An Archaeological Survey of a Portion of the Choke Canyon Reservoir Area in Mcmullen and Live Oak Counties, Texas
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Volume 1981 Article 21 1981 An Archaeological Survey of a Portion of the Choke Canyon Reservoir Area in McMullen and Live Oak Counties, Texas Alston V. Thoms Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, [email protected] John L. Montgomery Center for Archaeological Research Alice W. Portnoy Center for Archaeological Research Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita Part of the American Material Culture Commons, Archaeological Anthropology Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Other American Studies Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, and the United States History Commons Tell us how this article helped you. Cite this Record Thoms, Alston V.; Montgomery, John L.; and Portnoy, Alice W. (1981) "An Archaeological Survey of a Portion of the Choke Canyon Reservoir Area in McMullen and Live Oak Counties, Texas," Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State: Vol. 1981, Article 21. https://doi.org/ 10.21112/ita.1981.1.21 ISSN: 2475-9333 Available at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol1981/iss1/21 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Regional Heritage Research at SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State by an authorized editor of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. An Archaeological Survey of a Portion of the Choke Canyon Reservoir Area in McMullen and Live Oak Counties, Texas Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License This article is available in Index of Texas Archaeology: Open Access Gray Literature from the Lone Star State: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol1981/iss1/21 l r'--../ I, , I i' / AN ARCH'AEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF A PORTION OF THE I. I CHOKE CANYON RESERVOIR AREA IN McMULLEN AND LIVE OAK COUNTIES, TEXAS By Alston V. Thoms, John L. Montgomery, and Alice W. Portnoy Report prepared by the Cultural Resources Institute Texas Tech University r .1.·1\ . \ . Center for Archaeological Research The University of Texas at San Antonio Choke Canyon Series: Volume 3 1981 AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF A PORTION OF THE CHOKE CANYON RESERVOIR AREA IN McMULLEN AND LIVE OAK COUNTIES, TEXAS by Alston V. Thoms, John L. Montgomery, and Alice W. Portnoy Report prepared by the Cultural Resources Institute Texas Tech University Center for Archaeological Research The University of Texas at San Antonio Choke Canyon Series: Volume 3 1981 ABSTRACT An intensive cultural resource survey was carried out on approximately 2544 hect ares (6285 acres) of the proposed Choke Canyon Reservoir by the Cultural Resources Institute (CRI) of Texas Tech University from August through October 1977. The project was undertaken in response to needs of the Bureau of Reclamation. This report is one of a multivolume study.'concerning the area's cultural resources. During the 1977 survey, 113 archaeological sites, 42 low density artifact scatters, and five isolated finds were located and recorded. A no-collection policy was maintained, except isolated finds. In the late fall 1977, 15 of the recorded sites were subjected to limited testing activities. The cultural resources recorded during the survey document the presence of human groups in the reservoir beginning in late Paleo-Indian times and extending to the present. Based upon the limited occurrence of diagnostic artifacts, most of the prehistoric occupation occurred during the Archaic. Historic sites recorded were occupied primarily during the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century. This report documents the research design and particularly the methodology utilized during the project. Special emphasis is given to describing the systematic and intensive survey, as well as to the random/judgmental approach of selecting the various sites for limited testing. Cultural material re covered during testing activities are described in techno-morphological terms. The nature of survey projects in general and the paucity of reliable time markers recovered during field work severely limited the development of a cultural chronology for the study area. Research efforts resulted in the developmert of a model of lithic technology based on the ready availability of raw materials. Also presented is a settlement and subsistence pattern model which is based primarily on a rainy and dry season dichotomy and the availability of food resources. i TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .... i LIST OF FIGURES vi LIST OF TABLES . .viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS x INTRODUCTION . The Proposed Project Changes in the Project 2 Effects of Changes 2 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND 3 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING 3 Physiography 3 Geology . 