Trans-Pecos Archeological Program

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The O2 Ranch Project: New Windows into the Past

Standing on top of Straddlebug Mountain one is afforded a spectacular 360º view of the middle and upper Terlingua Creek basin, the entirety of which is contained within the O2 Ranch, a prestigious 280,000-acre spread in the very heart the Big Bend. From this unique perspective there is the feeling of being suspended on a flat sea of grass and creosote that stretches as far as the eye can see-to its distant juncture with an encompassing mountainous rim. But what appears from the summit Straddlebug to be a level plain is reality a mosaic of undulating alluvium broken by low, eroded ridges of igneous and sedimentary origins, occasional free-standing mesas and hills, and a perplexing labyrinth of arroyo systems-all of which hold secrets of the Big Bend's human past.

In the fall of 2002, the Center for Big Bend Studies was awarded a three-year archeological and historical research program by Lykes Brothers, Inc., and the F. E. Lykes Foundation, owners of the O2 Ranch since 1941. We are now in our second year of this project, having experienced a scientific roller-coaster ride during the first year of work that promises significant new insights into the prehistory and history of not only the ranch proper, but also of the entire Trans-Pecos and north-central Mexico regions. Archeological surveys of select areas on the ranch have thus far yielded over 200 new archeological sites spanning some 10,000 years of human presence in the Big Bend. Included among the finds are prehistoric campsites of Paleoindian (8000-6500 B.C.) as well as Archaic (6500 B.C.- A.D. 800) and Late Prehistoric (A.D. 800-1535) hunters and gatherers, clues to the presence of historic Indians, Spanish travelers, and Mexican herders ( A.D. 1535-1880), and substantive historic sites from the Anglo-American ranching period ( A.D. 1880-present).

Perhaps most impressive from a scientific standpoint are finds of numerous deeply buried campsites dating to the Early, Middle, and Late Archaic periods. Exposed at depths of up to 7 m (about 22 feet) below the ground surface in arroyo cuts are multiple prehistoric campsites that we have radiocarbon dated to as early as 5000 B.C., or 7,000 years before the present. These include the cultural remains of ancient Early Archaic (6500-3000 B.C.) populations for whom we have had frustratingly little information. In fact, the seeming inability of researchers to locate such early sites during past surveys in the Big Bend has led some archeologists to imply a general absence of Early Archaic peoples across the region-a fallacy that now can be laid to rest. The deeply incised arroyos of the O2 are at last opening windows to their ancient lifeways.

Our current work at the ranch is focused on scientific excavation of the Paradise site, a buried Middle Archaic campsite dated to 2030 B.C., another period for which we have a paucity of information. We have removed over one meter of overburden above the deposit and carefully exposed a 25 sq. meter area of the camp, revealing a living surface of rock-lined hearths, a possible earth oven, and a patterned scatter of debris from the making of stone tools. Standing among the remnants of this exposed camp, where all artifacts have been left in place before mapping, one can mentally re-create, and in a sense "experience," the activities that were being carried out by its ancient inhabitants.

The many exciting aspects of research on the O2 Ranch include new insights into previously known cultural groups, such as peoples of the Cielo complex. These Late Prehistoric to Early Historic hunters and gatherers (A.D. 1330-1700) lived in beehive-shaped, stone-based wickiups and established their villages on prominent landforms that afforded good visibility of the surrounding terrain. They are known primarily from previous scientific excavations of their encampments in the Rosillos Mountains and La Junta de los Rios (Presidio) areas. Their culture appears to terminate with the arrival of the Apache in the region. Surveys on the O2 Ranch have yielded dozens of Cielo complex sites bordering the Terlingua Creek drainage and are providing new information concerning their settlement, subsistence, and demographic patterns.

Major efforts are also underway to expand our understanding of the history of ranching in the Big Bend through an integration of archeological and historical methodologies with both field and archival research. We expect to have the first of two reports of findings for the project, a history of the O2 Ranch, in publication by this fall.

Gazing across the creosote "sea" from the summit of Straddlebug, and knowing the enormous scientific potentials of what lies beneath, brings a look of anticipation to the face of the archeologist. In sum, the outlook is bright for this important project, and we extend our sincere gratitude to the Lykes family and to the ranch manager, Mr Homer Mills, for such a rare research opportunity.

— Robert J. Mallouf