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i 1 Aboriginal archaeological remains affiliated with the Paleo-Indian and Archaic stages, as well as Late Prehistoric remains may be expected. Several sources were consulted concerning historic resources. These include a statewide historical archaeology context (Buckles and Buckles 1984), a Colorado _ plateau country historic context (Husband 1984), and a Colorado engineering con- text (King 1984). These RP-3 documents published by the Colorado Historical Society are aimed at providing a research framework in which historic cultural resources can be evaluated. A perusal of these sources indicated the possible presence of the following general resource types: ^ Sites related to the oil and gas industry ^ Sites related to the mining industry ;~ ^ Sites related to ranching ^ Sites related to transportation ^ Habitation sites The discovery of other, more rare, resource types, such as sites related to early exploration and the fur trapping era was also deemed possible. In addition to the consultation of the documents mentioned above, site file searches were conducted at the BLM White River Resource Area Office in Meeker, Colorado on August 26, 1991, and by the Office of Archaeology and Historic Preser- vation in Denver on August 26, 1991. The results of the literature searches are de- scribed below. A number of small projects, consisting of cultural resource surveys for explo- ration holes and associated access roads, have been conducted within or near the project area (e.g., Reed 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990; Reed and Nickens 1986). However, no cultural resources were previously recorded within the project area. The area immediately surrounding the project area was surveyed for cultural resources in 1979 (Chandler and Nickens 1979a, 1979b). While cultural resources in the vicinity of the project area were documented, site density was generally found to be quite low. Based on the results of the literature search, it was expected that perhaps one prehistoric site and a small number of isolated finds might be encountered. ' S.0 STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES The primary objective of the archaeological survey was to locate significant cultural resources to aid in the preservation of those cultural resources or to facili- ~, fate the forttu]ation of appropriate mitigative strategies. This was accomplished first by conducting site file searches at the Colorado Historical Society, and at the Bureau of Land Management's White River Resource Area office; and, second, by conducting intensive pedestrian surveys of the project areas. For the purpose of this study, cultural resource sites were defined as areas containing evidence of patterned l~ human activity, in excess of 50 years antiquity. Locations of artifacts evincmg great- `' er than 50 years of age not meeting the cntena for site definition were classified as isolated finds. Recommendations regarding the significance of the cultural re- sources located by this pro]'ect are assessed using the criteria for determining eligibil- (' ity for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The historic preserva- ',., tion laws mandating this cultural resource study specifically identify eligibility to the National Register of Historic Places as the key factor in determining preservation needs. The criteria for assessing site significance, as published in the p.S. Govern- ment Code of Federal Regulations (36 CFR 60) read as follows: