Research Design: Cultural Resources Inventory Program for the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, California
By Jeffrey H. Altschul, Richard Ciolek-Torrello, and Jerome Schaefer
Technical Series 17
69 pp. / 1989
A research design for the phased inventory of cultural resources on the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, California, is presented. The survey design is oriented around a series of research questions pertinent to current studies of prehistoric and historic cultures of the eastern Mojave Desert. For prehistoric periods, these questions focus on cultural chronology, paleoecological reconstruction, and settlement and subsistence. Ethnohistoric research questions revolve around the role of ethnic affiliation and the effects of Euro-American intrusion on native life. For the Historic period research, interests focus on issues related to early mining.
A stratified sample design was developed for the inventory program. This design divided the base into seven sampling universes. Each sampling universe was in turn divided among four strata; spring/lake, bajada, mountain, and lava bed. A square kilometer was chosen as the sample unit, and a reiterative sampling approach was advocated. Survey methods were designed to yield reliable and consistent results. In addition to sampling concerns, an approach to settlement location modeling based on the capabilities of a geographic information system was presented. Finally, additional programs were suggested in geomorphology, museum studies, and archival research.
