Intensive Archeological Survey for Proposed Improvements to Onion Creek Metro Park, Travis County, Texas

• Main Author: Sandrock, David
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: SFA ScholarWorks 2017
• Subjects: Texas; Archaeology; Travis County; American Material Culture; American Studies; Anthropology; Archaeological Anthropology; Environmental Studies; History; History of Art; Architecture; and Archaeology; Other American Studies; Other Arts and Humanities; Other History of Art; United States History; Austin; Tac; Archeological Survey
• Online Access: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/ita/vol2017/iss1/85; https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4745&context=ita

In September 2017, an intensive archeological survey was completed in order to inventory and evaluate any archeological materials within the project footprint for proposed improvements to the Onion Creek Metro Park in Travis County, Texas. The work was performed for the City of Austin under Texas Antiquities Permit 8159 by David Sandrock (Principal Investigator) of Cox|McLain Environmental Consulting, Inc. (CMEC). Much of the 30-acre archeological area of potential effects (APE) exists as a wooded, brushy area along the southern/eastern banks of Onion Creek, northwest of the intersection of Nuckols Crossing Road and Thaxton Road. Areas along the bordering roadways were disturbed by the existing roadway construction, utility installation, and drainage modifications. Ground surface visibility in the APE was moderate, generally between 30 and 50 percent. A pedestrian survey augmented with the excavation of shovel test units was conducted on the entire APE. In all, 21 shovel test units were excavated in the APE, none of which yielded potentially archeological material. No new archeological sites were recorded during this survey. No evidence was found of preserved deposits with a high degree of integrity, associations with distinctive architectural and material culture styles, rare materials and assemblages, the potential to yield data important to the study of preservation techniques and the past in general, or potential attractiveness to relic hunters (36 CFR 60.4; 13 TAC 26.8). If any archeological materials are inadvertently uncovered during the proposed construction activities, construction should cease and Texas Historical Commission personnel should be notified immediately. No materials were collected during the investigation; therefore, this project generated no archeological materials to be curated. Notes, forms, and other project data will be made permanently available to future researchers at the Center for Archaeological Studies at Texas State University per TAC 26.16 and 26.17. The THC concurred with the findings of this report on November 27, 2017.