Expanded Phase 1A Archaeological Investigation for the Proposed Horseshoe Solar Project, Town of Caledonia, Livingston County, A
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REDACTED EXPANDED PHASE 1A ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION FOR THE PROPOSED HORSESHOE SOLAR PROJECT, TOWN OF CALEDONIA, Northeast Branch 2390 Clinton Street Buffalo, NY 14227 LIVINGSTON COUNTY, AND Tel: (716) 821-1650 Fax: (716) 821-1607 Southeast Branch TOWN OF RUSH, MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK. 2301 Paul Bryant Drive Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 Tel: (205) 556-3096 Fax: (205) 556-1144 NYSHPO# 18PR07941 Mid-South Branch 91 Tillman Street Memphis, TN 38111 Tel: (901) 454-4733 Fax: (901) 454-4736 Corporate Headquarters Prepared for: P.O. Box 20884 Tuscaloosa, AL 35402 INVENERGY Tel: (205) 248-8767 Fax: (205) 248-8739 One South Wacker Drive, Suite 1800 Chicago, Illinois 60606 Prepared by: PANAMERICAN CONSULTANTS, INC. Buffalo Branch Office 2390 Clinton Street Buffalo, New York 14227 (716) 821-1650 February 2020 PUBLIC RELEASE COPY EXPANDED PHASE 1A ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION FOR THE PROPOSED HORSESHOE SOLAR PROJECT, TOWN OF CALEDONIA, LIVINGSTON COUNTY, AND TOWN OF RUSH, MONROE COUNTY, NEW YORK NYSHPO# 18PR07941 Prepared for: INVENERGY One South Wacker Drive, Suite 1800 Chicago, Illinois 60606 Prepared by: Robert Hanley, M.A., RPA, Principal Investigator Mark Steinback, M.A., Project Director PANAMERICAN CONSULTANTS, INC. 2390 Clinton Street Buffalo, New York 14227-1735 (716) 821-1650 Fax (716) 821-1607 February 2020 Management Summary SHPO Project Review Number: 18PR07941 Involved State and Federal Agencies: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE; Lead Agency), New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and NYS Department of Public Service (DPS) Phase of Survey: Phase 1A Cultural Resources Investigation Location Information: Location: Minor Civil Division: Town of Caledonia and Town of Rush Counties: Livingston and Monroe Survey Area (Metric & English): The revised and expanded Phase 1A survey area covered in this report comprises approximately 2,768 acres (1,120 hectares). This revised Phase 1A includes the approximately 2,230 acres (902 ha) of buildable area considered in the initial Phase 1A investigation (Hanley and Steinback 2019) and an additional 538 acres (217 ha) to the southwest of the original area, The final construction Area of Potential Effect (APE) has not been determined but will ultimately be limited to a smaller total area confined within the buildable area. USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map: Caledonia, NY 1984 [1950], Rush, NY 1997 [1971]). Phase 1A Archaeological Survey Overview: The setting of the project area is sensitive for precontact period archaeological sites due to its location along the Genesee River at the transition of the Allegheny Plateau and the Ontario Lowlands. Proximity to the river and the access to the diversity of resources from the biomes of two physiographic provinces made this location particularly attractive for visitation and settlement. Evidence of this is reflected in the presence of 43 archaeological sites, eight (8) New York State Museum Areas, and one (1) Rochester Museum of Science area within the buildable APE or within the project’s (APE) or within 500 ft of the APE. These include archaeological sites where human remains have been reportedly found. The history of the project area includes intense occupation during pioneering expansion and the resulting creation of Native American reservations such as the Canawaugus Reservation. A portion of the APE is located within the area of the former reservation. A Phase 1B cultural resources investigation is recommended for the project’s construction APE once the project design is finalized. Although the buildable APE includes approximately 2,768 acres, the ultimate design of the proposed Horseshoe Solar power generating facility will involve a smaller part of the buildable APE. Horseshoe Solar Energy LLC is working with Panamerican and SHPO to create a final project design that will attempt to avoid previously reported archaeological sites. Results of Architectural Survey Panamerican prepared and submitted a separate historic architectural resources survey for a two-mile (visual) project APE for this project (Longiaru and Steinback 2020). Report Author(s): R. Hanley, M. Steinback Date of Report: February 2020 Panamerican Consultants, Inc. ii Horseshoe Solar, Phase 1A Expanded/Revised Table of Contents Management Summary .................................................................................................................................. ii List of Figures and Tables ............................................................................................................................. iv List of Photographs ....................................................................................................................................... vi 1.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project Description .................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 2 2.0 Environmental Setting ......................................................................................................................... 4 3.0 Background Research ......................................................................................................................... 6 3.1 Precontact Period ...................................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Historic Period ........................................................................................................................... 9 3.2.1 Protohistoric/Contact Period Summary ........................................................................ 9 3.2.2 Historical Context ......................................................................................................... 9 3.2.3 The Canawaugus Reservation ................................................................................... 11 3.2.4 American Occupation ................................................................................................ 16 3.2.5 The Genesee Valley Canal and Right-of-Way. .......................................................... 16 3.2.6 Genesee Oak Trees ................................................................................................... 21 3.3 Archival and Site File Review .................................................................................................. 22 3.3.1 Mortuary Customs. ..................................................................................................... 23 3.4 Historical Map Analysis ........................................................................................................... 25 3.5 Previous Cultural Resources Surveys ..................................................................................... 36 3.6 Archaeological Site File Review .............................................................................................. 36 3.7 Archaeological Sensitivity Assessment for Site Types within the Project Area ...................... 45 3.7.1 Precontact Archaeological Sites ................................................................................. 45 3.7.2 Historic Archaeological Sites ...................................................................................... 45 3.7.3 Burial Sites ................................................................................................................. 48 4.0 Field Reconnaissance ....................................................................................................................... 49 5.0 Conclusions and Recommendations ................................................................................................. 56 5.1 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 56 5.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................................... 56 6.0 References ......................................................................................................................................... 57 Panamerican Consultants, Inc. iii Horseshoe Solar, Phase 1A Expanded/Revised List of Figures and Tables FIGURE PAGE 1 Location of the project area in the Towns of Caledonia and Rush, Livingston and Monroe Counties, New York ................................................................................................................................ 1 2 Soils within and surrounding the project area ........................................................................................ 5 3 Augustus Porter’s map of the boundaries of the Canawaugus Reservation in 1798 ........................... 13 4 Location of the Canawaugus reservation in 1829 ................................................................................ 13 5 Map of Site #50 Canawaugus drawn by H.C. Follett in 1915 ............................................................... 15 6 Map of the Genesee Valley Canal in the Town of Caledonia, ca. 1855 ............................................... 18 7 Approximate location of the APE in relation to the Genesee Valley Canal and the former Canawaugus reservation on an 1872 map of the Town of Caledonia based on Porter’s 1798 map ......................................................................................................................................................