5 Topographic Setting 6 Climate and Weather and Its Effects on Human Behavior 7 Flora 10 Fauna 11 THE FIELD PROJECT 14 The Intensive Survey 15 Supplementary Investigations 28 Procedures Used in Selecting Sites for Supplementary Investigations 31 RESULTS OF THE PROJECT ..... 39 Field and Laboratory Analysis . 39 Lithic Materials 66 Chipped Stone 66 iii . Page Ground Stone 116 Hammers tones 118 Heat-Fractured Rock 119 Other Lithic Materials 121 Other Materials .. 122 Historic Artifacts 126 Metal 126 Ceramic 129 Porcelain 132 Glass 132 Miscellaneous Historic Items 137 Descriptions of Representative Sites 138 41 LK 31 and 41 LK 32 138 41 LK 121 141 41 LK 152 144 41 LK 159 149 41 LK 171 . 155 41 LK 181 155 41 LK 183 166 41 MC 199 169 41 MC 201 173 41 MC 209 187 41 MC 210 196 41 MC 214 198 41 MC 217 11 0 D e 206 41 MC 225 . 210 iv Page Cultural Resources of the Study Area 213 Low Density Scatters 213 Sites 222 INTERPRETATIONS 225 Lithic Technology 225 Settlement and Subsistence 240 Historic Occupation 256 SUMMARY . 258 PROVISIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS 260 Minimal Testing . 261 Limited Testing . 262 Intensive Testing 262 No Additional Investigations 263 Research Orientation of Future Investigations 263 REFERENCES CITED . 264 KEY TO TABLES 14, 15, 16, AND 17, FLAKES AND CHIPS 277 APPENDIX (FIELD FORMS) . ....... 280 v LIST OF FIGURES Page 1. Nueces River Project, Choke Canyon Reservoir, CRI Survey Areas . 4 2. Subdivisions of Water Courses 8 3. Map of W. W. Walton Property 19 4. Map of N. H. Schwartz, R. T. McDermott, and J. Davidson Properties 20 5. Map of C. T. Teal Property 21 6. Map of G. Morrill Property 22 7. Grouping the Sites by Topographic Setting and Elevation 37 8. Lithic Artifacts: Cores, Trimmed Cobbles, Flakes, and Chips 69 9. Lithic Artifacts: Unifaces and Bifaces .. 81 10. Lithic Artifacts: Various Bifaces and Ground Stone 95 11. Site Map of 41 LK 32 139 12. Site Map of 41 LK 121 143 13. Site Map Df 41 LK 152 . 145 14. Views of 41 LK 152, 41 LK 159, and 41 LK 181 148 15. Site Map of 41 LK 159 . 151 16. Site Map of 41 LK 171 . 157 17. Site Map of 41 LK 181 159 18. Site Map of 41 LK 183 167 19. Site Map of 41 MC 199 . 171 20. Views of 41 MC 199 and 41 MC 201 • 172 21. Site Map of 41 MC 201 . 175 22. Views of 41 MC 201, 41 MC 209, 41 MC 214, and 41 MC 225 . 185 23. Site Map of 41 MC 209 ..... 189 vi Page 24. Site Map of 41 MC 210 . 197 25. Site Map of 41 MC 214 199 26. Site Map of 41 MC 217 207 27. Site Map of 41 MC 225 . 211 vii LIST OF TABLES Page 1. Surveys Compared 23 ' 2. Site Variables • • Cl • G ' • 32 3. Sites in Each Group 38 4. Characteristics of All Recorded Sites 40 5. Cultural Materials at All Recorded Sites 49 6. Low Density Artifact Scatters (LOS) .... 58 7. General Classification of Collected Aboriginal Materials 64 8. Cores . 70 9. Trimmed Artifacts 73 10. Unifacial Artifacts 82 11. Thick Bifaces 85 12. Thin Bifaces 91 13. Projectile Pointlike and Miscellaneous Bifaces 99 14. Flakes . 105 15. Flake Utilization . 108 16. Chips . 113 17. Chip Utilization 114 18. Lithic Shatter, Split Cobbles, Hammerstones . 115 19. Ground Stone 117 20. Heat-Fractured Rock . 120 21. Mussel and Gastropod Shell 124 22. Occurrence of Characteristics at All (113) Recorded Sites . 214 23. Attribute Analysis of Sites . 217 24. Topographic Settings of Site Types . 218 viii Page 25. Diagnostic for Testing Models 228 26. Evidence for Lithic Reduction Activities at Recorded Sites, by Location . 231 27. Food Processing and/or Consumption by Lithic Reduction Phases and Location, Recorded Sites . 232 28. Summary of Lithic Reduction Phases with Food Processing and/or Consumption, Recorded Sites . 233 29. Evidence for Lithic Reduction Activities at Tested Sites, by Location o •••••••••••••••• 11 Cl • ., •• 234 30. Food Processing and/or Food Consumption by Lithic Reduction Phases and Location, Tested Sites . 235 31. Summary of Lithic Reduction Phases with Food Processing and/or Consumption, Tested Sites . 236 32. Evidence of Core-Tool and Core-Flake Industries at Recorded Sites . ......... 238 33. Evidence of Core-Tool and Core-Flake Industries at Tested Sites . 239 34. Generalized Topographic Settings of Site Types A-V ... 244 35. Generalized Topographic Settings of Single Site Attributes 245 36. Comparison of Sites l km or Less from Permanent Water and Sites More than l km from Permanent Water . 247 37. Relationships Among Food Processing and/or Consumption Ac ti viti es . 248 38. Major Categories of Prehistoric Sites (W-Z) . 250 39. Percentages of Stone Tool Types at Tested Sites 251 40. Percentages of Flake and Chip Types; Presence of Mussel and Gastropod Shell and Heat-Fractured Rock at Tested Sites . 252 41. Time Indicators in Collected Materials 254 42.