2.0 Methods of Investigation, part I.

The objective of the Phase I investigations of the Mountweazel Chemical Depot was to identify any cultural resources that are within the Area of Potential Effects (APE) of the proposed closure of the facility, and to evaluate their potential for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).  The APE for archaeological resources was limited to the MCD facility itself, as defined by the extant perimeter fence. The APE for historic architectural resources or structures was considered to comprise both the facility and its viewshed. Specific goals consisted of:

• Identifying previously recorded cultural resources and past land-use patterns within and adjacent to MCD in order to develop cultural contexts relevant to the project tract and vicinity;
• Identifying previous cultural resource investigations conducted in the vicinity of the APE;
• Conducting visual as well as pedestrian surface and subsurface investigations (e.g., shovel test units) throughout the APE;
• Recording all evidence of cultural resources within MCD; as well as historic structures within its viewshed.
• Evaluating cultural resources with respect to NRHP eligibility criteria, and developing recommendations for future management of these resources based on their significance.

2.1 Archaeological Investigations

2.1.1 Archival Research 

Prior to fieldwork, background research was conducted to locate previously recorded archaeological sites and architectural resources on and near the project tract, identify properties listed on the NRHP, construct prehistoric and historic contexts, and determine the potential for recovering additional cultural resources during field survey. This review consisted of an examination of archaeological site forms and architectural resource information sheets from previous surveys and other undertakings within one mile (1.3 km) of the project tract via records that are currently maintained by the SHS. The physical files at SHS were also checked for evidence of prior cultural resource investigations within the MCD and Loteria Township in general. This was followed by additional research trips to the Loteria Township Historical Society County as well as the on-site MCD physical plant archives for additional research materials. These records include archaeological site forms, maps of cultural resource locations, reports of previous cultural resource investigations, and NRHP nomination forms.

2.1.2 Archaeological Field Methods
All field investigations, followed the standards and guidelines of the SOW (USACE-EP 2012)[1] and were carried out by archaeologists who meet the Secretary of the Interior’s professional qualifications under 36 CFR Part 61. The archaeological field technicians investigated the project corridor through two basic techniques:

1. Shovel Testing took place in areas which were undisturbed, relatively flat (< 10% grade), with no standing water, and with poor surface visibility (< 75%) (Figure 2.1).

2. Intensive Walkover/Surface Inspection took place in areas which were disturbed, sloping (> 20% grade), with standing water (or just below the surface), or with good surface visibility (> 75%) (Figure 2.2). 

  

Figure 2.1 Field technician Douglas Hole excavating a ST within the Lead Azide Metathesis Compound.

Figure 2.2 Field technician Dick Junk conducting a surface inspection of exposed subsoil, near Tritium Filtration Unit 1.

For the purpose of this project pedestrian transects generally were traversed east-west between the closest access road and/or the MCD perimeter fence, with alternating shovel testing or surface inspection as required by local conditions.

Shovel Tests (STs) are 30 cm (12 in) diameter excavated test units placed at 30-m (100-ft) intervals in transects spaced at 30 m (100 ft). The STs were excavated to a minimum of 10 cm (4 in) into sterile subsoil (usually the B horizon). All soils are screened through one-quarter-inch mesh hardware cloth.

Pedestrian survey or Intensive walkover consists of close scrutiny of the surface, if visibility is reasonable, for signs of structures, features, or artifacts. This may occur due to the presence of slope, or disturbance by roads or buildings. Notes include these observations, as well as the condition and probable origins of disturbed soils.

Transects were generally broken up by PLSS sections with transects thus not extending more than one mile,  across terrain that can surprisingly remote in the desert conditions even within the federal enclave. Technicians navigated pre-established transects via hand-held GPS, expressing an average error of ± 3-m in optimal conditions. However, this technology is often less accurate nearing MCD facilities emitting microwave radiation or other high elector magnetic fields.  Conversely GPS signals are also often jammed in the more remote portions of MCD which are routinely monitored by military helicopters and other aircraft.

Transects were staggered 10 m away from perimeter fences; the gap accounted for both the disturbed zone surrounding the fence (a 5 foot-wide ditch and berm trench and swath of pyramided barbed wire) which were not expected to contain intact archaeological materials, as well as the general deteriorating condition of the 10-20 foot high wall, which has been poorly maintained, since the ceasing of primary production in 2001. The sections of corrugated metal are loose in some areas and area dangerous projectiles in high desert gales, elsewhere the concrete pylons are decaying and sections are in danger of collapse. Overall, the electrical system is also frayed and with loose or missing insulators; the hot wires tend to arc, and easily jump to nearby metal objects, such as shovels and other survey tools.

