Search

The United States Congress has directed the Western Regional Office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to transfer ownership of the property known as the Salt River Irrigation System to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC). Prior to the transfer, the BIA must consult with the Arizona State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and codified at 36 CFR 800. This historic context study is intended to facilitate the consultation process. The study describes the events, historic trends, people, and technology involved in the irrigation system's construction and maintenance through time. It provides the BIA and the SHPO with information to help determine (a) the property's eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places and (b) the effect of the property's transfer to the SRPMIC.

Archaeological Consulting Services,Ltd. (ACS) conducted archaeological investigations on the Gila River Indian Community in 1995 and 1996. More than 10,000 acres were in the project area, and 85 sites were recorded. Because the area had been used for agriculture, much land had been plowed. Volume 1 provides an overall picture of the project including the culture history and previous research done in the Middle Gila River Valley, followed by a description of our research orientation, and the geomorphological attributes. It also contains the survey results. Volume 2 provides in-depth information on each site.

The San Carlos Irrigation Project (SCIP) is significant for creating an integrated irrigation system to serve both Indian and non-Indian lands along the Gila River. Prior to project construction, irrigation of area lands was piecemeal and non-Indian agricultural development above the Gila River Indian Reservation had depleted water supplies for the Indians. Initial authorization of the project in 1916 and the passage of the San Carlos Act on June 7, 1924 culminated years of studies and efforts to develop water storage on the Gila River and restore water to the Pima Indians. The project also incorporates a number of individual features that have engineering significance. These include Coolidge Dam for which HAER documentation has previously been completed (HAER No. AZ-7), Sacaton Dam, and China Wash Flume. Ashurst-Hayden Dam is significant as the primary diversion facility for the entire system. Lastly, the features found on SCIP are significant for demonstrating the evolution of the irrigation project as a dynamic system. The types and methods of construction found span many decades and document changes in design and technology. This report includes the photographs and written historical and descriptive data for the San Carlos Irrigation Project in Pinal County, Arizona.

The Water Management Project (WMP) was developed to bring Central Arizona Project (CAP) water to the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC). Under terms of a contract signed in 1992 with the GRIC, facilities designed and constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation would deliver 173,000 acre-feet of water annually onto the reservation. In anticipation of project construction, Reclamation directed Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd. to develop a research design for cultural resource investigations on the GRIC.

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), United States Department of the Interior, was in the initial stages of the Water Management Project designed to bring Central Arizona Project water to the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC). Under terms of a contract signed in 1992 with the GRIC, facilities designed and constructed by Reclamation would deliver 173,000 acre-feet of water annually onto the reservation. Federal law mandates consideration of potential impacts of such projects upon cultural resources and requires that necessary and appropriate steps be taken to mitigate those impacts. In accordance with these laws, Reclamation did a complete inventory of all cultural resources that may fall within the project area. Data resulting from this inventory provided the basis for assessment of the significance of the resources and for the design of plans to mitigate potential impacts to them. Two survey areas in which a water delivery system and associated features (such as dikes) will be constructed were identified by Reclamation. Broad survey areas were defined so the location of eligible sites would be known before specific project design began. In total, 180 sites were identified and recorded during survey. These sites include possible Archaic period materials, a wide range of prehistoric Hohokam site types representing all periods of the Hohokam sequence, possible Protohistoric manifestations, and numerous Historic Pima sites of varying ages. The report consists of two volumes. Volume 1 contains background information; consideration of survey and recording methods; analyses, evaluation, and interpretation of collected data; and recommendations for future treatment of discovered sites. Volume 2 contains site descriptions.

