Snowflake Passing Lanes Data Recovery

Aerial view of the Snowflake Passing Lanes project area. Photo by Henry Wallace.

Purpose

Desert Archaeology investigated seven precontact and historic sites in advance of passing lanes being added to portions of State Route 77 north of Snowflake, Arizona. The goal of the research was to more fully understand the human history of the southern margins of the Colorado Plateau along the Silver Creek corridor. Archaeological, ethnographic, and historical methods were used to explore this dynamic cultural landscape.

Actions

Testing and excavation of seven sites along 2.8 miles of highway
Photographic recording of at-risk petroglyph panels Archival research on the history of SR 77 and land use in the area
Field and home visits with Hopi, Zuni, and Western Apache advisers

Results

The project documented use of the parcel from the Sweetwater phase (AD 675-700) of the Pioneer period to the Santa Cruz phase (AD 850-950) of the Colonial period, and investigated how farming peoples began to create enduring settlements as the regional population grew.
A federal Project of Opportunity grant partially funded data recovery at AZ P:8:65 (ASM), a substantial late Basketmaker III-early Pueblo I and Pueblo II settlement that overlapped the project area.
The study of petroglyphs in a 3,000 to 4,000-year-old rock art gallery unveiled information ritual practices and past people’s journeys along the Silver Creek corridor.
A study of the many precontact and historic corridors through the region—of which SR 77 is the most recent—provided a glimpse into Mormon, Basque, and Apache history in the area from the post-Civil War era to the end of World War II.
The project provided the opportunity to incorporate archaeological work from the 1973 and 1974 Snowflake Field School, adding temporal depth to project data and strengthening interpretations when consistent patterns were identified.
ADOT’s video production team recorded a site visit by Hopi and Zuni advisers for the ADOT blog.
Upon completion of archaeological and ethnographic fieldwork, and archival assessments of the significance of historic sites, Desert Archaeology recommended that the immediate ADOT construction project proceed as planned, with monitoring of a culvert extension in one site.

Date:

March 2016

Location:

Snowflake, Navajo County, Arizona

Type:

Testing and Data Recovery

Compliance:

Federal

Lead Agency:

Federal Highway Administration

Client:

AZTEC Engineering Group, Inc./Arizona Department of Transportation

DAI Reports:

Technical Report No. 2010-01

Services:

Excavation

Artifact and Specimen Analysis

Aerial Photography

Click any image below to enlarge.

Cluster of slab-lined hearths at AZ P:8:65(ASM).

Oversized pit structure and small pit structure at AZ P:8:65(ASM). The lower walls of these houses were earthen, and the upper walls and roof were made of wooden posts, thatch, and mud. The long ventilator shafts provided air. The roof entry, which also served as a smokehole, was located directly over the hearth.

Lunate hearth and windscreen constructed by Basque sheepherders, AZ P:8:93(ASM). WRONG IMAGE

Desert Archaeology president Sarah Herr discusses archaeological features with Zuni cultural advisors Octavius Seowtewa and George Yawakie at AZ P:8:65 (ASM).

Detail of the hearth complex within a pit structure at P:8:65(ASM).

In the seventh century AD, farmers started constructing permanent settlements and organizing their living space in new ways. Here, smaller and deeper storage structures are visible near larger, shallower residential structures. Photo by Henry Wallace.

Quick Findings