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i
<br />Tabeyuaclre Canyon to the north of the project areas (Figure i-1). He
<br />aloe excavated a nuarber of sites along Cottonwrood Creek, including
<br />Cottonwood Cave, Cottonwood Pueblo, and Hill Pueblo. At these sites, he
<br />found .structures, slab-lined Gists, and hearths, and recovered bone and
<br />stone tools, ceramics, basketry and other perishables, corn, squash, and
<br />wild suds and nuts. Hurst recognized that the area had witnessed
<br />multiple cultural occupations: an early, probably rlrehai.c occupation,
<br />follcrv;ed by Basketnraker and Pueb]o, and ending roith Utv. _ '
<br />After 1947, archaeological investigations in the region shifted
<br />from the San Ftiquel River drainage to the opposite side of the
<br />Uncanipalrgre Plateau. Excavations conducted by Marie 4lormington in the
<br />i930s at sites in west-central Colorado, and by Flor•mington and Robert
<br />Lister in the 1960s at several sites on the northerr. and eastern slopes
<br />of the Uncompahgre Plateau, helped to define shat Liormington has called
<br />tiro tlncorwahgr•e Complex. Lt is a localized hunti» g and gathering
<br />adaptation, a regiona] variant of the Great Rosin Desert Culture, that
<br />is recognized by a distinctive artifact assemblage. This assemblage
<br />included bifrces, drills, utilized flakes, several types of projectile
<br />points, scrapers, lrandstones, and nletates; cultigens, ceramics,' and
<br />n.asorrry structures ar•e notably absent. At the time, 6!ormington and
<br />Lister es tirwted the age o` the Uncompahgre Complex to be 2000-1000 B.C.
<br />Due•ing the 1g60s, Nillianr Buckles investigated 75 sites along the
<br />~ northeastern slopes of the Uncompahgre Plateau as part of the University
<br />• of Colorado's Ute Prehistory Project. Though the principal abeetive of
<br />clarifying late prehistory was not accomplished, Buckles did succeed in
<br />redefining the Uncompahgre Complex. He demonstrated that a tong term,
<br />probably cuvtinuous, Archaic-li}:e occupation has eristed on the
<br />Uncompahgre Plateau until historic times.
<br />1.3.1.2 Accent Period (1973-present
<br />During the Early Period of research in western Colorado,
<br />investigators usually excavated only the larger and more visible sites,
<br />seeking in these sites the data drat would help answer specific research
<br />questions. Though-linritied in quantity and scope, these investigations
<br />recovered r. tremendous amount of data and laid the foundations of an
<br />understanding of the regional culture history. In contrast, the Recent
<br />Period of research is characterized by greater areal coverage bet less
<br />intensive efforts at any ene_site. 1•tuch of this work was rrrandaLed by
<br />legislation enacted in the last two decades that concerns the pro-
<br />tection, preservation, and management of cultvr-sl resources on public
<br />lands. Archaeological investigations have proliferated during LM1is
<br />period and hundreds of sites recorded. Archaeological clearance
<br />inventories have been conducted for water projects, timber sales, range
<br />improvements, rights-of-way actions, mine development, and mineral
<br />erploratior.. Only those projects conducted closest to the project areas
<br />are described below.
<br />]n 1977, Centuries Research, Grc. inventoried four frderal coal
<br />lease :razes, Letalling abcvt 2000 arras, naar l:a tvrita alr:cy :hn ;an
<br />t•tigual !:ivr_r (8akar ;978}. Th<• tln•er. ;;natlcst tracts arc: luea:~d .drool
<br />r.r., n!i lr ,r.r:l l: of Chu prujrrt arras. .: rd Ctrl;.^tha'r .^,,p•~'p ritC rL~/ .~brin;
<br />r
<br />(Revised July 2006) Attachment 2.04.4-1-14
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