Results of Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Glenn Highway Milepost 53 to 56 Reconstruction Project (Department of Transportation and Public Facilities No
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__________________________ Results of Cultural Resources Survey of the Proposed Glenn Highway Milepost 53 to 56 Reconstruction Project (Department of Transportation and Public Facilities No. 58013) August 2010 Prepared By: Linda Finn Yarborough, Ph.D. Paul J. White, Ph.D. Sarah Meitl, M.A; Catherine Pendleton, M.A.; Valerie Gomez, M.Sc; Aubrey Morrison, B.A., and Erika Malo, B.A. Cultural Resource Consultants LLC Anchorage, Alaska For: 4041 B Street Anchorage, Alaska 99503 Glenn Highway Reconstruct MP 53-59 August 2010 Executive Summary The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities proposes to realign the Glenn Highway between mile posts 53 and 56. The new proposed alignment will cross the Moose Creek Valley, with a proposed area of disturbance close to two miles long, of which over a mile will be fill, in an area 500 feet wide. Cultural Resource Consultants LLC (CRC) was subcon- tracted through DOWL HKM to identify cultural resources in the general vicinity, or study area, and the proposed area of disturbance. No Area of Potential Effect was defined at the time. CRC’s cultural resource specialists conducted reconnaissance and intensive field surveys and documentation between July 8 and July 16, 2009, having first coordinated with Chickaloon Village Traditional Council, which provided a representative to assist in the surveys. Evidence of the following cultural resources were found in the project study area: - characteristic depressions that appear to be early historic or prehistoric Athapaskan cache pits or similar depressions, associated with subsistence and seasonal residence in the Moose Creek Valley near its confluence with the Matanuska River (ANC-2868, ANC-3329, ANC-3330, ANC-3331, ANC-3332, and ANC-3333), - twentieth century depressions that may be prospect pits, (ANC-2869), - the probable site of an early twentieth century roadhouse related to the Alaska Railroad and coal mining in the area (Moose Creek Roadhouse Site, ANC-3278), - two twentieth century road segments, one associated with the Kleinsmith homestead (ANC-3371) and the other currently of unknown association (ANC-3372) , - ANC-3373, a twentieth century depression that might be associated with homesteading, - the Gregg House, a renovated homestead house from the 1950s or 1960s (ANC-3370), - the Katie Wade Homesite (ANC-3080), - the Long Farm fields from the 1970s (no number assigned), - the remains of a communications line (ANC-3374), - isolated twentieth century artifacts (no number assigned), - the Alaska Railroad Matanuska Branch bed and related Moose Creek Railroad Bridge remains (ANC-00097), - the Alaska Railroad’s Moose Creek Spur (ANC-3272), - the Moose Creek, or Doherty Mine, Coal Chute (ANC-3273), - the Doherty Mine Narrow Gauge Railway (ANC-3274), - the Moose Creek Railways and Coal Chute District (ANC-03275), which includes the Moose Creek Spur, the Moose Creek Coal Chute, and the Doherty Mine Narrow Gauge Railway, and features and activity areas related to work at this industrial complex - the Station Road (ANC-3335), which connects the Chickaloon Trail, now the Glenn Highway, to the Alaska Railroad’s Moose Creek Section, or Station, location. Of these cultural resources within the study area, no recommendations are made for the Katie Wade Homesite, which is being considered under a separate project, the Moose Creek Road- house Site (ANC-3278), or the possible prospect pits (ANC-2869). Six cultural resources – The Gregg House (ANC-3370), the Kleinsmith Homestead road segment (ANC-3371), a second his- toric road segment (ANC-3372), the twentieth century depression (ANC-3373), the isolated i Glenn Highway Reconstruct MP 53-59 August 2010 twentieth century artifacts, and the Long Farm fields – are recommended ineligible for the Na- tional Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Eleven of the cultural resources within the study area are recommended eligible for the NRHP: - Cache pit