Cultural Resource Survey of the Ifv Ranges, Fort Benning, Georgia

Southeastern Wildlife Services, Inc., Athens, Georgia, was selected to conduct a cultural resources survey on two parcels of land situated within the boundaries of Ft. Benning Military Reservation, Muscogee County, Georgia. The Army is constructing two firing ranges for the recently developed Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). The project areas include a total of about 526 ha (1300 acres) of which approximately 260 ha (643 acres) will be directly impacted by soil-disturbing activities. This report summarizes the methods and results of a literature search and field survey. It contains analysis and preliminary interpretations of the sites located during the survey and is in partial fulfillment of request No. C-81-95 managed by the Savannah District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. A total of 21 sites (10 historic, 11 prehistoric) were located during the field survey of the IFV ranges. Five sites are judged to be potentially eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places: sites 7 and 10 in Training Area 1 and sites 1, 6, and 9 in Training Area 2. These sites are examples of prehistoric and historic adaptations to the changing natural and social environment of Upatoi Creek from the Early Holocene to the late 20th century. Site 12 in Area 1 lies outside the project boundaries and, therefore, received minimal attention. Eligibility of this site to the National Register cannot be determined at this time. The 15 remaining sites are severely disturbed and are considered ineligible to the National Register because of their lack of contextual integrity. Information gathered during the literature search shows that the historic Creek Indian town of Upatoi (ca.1790-1836) was located immediately east of, and adjacent to, the North Ruth Range. The town was located in the bottomland in the forks of Upatoi, Cox, and Kendall Creeks. The floodplain and adjacent terraces east of the North Ruth Range are extremely sensitive areas with a high potential for significant archeological sites associated with Upatoi Town. Therefore, the Army should avoid subsurface disturbances along these creeks.