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U NIV ERSI'Y OR COLORADO • ~....r...... o..,,....o.,~oo. TB-9 BOUIOE R. CO LO BnOO 90302 21 December 1970 Stearns-r7oger Corporation P.O. Boz 5888 Denver, Colorado 90217 From David A. Brsternitz Departaent of Anthropology, TB-9 University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado ARCHAEOLOGICAL APPRASLAL OF THE BOTTOH LANDS OF TIfE YAHPA APID WILI.IAHS FORE RI7ERS IN THE 7ICIK[TY OF T}iE PROPC6ID "CRAIG" POWER PLA9T SITE. It the proposed dam/reaervolr is built on the Yampa River ,Just above its confluence with the Williams Forfc River, tid th a water level of 6153 feet above sea level, approzi.-nately 4+ equate Hiles of bottom land frill be • flooded. Presently, this area 1e eeeantially destroyed a.e far ae arch- ( aeological materials are concerned-the bottom laude have already been leveled for Irrigation agriculture. Any antiquities Sn this area viii be d'_lflcult to lccate and are probably already destroyed. If the dam la built on the Willlama Fork Elver, s.e the ecologists suggest, the ar~aeological potential is an unknown. However, Prom the know geological situation, there is a poeaibillty that rack overhang shelters erdat along the Willlaca Fork which might be very Important to the Interpretation of the prehietorla man/use of the area. Such a state- ment 1e con,Jectural as the Williams Fork has not been checked on the ground. (An attempt was made to do an archaeological survey of the area on December 5-6, 1970, but snow on the night of December ~ prevented actual field exaaination and it will not be practical to conduct the necessary archaeological survey of the area in question until the Spring of 1971, when the snow cover has melted off the ground). On December $, 1970, the reported Bite of 5P'F281 (Sae Breternitz report •ntltled "Archaeological Appraisal of Proposed Hayden and Yampa/'dilliama Fork Power Plant Sltea," submitted to Stearns-Boger Corportation, October 1970) was reezaminad. '.11th snow cover over L.'ie surrcurding area, it vas inpreeelve that Lhie cite vas !tee of anon, protected, and the potential for interpreting the past history of :can's used of the area by various human groups vas ve rf i~preeaive. Although the actual Bite of $HF'281 miCht not be destroyed by conatructlon of a don on either the Yampa or Willlaas Forr Rlvern, the aeceaelbfllty of the site Lo increased "traffic" presents a • definite protection problem, ae veil ae a research problem. No matter