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An Archaeological Assessment of the Gunsight Pass Site: 5Ga4251 Archaeoastronomy and Landscape Archaeology in Middle Park, Grand County, Colorado

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An Archaeological Assessment of the Gunsight Pass Site: 5Ga4251 Archaeoastronomy and Landscape Archaeology in Middle Park, Grand County, Colorado For Official Use Only: Disclosure of Site Locations Prohibited (43 CFR 7.18) AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE GUNSIGHT PASS SITE: 5GA4251 ARCHAEOASTRONOMY AND LANDSCAPE ARCHAEOLOGY IN MIDDLE PARK, GRAND COUNTY, COLORADO. Revised 06/15/2017. Completed for The Colorado Historical Society State Historical Fund Project No. 2013-AS-003 Prepared By Brian O’Neil and Cheryl A. Harrison with contributions by Holly Shelton and Nicole Inman Michael S. Berry, Principal Investigator Dominquez Archaeological Research Group, Inc. 2832 Unaweep Avenue P.O. Box 3543 Grand Junction, Colorado 81502 ARPA Permit No. C-67009 DARG Project # D-2012-7 Submitted to History Colorado, the Colorado Historical Society 1200 Broadway Denver, Colorado 80203 ABSTRACT The Gunsight Pass Site (5GA4251) is in the Middle Park region of the Southern Rocky Mountains physiographic province, Grand County, Colorado. It is situated atop a prominent north-south trending ridge, southeast of Gunsight Pass, at an average elevation of 8500 feet. The site was first identified in July 2011, as an open architectural and open lithic scatter consisting of multiple surficial and half-buried rock alignments. The purpose of the archaeological assessment was to provide a detailed recording of the stone features and determine whether they represent domiciles or ceremonial features associated with vision quests, or possible astronomical alignments. Additionally, orientations toward potential sacred landscapes such as Whitely Peak, Wolford Mountain, or the Sulphur Gulch area were examined. Another significant goal of the assessment was to provide data on the site for its consideration as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) relevant to historic Ute, Arapahoe, and eastern Shoshoni tribes. Detailed recording in the fall of 2012 identified a total of 34 features, composed of 33 prehistoric archaeological and architectural stone features, and one modern memorial feature. These cobble alignments included: five egg-shaped alignments; three oval shaped alignments; three circlar to oval shaped alignments; four L-shaped alignments; one J-shaped alignment; two lens shaped alignments; one square with a cairn and a linear extension; three eccentric curvilinear alignments; one paired upright slab/rock alignment; two small prayer circles, three stone cairns; one linear alignment; and two thermal features. Only one feature is identified as a possible Protohistoric Era domicile based on its size and association with two external thermal features. A data set of alignments for Feature 13 was generated. The hypothesized astronomical alignments for spring equinox and summer solstice sunrises and sunsets were observationally verified using horizon topography. However, fall equinox sunset verification was delayed until September 23, 2015 due to inclement weather. Additionally, azimuths derived from map data indicate cobble alignments relative to horizon topography and potential equinox and/ or solstice sunrises/ sunsets are present on 16 other features, but remain unverified. Orientations toward sacred landscapes and sites with known vision quest features such as Wolford Mountain, Whitely Peak, Little Wolford Mountain. and Sulphur Gulch were also verified. A preliminary alignment predictive model produced repetitive matches within ± 1 at 10 features (3, 4B, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, 18, and 31); cardinal and inter-cardinal matches within ± 1 occurred at 14 features (3, 4A, 4B, 5, 7, 8A, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 18, 22, and 23). Possible lunar alignments occur at nine features (3, 5, 6, 7, 13, 31, 14, 18, and 22). Azimuths related to the sacred cardinal directions are the most prevalent, while intercardinal azimuths are represented by the long axis of nine oval and egg-shaped features. Six have a northwest/ southeast orientation and three have a northeast/ southwest orientation. A possible Cottonwood Triangular projectile point fragment indicates a Late Formative to Protohistoric Era. An obsidian flake from Feature 13 indicated the geochemical source as Cerro del Medio, New Mexico. The site is considered eligible to the National Register of Historic Places under criteria C and D, eligible to the State Register of Historic Places under criteria C, D, and E, and should be designated as a Traditional Cultural Property under multiple criteria as outlined by Gulliford (2000). TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 Effective Environment ............................................................................................................... 2 Cultural History and Previous Work.......................................................................................... 8 Files Search .............................................................................................................................. 20 Statement of Objectives ........................................................................................................... 21 Results ...................................................................................................................................... 25 Artifact Assemblage ................................................................................................................ 97 Discussion .............................................................................................................................. 102 Summary and Conclusions .................................................................................................... 120 Evaluation and Recommendations ......................................................................................... 122 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 126 Appendix A: Trowel Testing Report for 5GA4251 .................................................................. A Appendix B: Feature 13 Azimuths .......................................................................................... B Appendix C: All Analyzed Feature Azimuths ......................................................................... C LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Project location map (REDACTED) .......................................................................... 3 Figure 2. 5GA4251 Site Map .................................................................................................. 26 Figure 3. Plan Map Locality A ............................................................................................... 27 Figure 4. Plan Map Feature 3 ................................................................................................... 30 Figure 5. Plan Map Locality B ................................................................................................. 32 Figure 6. Plan Map Feature 4A ................................................................................................ 33 Figure 7. Plan Map Feature 4B ................................................................................................ 36 Figure 8. Plan Map Feature 5 ................................................................................................... 38 Figure 9. Plan Map Feature 6 ................................................................................................... 41 Figure 10. Plan Map Feature 7 ................................................................................................. 44 Figure 11. Plan Map Feature 8A and B ................................................................................... 47 Figure 12. Plan Map Feature 9 ................................................................................................. 49 Figure 13. Plan Map Feature 10 ............................................................................................... 52 Figure 14. Plan Map Feature 11 ............................................................................................... 54 Figure 15. Plan Map Feature 12 ............................................................................................... 58 Figure 16. Plan Map of Locality C .......................................................................................... 61 Figure 17. Plan Map Feature 13 ............................................................................................... 62 Figure 18. Trowel Test Soil Profiles ........................................................................................ 67 Figure 19. Solar and Metonic Cycles ....................................................................................... 69 Figure 20. Plan Map Feature 14 ............................................................................................... 71 Figure 21. Plan Map Feature 15 ............................................................................................... 73 Figure 22. Plan Map Feature 31 ............................................................................................... 76 Figure 23. Plan Map Locality D .............................................................................................. 77 Figure 24. Plan Map Feature 16 ............................................................................................... 78 Figure 24B. Plan Map Feature 17 ............................................................................................ 80 Figure 25. Plan Map Features 20 and 21 ................................................................................
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