DRAFT ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT SITE 35TI90, TILLAMOOK, OREGON By: Bill R. Roulette, M.A., RPA, Thomas E. Becker, M.A., RPA, Lucille E. Harris, M.A., and Erica D. McCormick, M.Sc. With contributions by: Krey N. Easton and Frederick C. Anderson, M.A. February 3, 2012 APPLIED ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, INC., REPORT NO. 686 Findings: + (35TI90) County: Tillamook T/R/S: Section 25, T1S, R10W, WM Quad/Date: Tillamook, OR (1985) Project Type: Site Damage Assessment, Testing, Data Recovery, Monitoring New Prehistoric 0 Historic 0 Isolate 0 Archaeological Permit Nos.: AP-964, -1055, -1191 Curation Location: Oregon State Museum of Natural and Cultural History under Accession Number 1739 DRAFT ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS AT SITE 35TI90, TILLAMOOK, OREGON By: Bill R. Roulette, M.A., RPA, Thomas E. Becker, M.A., RPA, Lucille E. Harris, M.A., and Erica D. McCormick, M.Sc. With contributions by: Krey N. Easton and Frederick C. Anderson, M.A. Prepared for Kennedy/Jenks Consultants Portland, OR 97201 February 3, 2012 APPLIED ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, INC., REPORT NO. 686 Archaeological Investigations at Site 35TI90, Tillamook, Oregon ABSTRACT Between April 2007 and October 2009, Applied Archaeological Research, Inc. (AAR) conducted multiple phases of archaeological investigations at the part of site 35TI90 located in the area of potential effects related to the city of Tillamook’s upgrade and expansion of its wastewater treatment plant (TWTP) located along the Trask River at the western edge of the city. Archaeological investigations described in this report include evaluative test excavations, a site damage assessment, three rounds of data recovery, investigations related to an inadvertent discovery, and archaeological monitoring. The wastewater treatment plant upgrade and expansion project was partly funded by local bonds and partly by a federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant. The use of HUD grants to partly fund the project required compliance with the requirements of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, and its implementing legislation, 36 CFR 800. AAR conducted the investigations to assist HUD and the city of Tillamook in meeting the requirements. All of the phases of work were performed under contract to Kennedy/Jenks Consultants, the consulting firm that provided engineering and environmental study services for the project. Based on the results of the testing phase of investigation, site 35TI90 was recommended to be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Fieldwork showed that some parts of the site contained rich and dense cultural deposits, including features, that contributed to its NRHP eligibility, and that other parts contained sparse, non-contributory cultural deposits. The richest and densest cultural deposits were found within 20 meters or so of the Trask River. The density and richness of the cultural deposits declined with increased distance from the river. A part of the site was used for staging activities during the expansion and upgrade project. It was graded and rocked before it was investigated. Removed were cultural deposits that likely would have contributed to the site’s NRHP eligibility but also cultural deposits that likely would not have been contributory. In all, 27.5 m2 of site area were exposed and 23.09 m3 of sediment were excavated during all phases of investigation (excluding monitoring the trench spoil processed following the inadvertent discovery). The investigations resulted in the recovery of 12,340 pieces of lithic debitage, 369 stone artifacts (including 20 items classified as manuports), eight bone tools, 6,760 pieces of animal bone, and nearly 12,000 pieces of fire-cracked rock. Eight prehistoric cultural features or possible features were identified, two of which upon analysis were combined. In addition, 23 items that are or may be historical were recovered during the excavations and 66 similar items were collected during monitoring. Based on all of the recovered evidence, site 35TI90 is interpreted as having functioned as a base camp for fishing and hunting activities and for the manufacture of equipment that supported those activities. Combined, the results of the investigations showed that parts of the site contain fairly thick cultural deposits that accumulated between ca. 1,300 and 250 years before the present. Abandonment of the site as suggested by radiocarbon dates and the lack of European trade goods aligns fairly well with the date of an earthquake and tsunami that occurred A.D. 1700. Once abandoned, the site does not seem to have been reused by the Tillamook. The site’s historical component dates to the late nineteenth or early twentieth century and is not associated with its earlier occupation. With this report and the placement of the artifacts, records, and associated materials at the Oregon State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, and one artifact (a zoomorphic-decorated object) with the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the city of Tillamook has fulfilled the requirements of Section 106 as they relate to TWTP expansion and upgrade project. The investigations described in this report were spatially limited to the area of potential effects for that project. Much of site 35TI90 remains, especially along the bank of the Trask River. The remaining part of the site should be protected and not disturbed. Any future developments at the TWTP should be should be reviewed for their potential to disturb the site. Applied Archaeological Research, Inc., Report No. 686 ii Archaeological Investigations at Site 35TI90, Tillamook, Oregon TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ................................................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................... v List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Project Description ........................................................................................................................... 1 Site Area Description ....................................................................................................................... 3 Project History .................................................................................................................................. 8 Evaluative Testing ............................................................................................................................ 12 Data Recovery .................................................................................................................................. 18 Inadvertent Discovery ...................................................................................................................... 20 Monitoring ........................................................................................................................................ 21 Conventions ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Organization of the Report ............................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 2: Environmental Overview .................................................................................................. 25 Geomorphology and Geology .......................................................................................................... 25 Paleoenvironment ............................................................................................................................. 26 Flora and Fauna ................................................................................................................................ 29 Chapter 3: Ethnographic and Historical Overview ........................................................................... 31 Settlements and Structures ............................................................................................................... 31 Subsistence: The Seasonal Round .................................................................................................... 34 Organization of Society and External Contacts ................................................................................ 36 Treaty Period .................................................................................................................................... 36 Historical Background ...................................................................................................................... 37 Chapter 4: Prehistoric Archaeological Context ................................................................................. 39 Northwest Oregon Prehistory: Models of Human Adaptation ......................................................... 39 Relation to Regional Syntheses ........................................................................................................ 41 Previous Archaeology in the Site 35TI90 Vicinity .......................................................................... 43 Chapter 5: Research Design ................................................................................................................