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The U.S. 89 Archaeological Project investigated 41 prehistoric sites located approximately 30 km north of Flagstaff, Arizona. All sites were on Coconino National Forest (CNF) land. The project was conducted by Desert Archaeology, Inc., for the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) prior to the widening and improvement of 26.7 km (16.6 miles) of U.S. 89, between the southern boundary of Wupatki National Monument in the north, and the town of Fernwood in the south. Archaeological fieldwork occurred over two primary field seasons in 1997 and 1998, with a very brief field season in 1999. A total of almost 12 person-years of labor was expended on the fieldwork. The U.S. 89 project area crosses diverse environmental zones, ranging from juniper-sage grasslands in the north at approximately 5,700 ft (1,737 m) asl, to ponderosa pine forests at over 7,200 ft (2,195 m) asl in the south. Mixed pinyon pine and juniper woodlands comprise the middle elevations. Five elevation zones were defined, using increments of 500 ft as a proxy for changes in precipitation, temperature, and vegetation. All project area sites are also within 25 km of Sunset Crater Volcano, with the closest sites only 5-6 km away. Sunset Crater erupted for a few years sometime between A.D. 1050 and 1125. Basalt lava from the eruption covered an area of approximately 8 km2, while another 2,300 km2 was covered by cinder and ash deposits. Sunset Crater cinders were found on all project area sites. An isopach map of cinder depth constructed for this project indicates that, minimally, the U.S. 89 sites were covered with from 5-50 cm of volcanic material, which had a significant impact on prehistoric settlement, subsistence, and economic systems. Prehistoric adaptation to environmental variability and to the Sunset Crater eruption were primary research themes. The results of the U.S. 89 investigations are presented in a series of anthropological papers: Anthropological Papers No. 30, Part I and Part 2, contain background information on the project and descriptions of the 41 investigated sites.Part 1 includes the two sites in Elevation Zone 1 (5,700-6,199 ft [1,737-1,889 m] asl) and 11 sites in Elevation Zone 2 (6,200-6,699 ft [1,890-2,042 m] asl), the lower elevation zones in the northern half of the project area.

The Tonto Creek Archaeological Project (TCAP) area was located in the Tonto Basin of east-central Arizona. The project, funded by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), was undertaken by Desert Archaeology, Inc., in advance of the 1994-1996 realignment of Arizona State Route (SR) 188. The area available for investigation was a 61-m- (200-ft-) wide corridor, centered on the planned route for the realigned highway. This corridor, on Tonto National Forest land, followed a 13.3-km (8-mi) stretch of the western terrace overlooking Tonto Creek. From 1992 to 1996, portions of 27 archaeological sites were investigated in the project area. To coordinate archaeological investigation with the construction timetable, the TCAP area was divided into three sections (south-to-north): Sycamore Creek, Punkin Center, and Slate Creek. The Punkin Center section contained most of the sites, and over 80 percent of the field effort was expended in this section. Site components ranged in date from the Middle Archaic period to the Late Historic era. The majority dated to the Colonial, Sedentary, and early Classic periods, circa A.D. 750-1325. A total of 108 structures and 315 burials were excavated, in addition to numerous other cultural features. The architectural sample included pre-Classic period pit structures, as well as early Classic period pitrooms and surface masonry rooms. Early Classic inhumations accounted for nearly 90 percent of the excavated mortuary features. Other mortuary features included 21 Colonial period cremations and 13 pre-Classic inhumations. Eight sites in the Punkin Center section yielded the vast majority of burial features.Only two of the 315 burials were encountered outside of the Punkin Center section. A large assemblage of mortuary offerings was recovered from TCAP burials. Nearly 1,150 whole and reconstructible ceramic vessels, 37,500 pieces of shell and ground stone jewelry, and 187 projectile points were recovered from mortuary contexts. Additionally, painted wooden objects, three clay-lined and painted baskets, and several ground stone tools were collected. This collection was thoroughly documented prior to its repatriation to the Salt River-Pima-Maricopa Indian Community in 2000. This volume contains the descriptions of mortuary features from the project area and many of the analyses related to the mortuary assemblage.