Navy used what is now the the CPP-603 Basin Sludge Tank Control House Central Facilities Area to test-fire naval guns. (CPP-648). Memoranda of Agreement with the INEEL lands were also used as a bombing range State Historic Preservation Office are in place to by the U.S. Army Air Corps during the war ensure that any adverse impacts from alteration (Miller 1995). or demolition of these facilities are mitigated (Braun 1998). In 1949, the National Reactor Testing Station, later to become INEEL, was established by the The historic archaeological record at INEEL is Federal government. INEEL has played a vital important to descendants of pioneers who settled role in the development of nuclear power, with in the Eastern Snake River Plain, as well as to 52 “first of a kind” reactors constructed since current and former DOE and INEEL employees 1949. Several INEEL historic sites help to doc- and their families who played a role in the devel- ument the early development of nuclear power opment of nuclear science and technology. The and include the Experimental Breeder Reactor-I role of INEEL lands and facilities in national, located near the Radioactive Waste Management regional, and local history continues to influence Complex; the Materials Test Reactor located at the cultural environment in eastern Idaho com- the Test Reactor Area; S1W (Submarine, 1st munities.

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Table 4-7. INTEC buildings and structures potentially eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Building Year built CPP 601 Fuel Processing Building 1953 CPP 602 Laboratory and Office Building 1953 CPP 603 Fuel Receiving and Storage Building 1951 CPP 604 Waste Treatment Building 1953 CPP 605 Blower Building 1953 CPP 606 Service Building (Power House) 1953 CPP 608 Storage/Butler Building 1953 CPP 611 Pumphouse Deep Well Pump #1 1953 CPP 612 Pumphouse Deep Well Pump #2 1953 CPP 613 Substation #10 1953 CPP 616 Sewage Treatment Plant/Compressor 1953 CPP 617 Storage/Butler Building 1950s CPP 619 Waste Control House 1955 CPP 620 Chemical Engineering Laboratory/High Bay Facility 1968 CPP 621 Chemical Storage Pumphouse 1955 CPP 627 Remote Analytical Facility/Hot Chemical Laboratory 1955 CPP 628 Waste Storage Control House 1953 CPP 630 Safety and Spectrometry 1956 CPP 631 Inactive/L-Cell Off-Gas Blower Room 1957 CPP 633 Waste Calcining Facility 1960 CPP 634 Waste Storage Pipe Manifold Building (WM-185) 1958 CPP 635 Waste Storage Pipe Manifold Building (WM-187/188) 1960 CPP 636 Waste Storage Pipe Manifold Building (WM-189/190) 1965 CPP 637 Process Improvement Facility/Office/Laboratories 1959 CPP 638 Waste Station (WM-180) Shielded Tank Transfer Building 1968 CPP 639 Waste Calcining Facility Blower Building 1962 CPP 640 Headend Process Plant 1961 CPP 641 Westside Waste Holdup Tank Pumphouse 1961 CPP 642 Hot Waste Pumphouse and Pit 1958 CPP 646 Instrumentation Building-Bin Set 2 1966 CPP 651 Unirradiated Fuels Storage Facilitya 1975 CPP 659 New Waste Calcining Facility and Substation #50 a 1978 CPP 666 Fluorinel Dissolution and Fuel Storage Facility; Fluorinel 1978 Dissolution Process Facility; Fuel Storage Areaa CPP 684 Remote Analytical Laboratorya 1985 CPP 691 Fuel Processing Restoration Buildinga 1993 a. These buildings need to be reassessed with the State Historic Pre servation Office.

DOE/EIS-0287 4-16 Idaho HLW & FD EIS 4.4.6 NATIVE AMERICAN AND areas until recent years. In addition, develop- EUROAMERICAN INTERACTIONS ment of facilities at INEEL over the past 50 years has impacted cultural resources of impor- The influence of Euroamerican culture and loss tance to the Tribes, including traditional and of aboriginal territory and reservation land sacred areas as well as artifacts. severely impacted the aboriginal subsistence cultures of the Shoshone and Bannock peoples. The Shoshone and Bannock cultures were initially 4.4.7 CONTEMPORARY CULTURAL affected by European colonization of the PRACTICES AND RESOURCE Americas through the introduction of the horse MANAGEMENT and subsequent migration of Euroamerican settlers into aboriginal territory. The horse brought The efforts of the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes to profound changes to the Shoshone and Bannock maintain and revitalize their traditional culture cultures, including increased Plains Indian cul- are dependent on having continuing access to tural influences. Settlers began establishing aboriginal lands, including some areas on homesteads in the valleys of southeastern Idaho INEEL. DOE accommodates Tribal member in the 1860s, increasing the conflicts with abo- access to areas on INEEL for subsistence and riginal people and providing the impetus for religious uses. Tribal members continue to hunt treaty-making by the Federal government big game, gather plant materials, and practice (Murphy and Murphy 1986). The Fort Bridger religious ceremonies in traditional areas that are Treaty of 1868 and associated Executive Orders accessible on public lands adjacent to INEEL. In designated the Fort Hall Reservation for mixed this respect, INEEL continues to serve as a travel bands of Shoshone and Bannock people. A sep- corridor for aboriginal people as it has for cen- arate reservation established for the Lemhi turies, although traditional routes have changed Shoshone was closed in 1907, and the Indians due to INEEL access restrictions. DOE recog- were forced to migrate across the area now occu- nizes the unique interest the Shoshone-Bannock pied by INEEL to Fort Hall. The Federal gov- Tribes have in the management of INEEL ernment attempted to convert the traditional resources and continues to consult with the semi-nomadic subsistence lifestyle of the Tribes in a government-to-government relation- Shoshone and Bannock to one based on farming. ship. These efforts were hampered by a lack of water, and early 20th century irrigation projects pro- The maintenance of pristine environmental con- vided little relief, as they mainly benefited non- ditions, including native plant communities and Indians (Murphy and Murphy 1986). habitats, natural topography, and undisturbed vistas, is critical to continued viability of the The original Fort Hall Reservation, consisting of Shoshone-Bannock culture. Contamination 1,800,000 acres, has been reduced to approxi- from past and ongoing operations at INEEL has mately 544,000 acres through a series of ces- the potential to affect plants, animals, and other sions to accommodate the Union Pacific resources that tribal members continue to use. Railroad and the growing city of Pocatello. Excavation and construction associated with Other developments, including the flooding of environmental restoration and waste manage- portions of the Snake River Bottoms by the con- ment activities also have the potential to disturb struction of the American Falls Reservoir, have archaeological resources as well as plant com- also reduced the Shoshone-Bannock land base munities and habitats. Possible impacts associ- (Murphy and Murphy 1986). ated with hazardous and radioactive waste shipments from INEEL through the Fort Hall The creation of INEEL also had an impact on the Reservation are also a concern to the Tribes. The Shoshone-Bannock subsistence culture. Land Shoshone-Bannock Tribes will continue to mon- withdrawals initiated by the U.S. Navy during itor these potential impacts because INEEL and World War II and continued by the Atomic surrounding lands will continue to play a key Energy Commission during the Cold War all but role in maintaining the Shoshone-Bannock cul- eliminated Tribal access to traditional and sacred tural identity.

4-17 DOE/EIS-0287