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), United States Department of the Interior, was in the initial stages of the Water Management Project designed to bring Central Arizona Project water to the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC). Under terms of a contract signed in 1992 with the GRIC, facilities designed and constructed by Reclamation would deliver 173,000 acre-feet of water annually onto the reservation. Federal law mandates consideration of potential impacts of such projects upon cultural resources and requires that necessary and appropriate steps be taken to mitigate those impacts. In accordance with these laws, Reclamation did a complete inventory of all cultural resources that may fall within the project area. Data resulting from this inventory provided the basis for assessment of the significance of the resources and for the design of plans to mitigate potential impacts to them. Two survey areas in which a water delivery system and associated features (such as dikes) will be constructed were identified by Reclamation. Broad survey areas were defined so the location of eligible sites would be known before specific project design began. In total, 180 sites were identified and recorded during survey. These sites include possible Archaic period materials, a wide range of prehistoric Hohokam site types representing all periods of the Hohokam sequence, possible Protohistoric manifestations, and numerous Historic Pima sites of varying ages. The report consists of two volumes. Volume 1 contains background information; consideration of survey and recording methods; analyses, evaluation, and interpretation of collected data; and recommendations for future treatment of discovered sites. Volume 2 contains site descriptions.

A few months following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, people of Japanese origin on the West Coast of the United States were routed through a series of security measures that led to removal from their homes and resettlement in relocation centers. In 1942, a civilian agency, the War Relocation Authority (WRA), was established to administer their lives in these centers. Butte Camp and Canal Camp were the two relocation sites built by the United States at the Gila River Relocation Center (Center) in the undeveloped desert landscape of the Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) south of Phoenix, Arizona. The Center was constructed in 1942 to house over 13,000 Japanese-Americans from the West Coast and was one of 10 built by the United States during World War II. After its closure, the United States sold off or removed nearly all project improvements, including buildings and the underground water pipes. While the buildings were destroyed, remnants are still present at both Butte and Canal camps, including the cement foundations or footings for most buildings. The Sacaton Farms Irrigation System on the GRIC has resulted in the development of agricultural land up to the edge of Butte Camp. In 1987 and 1989, Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd. (ACS) undertook limited archaeological and historical investigations in areas adjacent to the Gila River Relocation Center that were to be impacted by farm development (Sawyer-Lang 1989; Sullivan et al. 1987). On January 20,1993, the Bureau of Reclamation requested a supplemental study of the Center that included the collection of additional historical material together with oral history information. The historical-period artifacts collected during the previous studies were reevaluated in the context of the more complete research data. This report contains information on the archival resources investigated and the oral history interviews conducted. It also describes the background information required to understand the context of the Japanese-American evacuation from the West Coast and southern Arizona. The report also describes life in Butte Camp for the Japanese-Americans, the economy of the relocation center, and an O'odham perspective on the relocation center. The report contains an analysis of the historical material previously collected at Butte Camp by ACS (Sawyer-Lang 1989;Sullivan et al. 1987).

In 1987 and 1989, Archaeological Consulting Services, Ltd. (ACS) undertook limited archaeological and historical investigations in areas adjacent to the Gila River Relocation Center that were to be impacted by the Sacaton Farms Irrigation System Project (Sawyer-Lang 1989; Sullivan et al. 1987). On January 20,1993, the Bureau of Reclamation requested a supplemental study of the Center that included the collection of additional historical material together with oral history information. The historical-period artifacts collected during the previous studies were reevaluated in the context of the more complete research data. This project had two components, Phase I and Phase II. Phase I activities consisted primarily of a review of the existing archaeological data together with the collection of archival data on the Rivers Relocation Center. Oral history interviews of Japanese-Americans, O'odham people, and other persons associated with the Gila River Relocation Center comprised the primary research activity in Phase II. This interim report was submitted to Reclamation at the conclusion of Phase I. It contains information on the archival resources investigated, and a synthesis of the archival materials on the Gila River Relocation Center, and particularly on Butte Camp. It also contains a review of the previously collected historic archaeological data, project research questions, and interview questions protocols. The complete report is available at tDAR ID: 393848.

At the request of Judith Imhoff of the Environmental Management Department of Arizona Public Service Company, Archaeological Consulting Services (ACS) initiated a cultural resource survey for the proposed 230 kV transmission line extension in the vicinity of the Kyrene Steam Power Plant. Dr. Richard W. Effland and Margerie Green of ACS served as co-principal investigators and field directors for the project. Johna Hutira and Shereen Lerner assisted in the field investigation. The purpose of this investigation is to furnish Arizona Public Service Company with information and recommendations related to potential impacts to cultural resources which might result from this proposed development.

