Archaeological Survey at Fort Hood, Texas. Fiscal Year 1990: The Northeastern Perimeter Area

From January to April, 1990, the Archaeological Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University conducted a cultural resources survey for Delivery Order Number 10 of 26 sq km (6,425 acres) at Fort Hood. As a result of the survey, 77 archaeological sites were discovered or relocated, and recorded. The 54 prehistoric sites show evidence of human occupation spanning the last 8,500 years. The 23 historic sites represent the initial migrations into Central Texas by Anglo settlers beginning about 1850 and ending with the purchase of the land by the Army in the 1940s and 1950s. Preliminary recommendations regarding the research potential of each site were based solely on the surface indications of the sites, with the result that a number of sites will require shovel testing in order to appraise the depth of the deposits, and/or documentary and informant research. Lithic remains constitute the most abundant artifact category recovered during the present survey. During the survey of 41CV1540, five discrete concentrations of lithic debris consisting of two distinct chert types were encountered. The concentrated nature of these debris areas indicate that they may be largely intact. Analysis of the debitage shows that a slightly different reduction strategy was used on the two types of material based on the different amount of cortex present and a different rate of loading during flake removal. Fort Hood, Prehistory, History, Archaeology, Survey, Cultural resources.