North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
Abstract/Summary:
Project Name: Twelve Mile House (5AH121), CO;
Reference: De Vore, S.L. (1992). Geophysical Applications in Archaeology: A Case Study at the Twelve Mile House (5AH121), Arapahoe County, Colorado. Southwestern Lore 58(1):1-16 (used with permission).
In 1990, the National Park Service and EBASCO Services, Inc. held a training workshop to promote the use of geophysical methods in archeology. The workshop was held at the Twelve Mile House site (5AH121), located along Cherry Creek in Arapahoe County, Colorado. The site is the location of a historic stage stop that was in use during the latter part of the 19th century. The stop was located along the Smoky Hill South Trail, a major artery between Kansas and the gold camps located in Colorado. Archeological investigations had been conducted at the site in 1978, and several features, such as privy holes and a root cellar, were identified.
The geophysical techniques used at the site included magnetometry, electromagnetic conductivity, and ground-penetrating radar. The magnetic and conductivity surveys were successful at detecting the features previously identified by the 1978 excavations, as well as identifying a stone-cased well and the Twelve Mile House itself. Ground-penetrating radar was used to supplement the magnetometry and conductivity results. GPR transects were placed over anomalies that were identified by the other geophysical methods, and this method was also successful at detecting the features.