sites ANC-2868, ANC-3329, ANC-3330, ANC-3331, ANC-3332, and ANC-3333, recommended eligible under Criterion D, - the Alaska Railroad’s Moose Creek Spur (ANC-3272), recommended eligible under Criteria A and D, - the Moose Creek, or Doherty Mine, Coal Chute (ANC-3273), recommended eligible under Criteria A and D, - the Doherty Mine Narrow Gauge Railway (ANC-3274), recommended eligible under Criteria A and D, and - the Moose Creek Railways and Coal Chute District (ANC-3275), also recommended eligible under Criteria A and D, which includes the Moose Creek Spur, the Moose Creek Coal Chute, and the Doherty Mine Narrow Gauge Railway, and activity areas related to work at this industrial complex as defined by documented artifacts and features in the vicinity of the Moose Creek Coal Chute and the Moose Creek Spur. - the Station Road (ANC-3335), recommended eligible under Criterion A. All of the eleven historic properties above are within the study area, and nine are within the 500- foot wide proposed direct impact area. Cache pit sites ANC-2868 and ANC-3333 are just south of the direct impact area. The other nine will be directly affected by the proposed construction activities. For this reason, CRC recommends a finding of “adverse effect” for the proposed project. ii Glenn Highway Reconstruct MP 53-59 August 2010 Table of Contents Executive Summary . .i Introduction . .1 Location and Environment . .1 Project Description and Study Area . .3 Methodology . .3 Background information . .5 Prehistory . .5 Ethnography . .6 Railroad and Coal Mining Developments in the Matanuska Valley . .8 Development of Trails and Roads . .14 Settlement and Homesteading in the Matanuska Valley . .18 The Homestead Act . .18 Homesteading in the Matanuska Valley . .20 Homesteads at Moose Creek . .22 Previous Cultural Resource Work in the Moose Creek Area . .27 Previously Known Cultural Resources within the Project Vicinity . .28 Moose Creek R.R. Station (Moose Creek Section House & Storage Shed) (ANC-00015) . .28 Moose Creek Railroad Bridge (ANC-0097) . .28 Moose Creek Town site (ANC-0126) and Moose Town site (ANC-1826) . .28 Moose Creek Garbage Dump (ANC-00740) . .28 Doherty Mine, Pioneer Mine (ANC-01319) . .31 Moose Creek Bridge (ANC-01998) . .31 ANC-2868 . .31 Moose Creek Caches (ANC-2869) . .31 ANC-3010 . .32 Katie Wade Homesite (ANC-3080) . .32 Moose Creek Spur Line/Baxter Mine Car Track . .32 Cemetery (ANC-3328) . .32 Other Reported Sites . .33 2009 Survey Results . .33 Moose Creek Depressions/Cache Pits (ANC-2868, ANC-3329 through ANC-3333). 33 Moose Creek Roadhouse Site (ANC-03278) . .37 Isolated Artifacts (no AHRS numbers) . .38 Gregg House (ANC-3370) . .38 Long Farm Fields (no AHRS number) . .42 Road Segments (ANC-3371 and ANC-3372) . .44 iii Glenn Highway Reconstruct MP 53-59 August 2010 Historic Depression ANC-3373 . .45 Communications Line and Posts (ANC-3374) . .47 Railroad and Mine related Features . .47 Alaska Railroad Matanuska Branch/Moose Creek Railroad Bridge (ANC-00097) . .47 Possible Prospect Pits (ANC-2869) . .48 Moose Creek Railways and Coal Chute District (ANC-03275) . .48 Moose Creek Spur (ANC-3272) . .48 Doherty Mine Narrow Gauge Railway (ANC-3274) . .56 Moose Creek Coal Chute (ANC-03273) . .58 Artifacts Associated with the Moose Creek Railways and Coal Chute District (ANC-3275) . .62 Station Road (ANC-3335) . .65 Significance . .65 Moose Creek Depressions/Cache Pits (ANC-2868, , -3329, -3330. -3331. -3332, and -3333) . .66 Moose Creek Roadhouse Site (ANC-03278) . .67 Isolated Artifacts (no AHRS numbers) . .67 Gregg House (ANC-3370) . .67 Long Farm Fields (no AHRS number) . .68 Road Segments (ANC-3371 and ANC-3372) . .68 Historic Depression ANC-3373 . .69 Communications Line (ANC-3374) . .69 Railroad and Mine related Features . .70 Alaska Railroad Matanuska Branch/Moose Creek Railroad Bridge (ANC-00097) . .70 Possible Prospect Pits (ANC-2869) . .70 Moose Creek Spur (ANC-3272) . .70 Doherty Mine Narrow Gauge Rail (ANC-3274) . .71 Moose Creek Coal Chute (ANC-03273) . .72 Moose Creek Railways and Coal Chute District (ANC-03275) . .73 Station Road (ANC-3335) . .74 Conclusions and Recommendations . .75 References Cited . ..