North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
North American Database of Archaeological Geophysics
Abstract/Summary:
Project Name: Dike, Revetment, and Weir Construction, AR and MS;
Reference: Duff, J.A., A. Mitchell, and S.R. James, Jr. (1995). Historical Assessment and Magnetometer Survey for Dike, Revetment, and Weir Construction at Six Locations Along the Mississippi River: Victoria Bend, Below Prentiss, Chicot Landing, Warfield Point, Vaucluse, and Refuge Dikes. Panamerican Consultants, Inc., Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Prepared for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District, Planning Division, Environmental Resources Branch, Vicksburg, Mississippi.
In January and February 1995, Panamerican Consultants, Inc. (PCI) of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, conducted archival and archaeological Phase I survey investigations of six areas proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg District (COE) for dike, revetment, or weir construction along the Mississippi River. The six areas included: Victoria Bend at River Mile 595.0 on the descending left bank (RM 595.9-L), Below Prentiss (RM 578.8-L), Chicot Landing (RM 563.0-R), Warfield Point (RM 535.3-L), Vaucluse (RM 533.5-R), and Refuge Dikes (RM 525.5-L). Comprised of archival research and terrestrial and magnetometer surveys, these investigations were implemented by the COE in partial fulfillment of their obligations under the National Historic Act of 1966 and other Federal legislation regarding historic and archaeological resources. This investigation was undertaken to determine the presence or absence of historically significant cultural resource sites relative to construction impacts within the six proposed construction impact areas. The investigation was conducted for the COE in response to their Scopes of Work for Delivery Order No. 0024 entitled "Cultural Resources Assessment and Magnetometer Survey for Construction at Victoria Bend Along the Mississippi River" and "Cultural Resources Assessment and Magnetometer Survey for Dike Construction at Five Locations Along the Mississippi River, Modification of Victoria Bendway Weir Study," under Contract No. DACW38-91-D-0017.
Archival research revealed the possibility for sunken vessels at five of the six survey areas, the exception being Warfield Point, for which no references to possible shipwrecks were found. Included among the references to possible wrecks within the various project areas were two mid-nineteenth-century steamers and five modem barges at Victoria Bend and at least five modem barges at the proposed Refuge Dikes dike construction area. The terrestrial survey of the land portion of the Vaucluse project area found no indications of potentially significant cultural resources. The remote sensing surveys of the six proposed construction areas recorded a limited number of relatively small magnetic anomalies that have been interpreted as representing identifiable modern sources or small isolated objects that do not represent historic shipwrecks or other potentially significant cultural resources. Additionally, substantial magnetic disturbances were recorded within both the Victoria Bend and Refuge Dikes survey areas. Analysis of the magnetometer data indicates that these large anomalies most likely represent some of the modem steel barges identified in the archival research. It has been recommended that further archaeological investigations will not be necessary at the six proposed construction areas.