Phase I Cultural Resources Assessment of Approvimately 2,400 Acres for a Proposed Supersite, Tunica County

Site Description:
This project lies on the eastern side of Highway 61 and south of Highway 304 at the community of Robinsonville. The project research design that was prepared before new soils data became available called for the total area to be surveyed on transect that would be spaced 200' apart. Transect orientation was to be determined by row orientation where rows existed, and the orientation in fields with no rows was to be determined on the ground. Each transect was to be ridden on a four-wheeler in two directions in first or second gear. Riding in two directions provided the opportunity to visually inspect both sides of a row. Finding a single artifact from the four wheeler led to the immediate area being walked out in a series of transects, and site dimensions determined and surface collections obtained. Geomorphological data was used in the construction of the research design, and original land survey data used to aid in understanding why sites were absent from such a large tract.

Project Results:
Use of the four-wheelers as survey tools in open plowed fields, proved to be a useful tool on surfaces that were too muddy to walk out. Traveling slightly faster than idle speed in first and second gear proved to be between two and four miles per hour-about the speed one would walk over an area. The distance from eye to ground surface was reduced for the six foot tall crew and ground surface visibility for small artifacts proved to be excellent under the conditions of the survey. The Chief Archaeologist at Archives and History was provided with an aerial photograph with each of the project area fields numbered. Daily communication with the Chief Archaeologist using field numbers as references and a discussion of each day's field conditions and survey results proved to be a useful mechanism for restructuring the research design to accommodate project conditions. Two unrecorded prehistoric sites were located, but their integrity is questionable since the entire project area has been land leveled, and straight drainage ditches dug to replace natural drains. Historic site artifacts that should have been associated with mapped residences have been widely scattered over the fields as they were leveled, and no historic period artifact concentrations were located.

Proposed Mitigation:
The two newly located sites do not meet the criteria for admission to the Register, and mitigation recommendations were not necessary.

Project Completed:
2006