A Pedestrian Archaeological Survey of the Laurens Lane Hike and Bike Connection at the Salado Creek Greenway, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

In August 2013, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) conducted a pedestrian archaeological survey of the Laurens Lane connection trail to the Salado Creek Greenway located in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, to fulfill contract requirements with the City of San Antonio Department of Parks and Recreation. The survey was conducted under the requirements of the City of San Antonio Unified Development Code Chapter 35 and the Antiquities Code of Texas. The survey was performed under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 6640, with Dr. Steve Tomka, CAR Director, serving as Principal Investigator and Cynthia Moore Munoz serving as the Project Archaeologist. The work was conducted in advance of construction of a multi-use greenway trail proposed by the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of San Antonio. The proposed trail runs 0.4 km from Ira Lee Road at Laurens Lane to the existing greenway trail. This report summarizes the results of the fieldwork and provides recommendations regarding the management of cultural resources located in the project area. Pedestrian reconnaissance, site revisits, and shovel tests were used to search for cultural resources within the project right-of-way (ROW) and on City-owned land parcels immediately adjacent to the ROW. No isolated artifacts, features, or new sites were observed within the project area. Surface and subsurface cultural materials were noted in the area of both previously recorded sites located in the ROW (41BX475 and 41BX476). Because of the spatial relationship of positive shovel tests and surface artifacts between previously recorded sites 41BX474, 41BX475, and 41BX476, the CAR concludes that the three sites be combined into one site. The density and depth of buried prehistoric material on 41BX474/475/476 suggest that the site possesses potential for future research; therefore, the CAR recommends that the site be listed as potentially eligible on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The CAR suggests that either the western half of the proposed Laurens Lane connection trail be moved to an alternate location or that construction of the trail be delayed until further testing of 41BX474/475/476 focused on determining NRHP eligibility is completed. The CAR also suggests that the installation of the eastern half of the proposed alignment proceed as proposed. Artifacts collected and records generated during this project were prepared for curation according to Texas Historical Commission guidelines and are permanently curated at the CAR at UTSA.