TRC Environmental Corporation (TRC) was retained by Whitfield County to perform an Cultural Resource Survey of a proposed mountain bike trail to be located along Rocky Face Ridge in Whitfield County, Georgia. The Cultural Resource Survey described in this report meets the qualifications specified in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation (FR 48:44716-44742). All supervisory personnel meet or exceed the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards set forth in 36 CFR Part 61. On November 15, 16, and 20, 2007, TRC conducted a cultural resource survey for approximately 8.0 miles of mountain bike trail located in the vicinity of 2209 Crow Valley Road, Dalton, Georgia. The proposed mountain bike trail will be a low-impact, single use trail. The trail route was designed to avoid extant Civil War features. Construction of the trail will involve minimal vegetation clearing but no paving, extensive grading or earth moving is planned. The trail width is not expected to exceed 10 feet. The trail is intended for mountain biking only and will not be a mixed use trail. Background research was conducted prior to the archaeological survey, and identified eight previously recorded archaeological sites within a 1-mile radius of the project corridor. All eight sites are Civil War era sites related to the 1864 Battle of Rocky Face Ridge. All of the sites are within the boundaries of the Rock Face Battlefield historic district, a district eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Two of the sites, 9WD102 and 9WD103, are adjacent to or in the general vicinity of the project corridor. These two sites have been expanded to include features identified during the current survey.
Pedestrian survey/visual inspection supplemented by limited metal detecting and judgmental shovel testing were implemented in order to determine whether the proposed mountain bike trail would have an impact any extant features associated with the Civil War battle. The investigation determined the proposed trail will not directly impact any battlefield features. There are five areas of concern where the proposed trail will pass within 30 feet of rock walls or possible features associated with the battle. To ensure that the features will not be impacted Whitfield County proposes to erect high visibility construction fencing around the features prior to trail construction (Attachment A). Additionally the County proposed to place signage at the trail head and stopping points along the trail that warns riders not to impact the rock features.
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