The Central Arizona Project (CAP) , Indian Distribution Division (IDD) is designed to deliver allocated CAP water to Indian users. The Middle Gila Basin Overview is the initial cultural resources planning study for the system. It summarizes and evaluates the extant data in an area 3,570 square miles (9,139 sq km) large, centered on the Gila River. The data suggests that archaeological sites in this area are numerous and varied, but most of all poorly-studied despite 100 years of research. A defensible culture history and chronology exists for only 35 percent of the 12,000 years of human history in the Basin. Given this, an assumption that basic interpretive frameworks are available to support sophisticated processural arguments is inaccurate. Further data analysis shows that site distributions correspond to physical and biotic zones in only the most general sense. Sites tend to be large and densely-clustered on the second terraces of major rivers; large sites, less-closely spaced are also in higher interior valleys. Sites on upper bajadas slopes appear to be specialized activity areas, while valley bottom sites contain material suggestive of encampments and villages. Most important, the patterns of previous field investigdtions more than anything else are responsible for apparent clusterings of sites. Large areas of the Middle Gila Basin remain unexplored. CAP-IDD systems are likely to encounter substantial archaeological remains along almost any intended, gravity- flow canal alignment, and in many field areas proposed for agricultural development. Of these remains, the majority can qualify, probably, for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Place because, in reality, we know so little about them. See the appendices for a full site list.

The Museum of Northern Arizona under contract to the Salt River Project has completed archaeological investigations at four sites along the Palo Verde to Kyrene 500 kv Transmission System in Maricopa County, Arizona. NA12,542, the Alkalai Ruin, consisted of a large sherd and lithic scatter. Testing within the tower erection area did not reveal any subsurface cultural features. NA15,677 is an extensive Hohokam site possibly dating to the Classic period. It was initally located and recorded by Arizona State University in the mid-1960s. Testing was confined to the extreme eastern periphery of the site. Few surface artifacts were evident and only one subsurface feature, a borrow pit, was located. NA15,683 consisted of an extensive, low density sherd and lithic scatter with a stone-outlined domestic structure. Ceramic and C-14 dating indicate a late Sacaton/early Classic period occupation. NA15,687 was a sherd and lithic scatter located near the Cashion site. It was inadvertently destroyed during the construction of the Palo Verde nuclear generating station waste water conveyance system. Previously, the site had been heavily disturbed by agricultural activities, and it is believed that the data losses are minimal. Clearance is recommended for all of the scheduled impact areas.

This report provides a regional archaeological overview prepared for the Montezuma Hydroelectric Pumped-Storage Project by the Office of Cultural Resource Management, Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University, under contract with the Salt River Project, Phoenix, Arizona. Specifically, it is designed to fulfill the archaeological data requirements for the Phase I Regional Study outlined by Wirth Associates, the consulting firm coordinating all environmental studies connected with the Montezuma Project. The Phase I archaeological research resulted in the compilation of a complete archaeological resource inventory for the study area defined by Wirth Associates. Data were collected on 337 previously recorded sites representing Hohokam, Yuman, Pima, Maricopa, and modern Yaqui activities, and these were evaluated in terms of their potential archaeological value. Based on the assumption that similar environments will have had similar prehistoric usage, the various environmental zones within the research area were evaluated in terms of predicted site density and average potential site value and were ranked in terms of their overall archaeological significance. Hohokam-Pima National Monument and Hohokam-Pima Irrigation Sites National Historic Landmark were evaluated as the most highly significant archaeological resources in the area while the South Mountains, the Montezuma Project Upper Reservoir, and the undisturbed portions of the main Gila River floodplain were designated as highly significant. Moderate significance was attributed to the upper bajada zones surrounding the mountainous portions of the area, the secondary floodplain area, and the disturbed portions of the major floodplain. The remainder of the study area was held to be of low archaeological significance.

