Archaeological Investigations at AZ U:6:2(ASU), An Historic Camp on the Banks of the Salt River, Maricopa County, Arizona
Creators: name: Brown, Patricia E.
Publisher: name: Office of Cultural Resource Management, Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University
Year: 1978
Subjects: subject: Verde River
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/222/verde-river
subject: Salt River
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/127/salt-river
subject: Granite Reef Dam
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/77924/granite-reef-dam
subject: Usery Mountains
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/78332/usery-mountains
subject: Salt River Siphon
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/geographic-keyword/78331/salt-river-siphon
subject: Historic Period
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/temporal-keyword/29/historic-period
subject: Euroamerican
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/culture-keyword/28/euroamerican
subject: AZ U:6:2(ASU)
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-name/9921/az-u62asu
subject: Encampment
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/253/encampment
subject: historic work camp
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/815/historic-work-camp
subject: Artifact Scatter
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/340/artifact-scatter
subject: Refuse Pit
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/356/refuse-pit
subject: Fence
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/342/fence
subject: Hearth
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/343/hearth
subject: Concrete Slab
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/site-type/811/concrete-slab
subject: Ceramic
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/1/ceramic
subject: Fauna
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/4/fauna
subject: Glass
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/6/glass
subject: Building Materials
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/8/building-materials
subject: Metal
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/material-type/11/metal
subject: Tobacco Can
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/139551/tobacco-can
subject: tobacco lid
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/139552/tobacco-lid
subject: Metal Cans
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/7584/metal-cans
subject: Button
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/139233/button
subject: Glass Bottle
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/9141/glass-bottle
subject: Shoe Sole
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/122934/shoe-sole
subject: Sheet Metal
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/121525/sheet-metal
subject: Nail
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/139269/nail
subject: Tin Can
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/other-keyword/808/tin-can
subject: Historic Background Research
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/18/historic-background-research
subject: Site Evaluation / Testing
valueUri: https://core.tdar.org/browse/investigation-type/10/site-evaluation-testing

description: Under contract with the Bureau of Reclamation, the Office of Cultural Resource Management (OCRM), Department of Anthropology, Arizona State University conducted a cultural resource study of AZ U:6:2(ASU), an historic site located adjacent to Granite Reef Dam on the south side of the Salt River. A portion of the historic camp was contained within the construction right-of-way of the Salt River Siphon, a feature of the Central Arizona Project which connects the Granite Reef and Salt-Gila Aqueducts. The Salt River Siphon project also included the study of a prehistoric site on the north side of the river directly opposite AZ U:6:2 (ASU). The results of that study are presented in a separate report. The camp (AZ U:6:2(ASU)) was first used as a work camp for the construction of Granite Reef Dam in 1906-1908. The dam was a diversion structure on the Salt River located in south-central Arizona. The site was later re-occupied during World War I and for brief periods in 1916 and 1920, when repairs were made on the dam. This report documents OCRM's cultural resource investigations of the historic camp. The investigations and evaluation included archaeological field data recovery; examination of written records, documents, maps, and photographs; and interviews with Gertrude Hill Muir who was born at Granite Reef Dam in 1909. These separate lines of evidence were used to construct a general framework of the camp's structure and its history. Historically, the work camp represents a transitional period between the frontier way of life which had characterized the early settlement in the Southwest and the modern pattern of industrialization and growth. The frontier period was initiated by the efforts of individuals or small groups of individuals to establish a foothold in the harsh desert environment. This pattern was gradually superseded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by more concerted efforts toward ordered growth and development. The conception of the Salt River Project and the construction of Roosevelt and Granite Reef Dams were among the first organized steps in that direction.