Archaeological Monitoring and Testing at the Catalpa-Pershing Storm Drainage Project in San Antonio, Texas

In Feburary 1977, the Center for Archaeological Research was contracted by the City of San Antonio Department of Parks and Recreation to conduct observation and limited testing in the immediate area of the Catalpa-Pershing Drainage Project in Brackenridge Park. The affected area within the park had previously been surveyed for archaeological sites by Center personnel in connection with a general historic and prehistoric survey of the park as a whole (Fox and Katz 1978) in preparation for the proposed Master Plan. During the initial survey, one historic site and two prehistoric sites were recorded in the area through which the drainage project is to be constructed. Of these three sites, only one (41 BX 322) appeared to be threatened by drainage ditch excavations. Recommendations were made to test the 41 BX 322 site, and this was undertaken in December 1977. The following report, presented in two parts, describes the results of the drainage ditch excavation monitoring and subsequent site testing. The archaeological monitoring of the Catalpa-Pershing project, was done by Anne A. Fox. The subsequent testing of site 41 BX 322 was done by Augustine Frkuska, Jr., Elizabeth Frkuska and Margarita Vazquez, under the supervision of Anne A. Fox. All field work was done under the direction of Dr. Thomas R. Hester, Director, and Jack D. Eaton, Assistant Director, Center for Archaeological Research, The University of Texas at San Antonio