Proposed Upland Survey in the Oconee River Basin

In 1978 Dick Jefferies conducted an archaeological survey of upland areas around the Wallace Reservoir under the sponsorship of the University of Georgia Institute of Community and Area Development. The results of this project and the results of limited additional survey indicate that prehistoric site densities in the uplands of the Georgia piedmont are much greater than previously expected. We propose to expand Jefferies' work in the Lake Oconee area in order to provide additional information on upland settlement and to develop a planning tool for estimating site sizes and densities elsewhere in the piedmont. Most archaeological survey in this section of Georgia has been limited to river and stream valleys. By having comparably collected site data from both lowland and upland settings in a restricted survey universe, archaeo­logists can plan more effectively for future projects in the piedmont.

Jefferies' survey was limited to exposed ground surfaces within four one mile wide transects that crossed the Wallace Reservoir from east to west (figure 1). It is proposed that these same transects be extended to the limits of the Oconee River Basin -- i.e., from the watershed of the Little River, a tributary of the Oconee River, to the west to the basins of the Ogeechee River and the Little River, a tributary of the Savannah River, to the east. Transect lengths will range from 20 to 30 miles. Within the transects large exposed surfaces, including plowed fields, clear cut forest land, and unimproved roads, will i,e. inspected. In some cases it may be necessary to survey large tracts outside the transects but nearby an otherwise un-surveyable portion of a transect. Subsurface survey with posthole diggers and fire rakes will be kept to a minimum. Survey methods, collecting techniques, and laboratory procedures will be identical to those used during the Wallace Mitigation Survey and in the Wallace Reservoir Project Archaeological Laboratory.

An accurate estimate of the amount of cleared land within the transects can not be given at this time. However, it is thought that roughly 5000 to 7000 acres of exposed ground may be found in the proposed survey universe. In that case, four persons working in the field for three months (264 man days) would be able to complete the fieldwork. An equal number of man days would be set aside for laboratory work. The project director would be employed at three-quarters time for the duration. of the project. Including the costs of labor, vehicle rental:· mileage, expendable supplies, and indirect costs, our tentative proposed budget totals 147,500.