A Cultural Resources Investigation of the Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project Located Near Ferndale, Humboldt County, California
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A Cultural Resources Investigation of the Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project Located near Ferndale, Humboldt County, California Prepared by: James Roscoe, M.A., Erik Whiteman, M.A., R.P.A. Jennifer Burns, M.A., R.P.A., and William Rich, B.A. With contributions by Jerry Rohde, M.A. and Suzie Van Kirk, B.A. Roscoe and Associates Cultural Resources Consultants 3781 Brookwood Drive Bayside, CA. 95524 Prepared for: Hank Seemann Humboldt County Department of Public Works Eureka, CA 95502 March 2008 CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION Archaeological and other heritage resources can be damaged or destroyed through uncontrolled public disclosure of information regarding their location. This document contains sensitive information regarding the nature and location of archaeological sites that should not be disclosed to unauthorized persons. Information regarding the location, character or ownership of a historic resource is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 470w-3 (National Historic Preservation Act) and 16 U.S.C. § 470hh (Archaeological Resources Protection Act) and California State Government Code, Section 6254.10. A Cultural Resources Investigation of the Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project Humboldt County, California March 2008 i TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION Page 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 PROJECT SUMMARY ............................................................................................................. 1 1.2 PROJECT SETTING ................................................................................................................. 2 2.0 REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................................... 8 2.1 CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT ............................................................ 8 2.2 SECTION 106 OF THE NATIONAL HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACT ............................ 8 2.3 COUNTY OF HUMBOLDT ..................................................................................................... 9 3.0 ARCHAEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ......................................................................................... 10 3.1 PALEOINDIAN PERIOD (13,500 TO 8,500 B.P.) ................................................................ 10 3.2 LOWER ARCHAIC (8,500 TO,5,000 B.P.) ............................................................................ 10 3.3 MIDDLE ARCHAIC PERIOD (5,000 TO 2,500 B.P.) ........................................................... 10 3.4 UPPER ARCHAIC PERIOD (2,500 TO 1,100 B.P.) .............................................................. 11 3.5 LATE OR EMERGENT PERIOD (1,100 TO 150 B.P.) ......................................................... 11 3.6 POST CONTACT (150 B.P. TO PRESENT DAY) ................................................................ 12 4.0 ETHNOGRAPHIC BACKGROUND ............................................................................................... 13 4.1 SETTLEMENT PATTERNS ................................................................................................... 13 4.2 SUBSISTENCE PATTERNS .................................................................................................. 13 4.3 TECHNOLOGY AND MATERIAL CULTURE .................................................................... 14 4.4 ETHNOGEOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 14 5.0 HISTORIC BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................ 15 5.1 EARLY EURO-AMERICAN ACTIVITY ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE LOWER EEL 15 5.2 FISHERIES ON THE LOWER EEL RIVER WATERSHED ................................................ 17 5.3 KENYONVILLE/KENYON’S LANDING/PORT KENYON ............................................... 22 5.4 WASHINGTON CORNERS/ARLYNDA CORNERS ........................................................... 43 6.0 METHODS AND RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 44 6.1 PREFIELD RESEARCH ......................................................................................................... 44 6.2 FIELD INVENTORY .............................................................................................................. 46 6.3 INVENTORY RESULTS ........................................................................................................ 49 6.4 DETERMINATION OF SIGNIFICANCE .............................................................................. 63 6.5 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ................................................................................................... 67 6.6 NATIVE AMERICAN CONSULTATION ............................................................................. 69 7.0 RECOMMENDATIONS .................................................................................................................... 70 7.1 PROTOCOLS FOR INADVERTENT DISCOVERIES ......................................................... 71 Inadvertent Discovery of Cultural Resources ................................................................... 71 Inadvertent Discovery of Human Remains ....................................................................... 71 8.0 REFERENCES CITED ...................................................................................................................... 73 Cover Photo: View to the north of Salt River from Riverside Ranch A Cultural Resources Investigation of the Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project Humboldt County, California March 2008 ii LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page Figure 1. Salt River Restoration, Project Vicinity Map. ............................................................................... 6 Figure 2. Project Location and Area of Potential Effect, Aerial Photograph. ............................................... 7 Figure 3. Portion of Belcher's Atlas (1921). ............................................................................................... 16 Figure 4. Survey Coverage Map, 1:24,000. ............................................................................................... 48 Figure 5. Resource Location and Culturally Sensitive Area Map, 1:24,000. ............................................. 50 LIST OF TABLES Table Page Table 1. Previous Studies within ½ mile. ................................................................................................... 44 Table 2. Previous Cultural Resources recorded within ½ mile. .................................................................. 45 APPENDIX A Confidential Site Records APPENDIX B Native American Consultation APPENXIX C Historic Photos of Port Kenyon in “Culturally Sensitive Area”. A Cultural Resources Investigation of the Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project Humboldt County, California March 2008 iii 1.0 INTRODUCTION This cultural resources investigation was conducted at the request of Hank Seemann of the Humboldt County Department of Public Works. The County of Humboldt, the Humboldt County Resource Conservation District, and other partners are working cooperatively to plan and implement the Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as part of the environmental review process, requires that project proponents implement procedures to inventory cultural resources and to assess potential impacts on these resources located within projects conducted, funded, or permitted by State or Local Agencies. Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and its implementing regulations (36 CFR Part 800) requires that, prior to an undertaking; federal agencies or projects permitted by federal agencies (the Army Corps of Engineers 404 Permit) must take into account the effects of the undertaking on historic properties within the project’s Area of Potential Effect [APE (i.e. National Register of Historic Places [NRHP] listed or eligible)] and afford the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) and other interested parties a reasonable opportunity to comment on how these effects have been considered. The aim of this report is to demonstrate that the public agencies have complied with CEQA and Section 106 of the NHPA procedures prior to project implementation. This cultural resources investigation was designed to satisfy environmental requirements specified in CEQA and its guidelines (Title 14 CCR 15064.5) and Section 106 of NHPA by: (1) identifying and recording significant cultural resources within the project area and APE, (2) offering a preliminary significance evaluation of the identified cultural resources in accordance with a Phase I investigation, (3) assessing the potential impacts to cultural resources resulting from the implementation of proposed project activities, and (4) offering recommendations designed to protect resource integrity, as warranted. During the field investigation twelve historic era resources were identified. These include eight farmsteads (RA-SR-01 through 08), a linear dike and ditch system (RA-SR-09), a barn and corral (RA- SR-10), Salt River channel improvement features (RA-SR-11), and a cement feature at the site of Port Kenyon (RA-SR-12). In addition to the identified resources, one culturally sensitive area has been delineated within the project area. Surface survey did not detect cultural materials