RESEARCH DESIGN


The excavations conducted during the summer of 1994 were intended to augment the information obtained during the previous year's combined projects (Redmond and McCullough 1993; Redmond 1994). These previous investigations were focused on recovering samples of material culture and subsistence remains, defining the extent of the Oliver Phase occupation, confirming the prehistoric origin for the preserved embankments, documenting the extent of Euro-American disturbances to the site and estimating the site's age and cultural affiliation. However, at the end of the 1993 field season, very little was known about the village interior because these past investigations focused on the establishment of the village limits and sampling the embankments. Therefore, the 1994 excavations were designed to focus primarily on the interior portion of the village in an attempt to recover information relating to intra-site patterning and the domestic economy of the Late Prehistoric occupation. Specifically, the excavation was conducted to address the following research goals:

(1) to locate and identify Oliver Phase habitation structures (houses) and any associated anomalies (i.g., wall trenches, post molds, fire hearths, storage pits, etc.),

(2) to locate and identify cultural patterns of domestic activity areas as evidenced by the location of pit features and midden concentrations resulting from the preparation, consumption, storage or disposal of material culture,

(3) to test for the presence of a central plaza or community area that may have been the locus of communal activities,

(4) to obtain additional samples of well-preserved floral and faunal remains in order to more adequately access prehistoric subsistence practices,

(5) to test the usefulness of remote sensing techniques under forested conditions by "ground truthing" selected magnetic anomalies during the course of this investigation, and

(6) to gather additional archaeological data from the interior of the village that, when combined with the 1993 investigations, would provide sufficient documentation for the submission of a nomination of the site to the National Register of Historic Places. This information could also aid in future interpretative programs and in the refinement of a long-range preservation plan (Redmond 1994b).