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-33- <br />the mine site, as described in Section 4.2, only two prehistoric sites <br />• (SME401 and 404) were found within the boundaries of the mine site, while <br />one site (SMF402) was discovered just outside the south; boundary of the <br />mine site. Both SME401 and SMF402 are located in the immediate vicinity <br />of the spring at the head of Streeter Canyon while SME404 is located on <br />a terrace edge about half way down the canyon. This pattern of site dis- <br />tribution suggests that lack of water was of primary importance in limiting <br />more substantial occupation of the area. The principal aboriginal activities <br />in the mine site area probably consisted of relatively short term visits <br />by hunting parties. <br />4.5.6 Bell Rock Gulch <br />Evidence of prehistoric occupation along Route B from the Yampa through <br />Bell Rock Gulch was non-existent except for a few scattered isolated finds. <br />All that can be observed from this is that the resources necessary for a <br />hunting and gathering subsistence base were absent in the area. <br />4.6 EVALUATION OF THE CULTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY <br />• The lack of information concerning the prehistory and early history <br />of the Craig area of northwestern Colorado is reflected in the fact that <br />the information that was available concerning the cultural resources of the <br />area indicated that no more than 25 sites would be encountered during the <br />field investigation when, in fact, 72 sites were recorded. Any investigation <br />of a relatively unknown area adds significantly to an understanding of its <br />prehistory and early history and this is particularly true of the present <br />investigation. <br />The particular contributions that the present investigation has made <br />to an understanding of the prehistory of the region is that definite re- <br />lationships between the distribution of relevant environmental resources <br />and patterns of site location have been established. Also, occupation <br />of the area as early as 5,000 B.P. has been tentatively determined. A <br />further contribution is that the importance of the Tom Iles Ranch (SME426) <br />with regard to white settlement of the Axial Basin has been brought to light. <br />The potential contribution of further investigation of the cultural <br />resources in the study area has already been alluded to in previous. sections, <br />• of this report. The study area is essentially marginal with respect to the <br />Western Archaic tradition and it provides an ideal situation for investigation <br />