Flooding along the Salt, Gila, Verde, and Agua Fria Rivers in February and March of 1978 resulted in extensive damage to property in Central Arizona and in the disruption of ground transportation and commerce in the greater Phoenix area. Major flooding also occurred along these rivers in December, 1978 and February, 1980. The recognition of this flooding problem, and of requirements for the regulatory storage of Central Arizona Project (CAP) water, prompted the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) to initiate the Central Arizona Water Control Study (CAWCS) in July of 1978. The objectives of the CAWCS were to identify and evaluate alternative measures for flood control and regulatory water storage in Central Arizona. Both structural (i.e., dam construction or modification, levee construction), and nonstructural (i.e., flood proofing, flood plain regulation, water exchange) alternatives were to be considered within a large study area. A Safety of Dams (SOD) issue was subsequently recognized and incorporated in the CAWCS study process. As the study progressed through a consideration of eight alternative plans, a preferred alternative (the agency-proposed action) to address these objectives was selected by Reclamation. Several critical factors were considered in comparing alternative plans, and in defining the preferred plan alternative, including: - flood control performance of a plan - regulatory water storage performance - dam safety - economics (cost/benefits) - environmental impacts - social impacts - institutional constraints Each of these factors was thoroughly evaluated in relation to the plan alternatives during the three stage study process. Stage I established the parameters of the flood control and regulatory water storage problems to be addressed, defined a number of actions (termed elements) which might contribute to the resolution of these problems, and recommended specific actions that warranted further study on the basis of their performance characteristics. Of the 34 elements reviewed during Stage I, 20 were recommended for further consideration at a Stage II level of analysis. During the Stage II analysis, competing elements (those which served similar functions but which were at different locations) were compared in order to define and retain those which best served a particular function. These 10 remaining elements were then combined into 13 intermediate plans, termed systems, each of which could provide for flood control and regulatory water storage. At the beginning of Stage III, 10 elements remained in the study. These were combined into seven candidate plans, each of which satisfied flood control, safety of dams, and regulatory water storage objectives. An eighth plan (No Action) was also defined as a basis for evaluating the effects of a proposed undertaking. As the critical factors were considered in relation to each plan, two of the eight plans (numbers 4 and 5) were eliminated due to cost and associated adverse social and environmental effects. The remaining six plans were analyzed in detail; one plan (dubbed Plan 6) was subsequently identified as the agency-proposed action. In undertaking this study, Reclamation contracted with the firm of Dames and Moore to assist in defining and evaluating the alternative plans, and to prepare a draft environmental impact statement for the agency-proposed action. Archaeological Research Services, Inc., and the Arizona State University, Department of Anthropology (Office of Cultural Resource Management) were under subcontract to Dames and Moore for the historic and prehistoric cultural resource aspects of the CAWCS respectively. The historic cultural resource study was initiated in April, 1979, and concluded in December, 1981, and involved preparing reports and supporting documentation relative to each of the study stages above. For the purposes of this study, historic cultural resources are defined as those sites or properties which were occupied after the time at which written records became available for an area. As applied to the Southwestern United States, historic sites may include those in existence at or subsequent to the period of initial Spanish contact (during the 16th century).

In 1982, Northland Research, Inc. performed a small fraction sample survey of potential agricultural development lands on the Gila River Indian Reservation. The sample was selected probabilistically. Results suggest that, within the probability limits of the sampling design, as much as 59,687 ± 21,272 acres of land within the 296,320 acre target area could contain significant archaeological remains requiring attention in any future development plan. In addition, it was possible to calculate probabilities for the occurrence of significant archaeological remains in the major, modern vegetation communities of the reservation. A discussion of the advantages and limitations of probabilistic reasoning is also included. This file includes related correspondence.

Under the premise of "Give us our water and we will take care of ourselves," the book includes two chapters surrounding the irrigation practices of the Pima-Maricopa Indians from the mid-19th century to the present. The first chapter discusses the early irrigation practices of the Pima-Maricopa Indians and their history within the Gila and Salt River valleys supplemented with information from excavation and government documentation. Using this information, the second chapter lists a series of demands with subsequent background evidence that revolve around the issue of water for the Gila River Indian Reservation from the Central Arizona Project.