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Title
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Phase I Archaeological Reconnaissance of the Oliver Lock and Dam Project Area, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama
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Date
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1982
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Bibliographic Citation
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Alexander, Lawrence S. 1982. Phase I Archaeological Reconnaissance of the Oliver Lock and Dam Project Area, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama. Report of Investigations No. 33. Report submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District. University of Alabama, Office of Archaeological Research, Tuscaloosa.
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annotates
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• Survey area encompassed 1,100 acres, including both floodpool and construction zones around the dam and reservoir.
• Fieldwork focused on relocating previously recorded sites and surveying tracts through pedestrian reconnaissance, shovel testing, and site documentation. Limited small-scale testing was conducted at a few sites.
• A total of 49 archaeological sites were recorded or revisited, ranging from Paleoindian through historical Euro-American occupations, with most interpreted as Woodland and Mississippian.
Choctaw / Ancestral Choctaw Relevance
• The Choctaw are not named directly in the report. However, the survey area lies within the Tombigbee River valley in Choctaw and Clarke Counties—a region firmly within the documented ancestral Choctaw homeland.
• Several sites are dated to the Late Woodland and Mississippian periods, with ceramic assemblages (e.g., shell tempered wares, Alabama River Incised, Moundville Incised) consistent with early postcontact Choctaw material culture.
• Many sites are located on elevated terraces, ridgelines, and meander scars consistent with known Indigenous land-use preferences during the late precontact and early postcontact eras.
• While Alexander does not propose cultural affiliation, the location, ceramic types, and site forms strongly suggest potential ancestral Choctaw occupation or continuity.
Site Highlights:
• 1TU421: Spans Late Woodland through “Moundville III” and into the Alabama River Phase, phases with Bell Plain var. Hale, Mississippi Plain var. Warrior, Barton Incised, Alabama River Appliqué, Alabama River Incised. Presence of structural remains (possible floor and wall fall) and stratified deposits based on exposed feature and daub in river bank.
o Choctaw Relevance: Strong — ceramic assemblage and phase attribution point to protohistoric continuity, especially in a region later known to be Choctaw territory
• 1TU265, 1TU266, 1TU308, 1TU422, 1TU423: Sites include Late Woodland and Mississippian components and may contain shell tempered types, but without full ceramic inventories presented in the document, specific attribution to Alabama River phase or Moundville III is uncertain.
Data Presentation / Decolonizing Commentary
• The report uses phase-based terminology (“Moundville,” “Alabama River,” “prehistoric,” “aboriginal”) typical of the early 1980s, without cultural affiliation or tribal context.
• The work is careful and methodical, but the absence of descendant perspectives or tribal consultation is a limitation.
• A decolonizing reading would:
o Reassess these sites within the framework of Choctaw historical geography, particularly those in Choctaw County with shell tempered ceramics and riverine farmstead characteristics.
o Emphasize the importance of documenting ancestral Indigenous land use along the Tombigbee corridor, especially as it relates to federal project areas and land disturbance.
o Suggest tribal review and potential reclassification of key sites under NAGPRA or NHPA Section 106 if revisited.
CRM Utility Assessment: Highly useful for CRM in Choctaw County and the broader Tombigbee Valley.
• Provides a valuable baseline inventory of Indigenous sites in an area with historically documented Choctaw connections.
• Site data is useful for evaluating: shell tempered ceramic distributions, site types along riverine margins, vulnerable cultural resources in floodpool zones.
• Recommendation: Use this report to support predictive modeling and reassessment of ancestral Choctaw sites in future compliance work.
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owner
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sprice@wiregrassarchaeology.com