Mission Rosario : archeological investigations, 1974 / by Kathleen Gilmore ; with appendix by Jay C. Blaine ... [et. al.]

Abstract

The following is the final report of the results of three archeological field seasons, 24 weeks, at Mission Rosario State Park, Goliad County, Texas. A report entitled "Mission Rosario, Archeological Investigations 1973" (Gilmore 1974) has been published by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. That report contains a description of the 1973 field research and the history of the site from the date of founding in 1754 through the 1973 field season. The first field season from May 8 to July 3, 1973 was a pilot season to determine problems which might be encountered from previous excavations, disturbances, and collections made at the site since its abandonment in 1807. Although extensive excavations were made in 1940-41 few records and notes were available, and to date only a few work order forms have been found in the National Park Service Archives. The apparent loss of these records and notes points out so clearly the importance of systematic record keeping and the necessity of proper storage of those records. Since an archeological site is definitely a nonrenewable resource and information is destroyed when it is excavated, the lack of records and inadequate description and analysis of excavations not only nulifies the information in the ground, but also makes it impossible to conceptualize what had been there. The 1974 excavations from March 18 to May 5 and from October 15 to December 11 were based on an overall research design which was oriented toward the development of the park as a resource for the interpretation of Spanish colonial settlements.