An Archaeological Survey of a Proposed Industrial Park near Cordele, Crisp County, Georgia, February 28, 1977

This report summarizes the results of an archaeological survey of a proposed expansion of the Argo Industrial Park near the outskirts of the city of Cordele, Crisp County, Georgia (see Figure 1). The field survey was conducted by University of Georgia archaeologists Paul R. Fish and Greg Paulk on December 15 and 16, 1976 and January 22 and 23, 1977. Dr. Paul R. Fish acted as principal investigator for the project.

The planned Argo Industrial Park will encompass slightly over 1200 contiguous acres. The proposed expansion and improvement will be conducted in two phases and each of these phases will involve approximately half of the total project area. Most of the proposed industrial park is currently under intensive use, which has probably been responsible for considerable destruction of archaeological remains. Nearly 50% of the total area is in cultivated fields; most of the remaining areas are utilized for a farmers market, cotton gin, lumber mill, manufacturing concerns and private housing (see Plate 1). Less than five percent of the project area is wooded.

The study area is located in the pine barrens section of the Coastal Plain physiographic province of southern Georgia. The southern and eastern boundaries of the proposed industrial park are formed by Gum Creek, a tributary of the Flint River. The confluence of Gum Creek and the Flint River is approximately eight miles west of the project locality.

The study area consists of gently rolling terrain with only a narrow band of bottomlands adjacent to the creek. As a very general statement, human resources in an aboriginal setting would tend to be fewer in the high areas away from the drainage where a more homogeneous forest type with a higher percentage of pine would be found. The bottomlands along Gum Creek would have supported a greater diversity of plant and animal species, offering a wider range of potentially useful products.