Article Title

An Intensive Cultural Resources Survey of 107 Acres Along Galm Road, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas

Authors

Mark P. Luzmoor
Ashley E. Jones
Kristi Miller Nichols

Agency

Texas Historical Commission

Abstract

In December 2016, the Northside Independent School District (Client) contracted with Raba Kistner Environmental, Inc. (RKEI) to perform a cultural resources pedestrian survey within a 107-acre tract near Galm Road in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The purpose of this survey was to determine whether cultural resources were located within the Area of Potential Effects (APE), and if feasible, assess their significance and eligibility for designation as State Antiquities Landmarks (SALs) and for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The project was sponsored by the Client and the owner of the project is currently George Weimer (soon to be owned by the Client). Since the area of potential effects (APE) is owned by a political subdivision of the state, the project falls under the Antiquities Code of Texas, as administered by the Texas Historical Commission (THC). Additionally, the APE is 2.5 kilometers to the southeast of Government Canyon State Natural Area. The field work was carried out between January 10 and 13, 2017 under Texas Antiquities Committee Permit No. 7866, issued to Kristi M. Nichols, who served as Principal Investigator. Mark Luzmoor served as the Project Archaeologist and Chris Murray, Richard Sample, Chris Matthews, and Kendra Brownlow assisted during the field work.

Background research revealed that no previously recorded archaeological sites are located within the boundary of the APE. However, there are five archaeological sites within a 1-kilometer radius of the APE. In total, 19 shovel tests (STs) were excavated within the APE. Surface visibility was around 80% throughout the APE. Approximately 75% of the APE was open-plowed fields, with the other 25% located in fairly thick underbrush. During the pedestrian survey, 25 isolated artifacts were encountered within the plowed fields of the APE. These included secondary and tertiary flakes, bifaces, and utilized flakes; only the tools were collected. A historic bottle dump also was encountered during the pedestrian survey on the eastern end of the APE. The bottles date to the middle of the twentieth century. Two shovel tests (ST 3 & 5) were positive for cultural material in the top 20 centimeters below surface (cmbs) (two pieces of debitage and one burned rock).

41BX2162 was designated as a multi-component archaeological site due to the large amount of surface finds, the two positive STs, and the historic bottle dump, all along the eastern end of the APE. However, no cultural deposits were encountered beneath 20 cmbs, the majority of the cultural material was recorded on the surface, and no diagnostic prehistoric material was encountered. Thus, RKEI finds that the site lacks research potential and recommends no further archaeological work within the project boundaries. All field records generated by this project will be curated in accordance with the Texas Archaeology Research Laboratory guidelines.

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