Cultural Resource Survey of the Cullasaja Gorge Project, Highlands Ranger District, Nantahala National Forest
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CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY OF THE CULLASAJA GORGE PROJECT, HIGHLANDS RANGER DISTRICT, NANTAHALA NATIONAL FOREST CHICORA RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION 406 CULTURAL RESOURCE SURVEY OF THE CULLASAJA GORGE PROJECT, HIGHLANDS RANGER DISTRICT, NANTAHALA NATIONAL FOREST Prepared By: Michael Trinkley, Ph.D., RPA Sarah Fick and Nicole Southerland Prepared For: Ms. Linda Erdmann, Project Manager Mangi Environmental Group 7915 Jones Branch Dr., Ste 2300 McLean, VA 22102 CHICORA RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION 406 Chicora Foundation, Inc. PO Box 8664 Columbia, SC 29202-8664 803/787-6910 Email:[email protected] www.chicora.org June 24, 2004 This report is printed on permanent paper ∞ ©2004 by Chicora Foundation, Inc., Mangi Environmental Group, and the U.S. Forest Service. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or transcribed in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior permission of Chicora Foundation, Inc., Mangi Environmental Group, and the U.S. Forest Service except for brief quotations used in reviews. Full credit must be given to the authors, publisher, and project sponsor. ABSTRACT This study reports on a cultural resource utilities. In addition, there is consideration being survey of four project sites along US 64 on the given to increasing the number of camp sites at Highlands Ranger District of the Nantahala the facility. This work would require clearing, National Forest in Macon County, North Carolina. grubbing, grading, construction of underground This work, conducted for Mangi Environmental utilities, and the above grade bath facilities. Group through an IDIQ with the U.S. Forest Creation of new camp sites would likewise require Service, is meant to assist the Forest Service in some degree of clearing, grubbing, grading, and complying with Section 106 of the National road construction. Historic Preservation Act and the regulations codified in 36CFR800. Further north of US 64, at the Cliffside Lake Recreation Area the Forest Service desires to The project, located in western North install new waterlines, running close to the Carolina, includes four tracts situated along an existing bath house and along existing walkways approximately 1-mile stretch of US 64 about 1.3 to existing rock and timber shelters. Construction miles northwest of Highlands, in the southeastern activities would be more limited here, consisting portion of Macon County. of the placement of underground utilities. On the west side of US 64 at the Dry Falls No archaeological or architectural studies Overlook, the Forest Service desires to change the were conducted at a fifth location, Lower Cullasaja parking configuration, perhaps with a pedestrian Falls, since that area consists entirely of steep bridge across US 64 to the McCall Cabin area, as slopes, likely created by blasting rock for the well as to add an additional handicapped access construction of US 64. route. Work here would include potential modification of the existing parking area, In addition, it is likely that there would be including its grade and elevation and additional short-term construction impacts, clearing/construction associated with a new including increased noise and dust levels, and walkway. increased construction related traffic. This study, however, only evaluates the primary affects of the On the east side of US 64, directly across project and does not include any evaluation of from the Dry Falls Overlook, on the McCall Cabin potential secondary affects that might result from property, the Forest Service desires to create a new increased visitation or use of the facilities. parking area, with pedestrian access to Dry Falls by a bridge across US 64. On this parcel the work For this study the area of potential effect would include clearing, grubbing, and grading (APE) includes the historic 737-acre Highlands associated with the parking lot and pedestrian Recreation Area (which contains the project tracts bridge construction. and an associated section of US 64). On the north side of US 64 at the Van An investigation of the archaeological site Hook Glade Recreation Area the Forest Service files at the Highlands Ranger District revealed that desires to construct a new restroom, probably no archaeological sites were identified within the located by the side of the existing structure. This APE, although the presence of two possible graves work will entail the laying of new waterlines and was noted for the Cliffside Lake Recreation Area. i There were no previously recorded architectural We have completed US Forest Service sites listed on the Forest Service’s Cultural forms for CCC sites, and Intensive Survey forms Resource maps, although the Dry Falls, Van Hook, for McCall Cabin, the Recreation Lots, and Bridal and Cliffside Lake project areas were each Veil Falls. These forms provide sufficient recognized to have Civilian Conservation Corps information for National Register evaluations and (CCC) structures located on them. US 64 through may be revised by the Forest Service as additional the project area is listed on the State Study List for information becomes available. the National Register of Historic Places (effectively meaning that the corridor is potentially eligible for We recommend the 737-acre Highlands inclusion on the National Register). In addition, Recreation Area eligible for the National Register we discovered that the Cliffside Lake Recreation of Historic Places as a district which possesses a Area has been recorded as an architectural site by significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of the State Historic Preservation Office and that the sites, buildings, structures, or objects united Cliffside Lake Bath House has been determined by historically or aesthetically by plan or physical the SHPO as eligible for inclusion on the National development. The Highlands Recreation Area Register. Historic District is significant under National Register Criteria A (association with events that Given the very tight time frame of this have made a significant contribution to the broad project detailed historical research was not patterns of our history) and C (it represents a possible. Our work relies primarily on secondary significant and distinguishable entity whose resources available at the Highlands Ranger components may lack individual distinction). District. We have attempted to synthesize available information on CCC activities relating to Within the district are buildings, sites, the US Forest Service. We have, however, structures, and objects that contribute to its developed a context that specifically addresses the significance. Elements that do not contribute are Forest Service’s involvement the CCC and the generally those that were originally constructed Forest Service’s post-CCC recreation philosophy. after 1949. The district includes three areas which themselves are considered historic districts: Van The archaeological survey of the four Hook Glade, Cliffside, and Dry Falls, as well as the tracts incorporated shovel testing at 100-foot complex of natural and constructed features at intervals on transects laid out at 100-foot intervals Bridal Veil Falls. It also includes the McCall except where slopes were evaluated as steep (over Cabin, although final evaluation is not possible 15%) . All shovel test fill was screened through ¼- until a planned reassembly is complete. inch mesh and tests were generally 1-foot in depth where the soil permitted. Additional close- The section of US Highway 64 adjoining interval shovel tests were conducted in several the Highlands Recreation Area is a contributing locations where cultural remains were found on resource to the historic district. the surface. A total of 208 shovel tests were excavated in the four project areas. It is our belief that the actions proposed by the Forest Service will have an adverse affect As a result of these investigations, three on this historic district and should be submitted to archaeological sites were identified (31MA630 - the SHPO for comment. New construction such as 632). All three sites are scatters of lithics and only a pedestrian bridge or new restroom facilities one contains a diagnostic specimen (dating to the should be located in such a way as not to impact Middle Archaic). These sites are recommended not the landscape, viewshed, or historic resources. eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places given their sparse data sets and Finally, it is possible that archaeological lack of integrity. We recommend no additional remains may be encountered in the project area management activities for these sites. during clearing activities. Crews should be advised to report any discoveries of ii concentrations of artifacts (such as bottles, ceramics, or projectile points) or brick rubble to the project engineer, who should in turn report the material to the District’s Staff Archaeologist (the process of dealing with late discoveries is discussed in 36CFR800.13(b)(3)). No construction should take place in the vicinity of these late discoveries until they have been examined by an archaeologist and, if necessary, have been processed according to 36CFR800.13(b)(3). iii iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures vi List of Tables vii Introduction 1 Natural Environment 7 Physiography and Geology 7 Climate 9 Floristics 9 Prehistoric and Historic Background 13 Prehistoric Overview 13 An Euro-American Historic Synthesis 22 The Forest Service, the CCC, and a Context for the