Data Recovery at 5LP378 An Ancestral Pueblo in La Plata County, Colorado Durango 5LP378 Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants, Inc. PRIVLEDGED INFORMATION -- DO NOT RELEASE Data Recovery at 5LP378 An ancestral Pueblo in La Plata County, Colorado Prepared for Northwest Pipeline Corporation 295 Chipeta Way Salt Lake City, Utah 84158-0900 By Kelly McAndrews, Linda Honeycutt and Jerry Fetterman Woods Canyon Archaeological Consultants, Inc. PO Box 253 Yellow Jacket, Colorado 81335 PRIVLEDGED INFORMATION -- DO NOT RELEASE December 2000 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................................................... i LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................................................ii INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................. 1 EFFECTIVE ENVIRONMENT ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Topography and Geology.................................................................................................................................... 2 Vegetation and Fauna ........................................................................................................................................ 2 Climate ............................................................................................................................................................... 2 EXISTING DATA & LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................ 2 Cultural Overview ............................................................................................................................................. 2 Cultural Setting of 5LP378................................................................................................................................ 4 Previous Archaeological Work ........................................................................................................................... 4 RESEARCH DESIGN ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 Research Orientation for Data Recovery Plan ................................................................................................. 6 METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................................. 7 Excavation Methods ........................................................................................................................................... 7 Laboratory and Analytical Methods .................................................................................................................. 8 RESULTS OF EXCAVATIONS ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 Pithouse 1 ...................................................................................................................................................... 9 Material Culture .................................................................................................................................... 18 Dating .................................................................................................................................................................... 23 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................. 24 EVALUATION OF RESEARCH .................................................................................................................................... 24 RESEARCH IN RELATION TO PREHISTORIC CONTEXT...................................................................................... 26 REFERENCES CITED .................................................................................................................................................. 27 APPENDIX A: 5LP378 POLLEN REPORT .................................................................................................................. 29 APPENDIX B: 5LP378 PROVENIENCE DESCRIPTION DATA FILE ...................................................................... 45 APPENDIX C: 5LP378 INVENTORY DATA FILE ...................................................................................................... 47 APPENDIX D: 5LP378 ANALYSIS DATA BASE ......................................................................................................... 51 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map illustrating project area in relation to local political boundaries. .................................................. 1 Figure 2. Photograph illustrating location of site on Blue Mesa, looking south down the Animas River valley. ................................................................................................................. 2 Figure 3. Overview of 5LP378 showing modern disturbances. ............................................................................... 4 Figure 4. Archaeological Sites on Blue Mesa ........................................................................................................... 7 Figure 5. Photograph of backhoe removing road gravel and upper structure fill.................................................. 8 Figure 6. Photograph of Pithouse 1, Lower Use Surface. ........................................................................................ 9 Figure 7. Stratigraphic profile of Pithouse 1. ........................................................................................................ 10 Figure 8. Plan map of Pithouse 1. .......................................................................................................................... 11 Figure 9. Photograph of central hearth. ................................................................................................................. 12 Figure 10. Photograph of Deflector facing the bifurcated ventilator tunnel opening ........................................... 12 Figure 11. Photograph posts within the encasing adobe of the Deflector .............................................................. 12 Figure 12. Photograph of Sipapu. ............................................................................................................................. 13 Figure 13. Planview of Pithouse 1 showing location of floor artifacts .................................................................... 14 Figure 14. Planview of Pithouse 1 showing location of all activities. ..................................................................... 15 Figure 15. Photograph of Upper Use Surface .......................................................................................................... 16 Figure 16. Planview of Pithouse 1 showing location of Upper Use Surface artifacts ............................................ 17 Figure 17. Photograph of projectile points from 5LP378, actual size ....................................................................... 19 Figure 18. Photograph of paintstones from 5LP378 .................................................................................................. 20 Figure 19. Photograph of maul from 5LP378 ............................................................................................................. 21 Figure 20. Photograph of fired adobe spindle whorl showing plan view (top) and side view (bottom) ............................................................................................................................ 22 i Table of Contents LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Analysts to be used on the Durango Replacement Project ....................................................................... 8 Table 2. Stratigraphic Descriptions of Pithouse 1 fill ........................................................................................... 10 Table 3. Posthole Data from Pithouse 1 ................................................................................................................. 13 Table 4. Artifacts recovered from the lower floor of Pithouse 1 ........................................................................... 15 Table 5. Artifacts recovered from the upper floor of Pithouse 1 ........................................................................... 18 Table 6. 5LP378 Biface ........................................................................................................................................... 19 Table 7. 5LP378 Projectile points. .......................................................................................................................... 19 Table 8. 5LP378 Uniface ......................................................................................................................................... 19 Table 9. 5LP378 Chopper Tools .............................................................................................................................