Where prehistoric or historic materials were encountered, additional shovel tests were excavated at 10- and 20-m intervals surrounding the find spot in four cardinal directions to either delineate boundaries for the archaeological site or establish the material as an isolated find. Regardless, each field site had an individual GPS datum plotted on the project maps provided by the client as well as the corresponding USGS 7.5 minute quadrangles. Most sites identified during the survey were severely eroded or deflated, with artifacts confined to the surface.  However site boundaries are thus generally established by the discontinuation of artifacts or features. When appropriate, arbitrary site boundaries were also drawn in relation to such landforms, such as when the site extends to a steep slope or waterway.

For the purpose of this investigation, an archaeological site is a concentration of artifacts, ecofacts, or modifications to the landscape that are associated with past human activity and retain their context. An archaeological site must be at least 50 years old and is characterized by any of the following criteria:

• An area yielding three or more artifacts from the same broad cultural period (i.e., historic or prehistoric) on the surface within a 30-m radius;
• A shovel test that produces two or more artifacts from the same broad cultural period, as long as the artifacts cannot be fitted together (i.e., they are not two pieces of the same artifact);
• A shovel test that produces one artifact and at least one surface artifact from the same broad cultural period within a 20-m radius from that shovel test;
• An area with visible or historically-recorded cultural features (e.g., midden, cemetery, rock shelter, chimney fall, brick walls, piers, earthwork, etc.).

Isolated finds are generally small artifact scatters (n<3) and/or locations that have no utility of meaning for a research or other purpose. Isolated finds are generally assumed to be ineligible for inclusion in the NRHP; however, recording of these finds during survey included location and environmental data similar to that recorded for archaeological sites. Thus, when isolated materials appear within a test location, additional shovel tests are excavated in order to ascertain whether additional artifacts are in the immediate vicinity and constitute an archaeological site.

2.1.3 Laboratory Analysis and Curation

All recovered artifacts were transported to the Roswell Junction laboratory facilities of TCCRC where they were cleaned, cataloged, and analyzed. All field notes, photographs, project notes, and other information generated by this survey were to be temporarily stored at this facility, until USACE-EP determined a final curation facility which met the standards defined in 36 CFR Part 79, Curation of Federally-Owned and Administered Archeological Collections; Final Rule. The Roswell Junction field office, however, along with most of the other buildings in Half Moon Canyon Industrial Park were inundated in a flash flood on December 21, 2102. These materials will be returned to the Federal government if recovered.

All artifact and provenience data were compiled into a database enabling statistical analysis. Within each provenience, artifacts were sorted by criteria such as material class, manufacture method, object form, and decoration. Each group of artifacts was counted and weighed, then bagged in 4-mil polyethylene archival bags and assigned a catalog number on archival paper tags that duplicate the bag and catalog information were placed in each individual bag.

Historic-period artifacts were organized initially by provenience, and then separated into material categories (e.g., glass, ceramic, metal, plastic). The artifacts were then identified and sorted into 17 functional classes based on a system devised by South (1977)[2].

Prehistoric-period artifacts were similarly organized initially by provenience and then separated into material categories (e.g., ceramic, lithic [flaked stone]). Diagnostic artifacts were identified according to published type descriptions and are referenced in the text and artifact catalog.

All artifacts were prepared for eventual curation following cataloging and analysis. Fragile artifacts were packaged in Ethafoam sheets and placed in a hard polyethylene tub. Diagnostic artifacts were labeled using Acryloid B72, a durable and non-yellowing acrylic polymer to enable easy movement for analysis and photographic purposes and replacement to their corresponding provenience. This is to say, cultural materials collected as a part of this Phase I inventory are expected to be preserved within the buried remains of the Roswell Junction field office, albeit, currently not retrievable.

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[1] U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, El Paso District. 2012. Memorandum of Agreement for National Historic Preservation Act Compliance  Regarding the Closure of Montweazel Chemical Depot, under the Recommendation of the Base Closure and Realignment Commission.

[2] South, Stanley A. 1977. Method and Theory in Historical Archaeology.  Academic Press, New York.