PPepaPed foP: The Salton Sea AuthoPity The U.S. Department of the Interior La Quinta, California Bureau of Reclamation Boulder City, Nevada PPepaPed by: TetPa Tech, Inc. San Bernardino, California Albuquerque, New Mexico CLASSICULTURALRESOURCESINVENTORY OF THE SALTON SEA REGION August 2002 Prepared for: Salton Sea Authority 78-401 Highway 111, Suite T La Quinta, CA 92253 and U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Lower Colo~ado Regional Office P.O. Box 61470 Boulder City, NV 89006 Prepared by: Tetra Tech, Inc. Albuquerque, New Mexico San Bernardino, California Brenda D. Smith, Jay von Werlhof, Kevin T. Doyle, Evelyn Chandler, Cary D. Cotterman Daniel Fait and Valerie M. Van Hemelryck CLASS I CULTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY OPTHE SALTON SEA REGION TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1-1 1.1 INvENTORY BACKGROUND .................................................................................... l-1 1.2 STUDY AREA ............................................................................................................... 1-5 1.3 RESULTS OF INVENTORY: A SUMMARY .............................................................. 1-5 1.4 REPORT ORGANIZATION .......................................................................................... l-6 1.5 GENERAL TERMINOLOGY ....................................................................................... 1-7 2.0 METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................................... 2-1 2.1 CULTURAL RESOURCE RECORD SEARCHES ....................................................... 2-l 2.2 ETHNOGRAPHIC LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................... 2-2 2.3 NATIVE AMERICAN RESOURCES DATA GATHERING ....................................... 2-2 2.4 ARCHIVAL RESEARCH .............................................................................................. 2-4 2.5 CULTURAL RESOURCES DATABASE ..................................................................... 2-5 2.6 DATA ANALYSIS ........................ ................................................................................ 2-6 2.6.1 Terminology ...................................................................................................... 2-7 3.0 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING ................................................................................................. 3-1 3.1 PALEOENVIRONMENT .............................................................................................. 3-1 3.2 PRESENT ENVIRONMENT ........ ."................................................................................ 3-6 3.2.1 Physiography ..................................................................................................... 3-6 3.2.2 Tectonics ............................................................................................................ 3-7 3.2.3 Soils ................................................................................................................... 3-8 3.2.4 Climate .............................................................................................................. 3-8 3.2.5 Floral Resources ................................................................................................ 3-8 3.2.6 Faunal Resources ................ .................................................. .- ................... .. ... .. 3-10 4.0 CULTURAL SETTING ............................................................................................................. .4-1 4.1 PRECONTACT HISTORY ............................................................................................ 4-I 4.1.1 The Paleoindian Period ( 12,000 to 7,000 Years BP ......................................... .4-2 4.1.2 The Archaic Period(? ,000 to 1,300 Years BP) ................................................ .4-5 4.1.3 The Patayan Period ( 1,300 Years BP to Contact) ............................................. .4-7 4.2 ETHNOHISTORY .........................................................................................................4-8 4.2.1 Takic Groups ........................................................................................ ............. 4-8 4.2.2 Patayan Groups ......................................................................................... .. ..... 4-16 4.3 POST-CONTACT HISTORY ...... ................................................................................ 4-25 4.3.1 Exploration .. .................................................................. .. .... ...................... .. .... 4-25 4.3.2 Transportation .................................................................................................. 4-30 4.3.3 Irrigation and the Creation of the Salton Sea................ .. ...... ............. ............. A-33 4.3.4 Mining ............................................................................................................. 4-38 4.3.5 Military ............................................................................................................ 4-43 4.3.6 Recreation ........................................................................................................ 4-44 4.3.7 Settlements in the Salton Sea Area ... .............................................................. A-45 5.0 RESEARCH CONTEXTS ........................................................................................................... 5-1 5.1 PRECONTACT HISTORY ............. ...............................................................................5-1 5 .1.1 Previous Regional Research .............................................................................. 5-I 5.1.2 Research Issues Pertinent to the Study Area .................................................... .S-2 5.2 POST-CONTACT HISTORY ........................................................................... _. ......... 5-10 5 .2.1 Previous Regional Research ............................................................................ 5-1 0 Tetra Tech, Inc. v August 2002 CLASS I CULTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY OF THE SALTON SEA REGION 5.2.2 Research Issues Pertinent to the Study Area and Recorded Post-Contact Resources ......................................................................................................... 5-11 6.0 RESULTS OF INVENTORY ...................................................................................................... 6-1 6.1 KNOWN ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES ................................................ :.......... 6-1 6.1.1 Purported Resources .......................................................................................... 6-7 6.1.2 Architectural and Engineering Resources ......................................................... 6-8 6.1.3 Native American Resources ............................................ ................................ 6-12 6.1.4 Other Resources ...................................................................................... .. ....... 6-14 7.0 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS AND MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS .................... 7-1 7.1 SITE DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION ....................................................................... 7-1 7.1.1 Site Density on Former U.S. Navy Salton Sea Test Base .................................. 7-l 7.2 PREDICTED SITE SENSITIVITY ............................................................................... 7-2 7.2.1 Precontact Sites .................................................................................................. 7-2 7.2.2 Post-Contact Sites .................... .... .. .................................................................. 7-12 7.2.3 Sensitivity Mapping ...................... ................................................................... 7-12 7.3 MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS .......................................... ............................ 7-15 7.3.1 Restoration Alternatives and Recommendations .............................................7-16 8.0 REFERENCES ...... ........................... ............... .. ................................... ....... ... ............................. 8-1 9.0 LIST OF PREPARERS ............................................................................................................... 9-1 APPENDICES Appendix A Site List Appendix B Bibliography of Investigations LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1-1 Cultural Resources Identified Through Record Searches Conducted for Class I Inventory ...................................................................................................... .. .................................... 2-2 Table 2.3-1 Tribal Groups/Organizations Contacted for Salton Sea Restoration Project Data Gathering Efforts ..................................................... ................................... .. ....... .............................. 2-3 Table 6.1-1 Site Types of Precontact Archaeological Components Recorded within the 5-Mile Buffer Zone and Extended Project Area ......... .......... .................................. .. .. .. .............. ................... 6-2 Table 6.1-2 Precontact Site Activities and Constituents .. .. .. ...... ................................................................ 6-5 Table 6.1-3 Post-Contact Archaeological Sites Types and Subtypes Recorded within the Five-Mile Buffer zone and Extended Project Area Surrounding the Salton Sea ..............................