DOCUMENT


The Castle Valley Archaeological Project: An Inventory and Predictive Model of Selected Tracts

An archaeological inventory totalling 8,880 acres in three study tracts has been completed in the Castle Valley locality of central Utah. The Elmo Tract is a 14,000 acre area in the northern valley where a 20% sample of eighty acre survey units resulted in the discovery of eight sites (two historic, six prehistoric) and 36 isolated finds. The Emery Tract in the southern valley is a 37,000 acre block in which a 10% sample survey within similar 80 acre units led to the identification of 109 sites—nine of which had been previously recorded and ten containing Historic period components—and 77 IFs. Between these two sampled tracts lie the Scattered Small Tracts, consisting of 25 land parcels ranging in size from 40 to 320 acres, where 26 sites (including two Historic period components and one paleontological locus) and 30 IFs were recorded. Thus, a total of 143 sites and 143 IFs has been identified within 106 separate land units in the three study tracts. Cultural affiliations are with the Paleo-Indian, Archaic, Fremont, Ute and Euro-American groups; 65 of the 143 sites are evaluated eligible or potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Using map- readable environmental variables, predictive models of site location have been developed through the discriminant analysis and logistic regression statistical methods. Testing of preliminary versions of one of these models resulted in refinements such that an 82% correct classification rate for sites was achieved. The contributions of the data base to local culture history, and problems and prospects for future predictive modelling efforts are discussed.

Document Type / Category
Cultural Resource Series
Document Collection
BLM Library
State/Office
National Office
Author
Black, Kevin D.; Metcalf, Michael D.
Publication Date
1986