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This report presents the results of a Class III cultural resources survey of a portion of the right-of-way corridor for a new 69 kV subtransmission line that will extend between the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District (SRP) Quail Substation, located southeast of Queen Creek, and the Florence Junction Substation, west of Florence Junction, Arizona. The survey was requested by SRP to determine if significant cultural resources were present within the right-of-way corridor that might be adversely affected by construction of the new electric line and removal of its predecessor. The effort was conducted to comply with the Arizona Antiquities Act of 1960 (as amended) and the State Historic Preservation Act of 1982, as required for leasing right-of-way from the state. Only the portion of the subtransmission line corridor located on Arizona State Trust Land was subject to the current survey (ASLD Lease Nos. RW160 [1931] and 16-4300 [1967]). The cultural resources survey was conducted on 19 and 20 May 2012 by Connie Darby and Sandra Wadsworth of Desert Archaeology, Inc., working under the authority of Arizona Antiquities Act Blanket Permit No. 2012-010bl (Arizona State Museum [ASM] Accession No. 2012-0327). Dr. Kathleen Henderson served as Principal Investigator for the project. One previously recorded archaeological site, AZ U:15:128 (ASM), was relocated and 23 isolated occurrences of prehistoric and historic cultural material were recorded within the surveyed right-of-way corridor. U:15:128 appears to have been subject to considerable amount of erosion since it was originally recorded (Adams 1989b) and, as a result, the site no longer constitutes a significant cultural resource. In the absence of significant cultural resources, a recommendation is made that construction of the new Quail to Florence Junction subtransmission line and removal of the earlier electrical line can proceed as planned.

This document presents the results of a cultural resources survey of approximately 1,500 acres within the Florence Military Reservation (FMR) and adjoining State Trust Lands held in a special !and use permit (SLP) for military training exercises in Pinal County, Arizona. The project area is located north by northeast of Florence along U.S. 89). In addition to nine firing points, approximately 9.6 km of access roads were surveyed by Statistical Research, Inc. (SRI). A records check at the Arizona State Museum by the Arizona National Guard and SRI revealed that no known sites were within the proposed impact areas, but the specific areas mentioned above had never been surveyed. Other archaeological work had located several sites in the immediate project area so we expected to find cultural resources in the survey areas. The purpose of this cultural resources survey was to investigate the proposed firing points and access roads to locate cultural resources in the project area and make preliminary evaluations of their potential eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). In all, 51 archaeological sites and 294 additional isolated archaeological resources were identified in the project areas. Although the presence of archaeological resources was anticipated from previous studies, the number of sites was nevertheless surprising. The archaeological resources identified resulted from two very different uses of the landscape during two distinct periods. The earliest evidence of human activities in the project areas is attributable to the Colonial and Sedentary periods (ca. A.D. 775–1125) of the Hohokam cultural tradition. The evidence indicates that the Hohokam were farming on the Cottonwood Canyon alluvial fan, perhaps even using canal irrigation. These agricultural activities appear to have been the central focus of this occupation. The Hohokam are usually characterized as a cultural tradition focused on riverine agriculture, and in fact, the Gila River appears to have been the core of the Hohokam population. The intensive use of these upland, non-riverine areas indicates that the Hohokam agricultural adaptation was diversified and incorporated non-riverine as well as riverine farming strategies.

On February 10, 1975, personnel from the Museum of Northern Arizona conducted archaeological investigations of five proposed drilling locations for the Salt River Project Coronado Transmission Line Project. The surveys for this project took place on State of Arizona and private lands between Apache Junction and Florence Junction, Pinal County and were conducted in accordance with the Arizona State permit. Two archaeological sites were found during the survey. Conflicts between archaeological remains and proposed earth disturbance were resolved by moving the drilling location in the field. Clearance is recommended for the proposed drill holes and associated access roads.

Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd. (ACS} conducted a cultural resource survey near Florence Junction, Arizona at the request of Ms. Judy Brunson, Land Management Agent/Archaeology, of Salt River Project (SRP). The archaeological survey was performed in order to provide an inventory and assessment of the cultural resources that might be affected by a rebuilding of the Florence-Quail 69kV transmission line. The pole line and two associated access roads were surveyed as part of this project. Two prehistoric sites. three artifact scatters and 12 isolated finds were discovered within the survey area.