Planned development around the Wahweap area of Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area will involve construction of a variety of structures,
roads, and utility corridors. Areas which may be impacted were inventoried
by pedestrian survey covering an area of 475 acres. Four previously
identified sites were relocated. Two of these were redefined as one site.
Fifteen new sites and 16 isolated finds were identified. Testing on six of
the sites disclosed no significant subsurface deposits. The crew conducted
surface collection, mapping, and recording. Clearance is recommended for
all sites in the project impact areas because sufficient data have been
recovered.
In all, 876 items were recorded. Few of these were diagnostics, but they
indicate use of the area during the Late Prehistoric by Anasazi of unknown
regional affiliation. Lithic analyses show patterns of material selection,
reduction, and transport. There are significant differences in the final
discard forms among material types, including differences in size and
artifact type.
Only two site types - source and nonsource - were identified. Diversity
and redundancy measures show that material type and artifact type
distributions are dissimilar between the two site types. Material type
diversity indices for source sites are consistently high and vary little.
Nonsource site material type diversity indices have low mean values and are
variable. Site type size distributions are significantly different, with
larger average sizes and greater variability at sources. Artifact type
diversity indices also have a higher average and are less variable at
source sites. These differences appear to result from application of a
wider diversity of flaking activities involved in production at source
sites, and performance of more specialized activities at nonsource sites,
as they are influenced by the economic activities they support. Overall,
the lithic procurement and reduction system can be characterized as
resembling that described by Kamp and Whittaker (1986).
Little information could be recovered regarding site function or economic
activities. The environmental setting and the site distributions are
similar to the dune-covered uplands near Lees Ferry described by Geib
(1986). It is likely that the Wahweap sites also resulted from gathering of
plant resources, especially ricegrass, in dune-covered areas.