Water and Reclamation Projects

Lower Verde Archaeological Project, Central Arizona

Type of Services:
Cultural resource overview, archaeological testing, and data recovery
Client and Contact Information:
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation)
Phoenix Area Office
P.O. Box 81169
Phoenix, AZ 85069-1169
Approximate Cost:
$2.7 million

Pit structure from Scorpion Point Village.

With today's population explosion in the U.S. Southwest and equally expanding cultural resource management (CRM) studies, we rarely have the chance to investigate a virtually unknown but important region. This uncommon and unique opportunity was presented to SRI by the Lower Verde Archaeological Project (LVAP). As part of the Safety of Dams Program associated with the Central Arizona Project, Reclamation contracted with SRI to conduct archaeological investigations at 26 presumed small habitation, agricultural, and resource-procurement sites in the Horseshoe Reservoir and Bartlett Lake areas in the lower Verde River valley. Previous research had focused primarily on inventorying cultural resources in areas to be inundated when proposed dams along the Verde River were built. SRI's project represented the first large-scale excavation effort in the region. As such, it offered the opportunity to study intriguing questions about relationships during Arizona’s prehistory among the cultures of the lower Verde River valley, other regions of central Arizona, and the Phoenix Basin; distinguishing Yavapai and Apache peoples in the archaeological record; and investigating agricultural methods, productivity, and carrying capacity.

Aerial view of excavations at Scorpion Point Village.

Components of this 5-year project included

• Archival research
• A cultural-historical overview including history, previous research, and ethnography
• A multidisciplinary agricultural study including archaeology, geomorphology, paleobotanical studies, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and estimation of agricultural productivity
• Data recovery at 19 sites
• Rock art documentation
• Ceramic sourcing studies
• Innovative reporting, including production of a video animation and three volumes presented in CD-ROM format

Several modifications were made to the project scope, research design, and reporting format throughout the project's duration. By the end of the first field season, it was clear that two sites were substantially larger than anticipated. One, Scorpion Point Village, was revealed to be a pre-Classic village with two small ball courts, cemeteries, communal areas, and an estimated 200–400 pit structures, all of which were located in the area of potential effect. Data recovery expanded accordingly, with more than 40 archaeologists working in the field simultaneously. The research focus expanded from small sites and agricultural sites to embrace questions appropriate to larger habitation sites. Fieldwork was completed by the end of 1993, and dam construction was not impeded.

In 1995, Reclamation decided to switch the report from a printed format and produce the document on CD-ROM. What began as an experiment to evaluate the technology for publishing CRM reports and distributing them economically to a wide audience quickly evolved into a complicated series of production challenges. To accommodate Reclamation's request, SRI hired qualified personnel and acquired the necessary expertise.

Originally, the LVAP was projected to last 4 years. It was obvious, however, that more time would be needed to complete the analysis and report. The project was completed on time and within budget in 1997, after 18 modifications.

The report, Vanishing River: Landscapes and Lives of the Lower Verde River Valley: The Lower Verde Archaeological Project, is not the standard CRM report. It is unique in its publication format, consisting of a case-bound book that provides an overview and synthesis and a CD-ROM that contains three volumes of data, site descriptions, and specialists' reports, along with a 10-minute video. More than 300 color slides are embedded on the CD-ROM, making the publication one of the best-documented CRM reports ever produced. It also is unique in its overarching research framework. The LVAP was one of the first CRM projects to use a cultural-landscapes approach, thus combining the original research framework with the latest in innovative method and theory.

Reviews of the LVAP publication recognize its ground-breaking character:

• Once you have had a chance to explore the CD and the report, I think you will realize that SRI has not only provided significant new information on the archaeology of central Arizona, but has also made a major contribution in using new technology for presenting archaeological research to professional archaeologists and the general public alike.

 Jon Czaplicki, Foreword to Vanishing River.

• This is just a brief note to congratulate you, your coauthors, contributors, and collaborators on the magnificent effort embodied in Vanishing River: Landscapes and Lives of the Lower Verde Valley: The Lower Verde Archaeological Project. In both format and content, the volume establishes a new standard for large archaeological project reporting.

Jeffrey S. Dean, Department of Anthropology and Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona.

• The twin innovations of applying modern landscape theory and using CD-based publishing to supplement and complement a conventional printed format make this report something of a landmark which deserves wide circulation. Both innovations move archaeological practice forward several steps.

 Timothy Darvill, School of Conservation Sciences, Bournemouth University.

• Vanishing River demonstrates that it is possible to expand the reach of archaeological thought within the boundaries of CRM research, and that constraints in research questions, timelines, and funding do not prevent archaeologists from making significant contributions to theory and method.

María Nieves Zedeño, Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, University of Arizona.

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