Additional archaeological investigations at Site 41 BX 1, north of Olmos Dam, Bexar County, Texas

Tn June and July 1979, archaeological investigations were carried out at site 41 BX 1 under terms of a contract between the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR), The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the San Antonio River Authority (SARA). A deeply buried portion of the site, including a series of prehistoric burials, was unexpectedly uncovered by recent soil borrowing activities in connection with the repair of Olmos Dam. This deeply buried portion of 41 BX 1 is located about 35 m north of the dam and to the northeast of the site area defined by Assad (1979) during earlier testing. Upon discovery of the burials, borrowing in the immediate area of the site was suspended. Although spaced backhoe testing done by Assad (ibid.) in the borrow area did not reveal extensive site remains, the recently discovered deposits appear to be a small portion of what had once been a more extensive site left intact after original dam building activities in the 1920s. Possibly it was one of a series of discontinuous prehistoric occupations in the area. A third small area, possibly also one of a series of sites, was found farther to the north during current additional testing. Responding to the notification of the burials, an inspection of the site was made by archaeologists from the Center for Archaeological Research in the company of Mr. Dorian French, Chief Engineer for SARA. As a result of the inspection, it was agreed that the actual extent of the site would have to be established and that the probable site limits should be marked off and protected until plans could be made for ultimate mitigation of the site. As an emergency expediency, students from the UTSA Summer Field School, under the direction of Dr. Thomas R. Hester, excavated and documented the exposed burials. This was followed by a program of backhoe testing designed to define the extent of the site. A backhoe was provided by SARA, and the testing was carried out under the supervision of Thomas C. Kelly assisted by Fred Valdez, Jr., both of the CAR staff. All field work was done under the supervision of Thomas R. Hester, Center Director, and Jack D. Eaton, Associate Director. This report will summarize the results of the backhoe testing and provide interpretations and recommendations.