SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 3 ⎯ Affected Environmentof this era are known on FRA. The Middle Holocene Era is also poorly represented in the region.Findings of this era in Component 2 at the Beluga Point Site suggest an affiliation with the OceanBay Tradition. No sites of this era are known on FRA. Numerous sites of the Late Holocene Era havebeen identified in the Cook Inlet region. These sites show an affiliation with the Pacific Eskimo. Nosites of this era are known on Fort Richardson. Many late prehistoric Athabascan sites are also knownin the region. Most of these sites are believed to be associated with the Dena’ina people who werehere when Cook arrived. No sites of this era are known on FRA.Historic ContextCaptain Cook searching for the Northwest Passage in 1778 encountered the Dena’ina in Cook Inlet.However, there had been Russian fur traders in the region since early in the century, and there hadundoubtedly been earlier, undocumented contacts. The Dena’ina hunted caribou, seal, moose, bear,mountain goat, squirrel, and Dall sheep and harvested salmon. They shared many traits and tools withthe neighboring Eskimo. Several Dena’ina villages had been located near FRA. Historically, the largestvillage in the area was Knik, near the mouth of the Knik and Matanuska Rivers.The U.S. purchased the rights to Alaska from Russia in 1867. Beginning in the 1880s, Anglo-American trappers, miners, and settlers moved into the area, and the influx accelerated after the discoveryof gold. The early gold rushes along the coast had little impact on Cook Inlet, but the rushes inthe interior had a strong impact. Anchorage grew with the development of the Alaska Railroad beginningin 1913. Anchorage was established as a construction camp and headquarters for the railroad.Anchorage took its name from nearby Knik Anchorage, an important supply center for the interiorduring the gold rushes. The railroad was completed in 1923. During the Great Depression, schools,roads, bridges, trails, harbors, and water systems were built and developed throughout Alaska. TheOld Richardson Highway from Matanuska Valley to Anchorage was built across what is now FRA in1935.Elmendorf Field was established in 1939 and renamed FRA in 1940. The location was chosen for itscomparatively favorable weather and access to the transportation resources of Cook Inlet and theAlaska Railroad. In World War II, Fort Richardson was a coordinating spot for the Alaskan war effortand a strategic location for defending Alaska from invasion. Later in the Cold War, FRA performedprimarily a training and administrative support role.ArchaeologyAt least six archaeological surveys were completed on FRA between 1970 and 2000. Four of thesewere small reconnaissance surveys that did not identify any archaeological sites. The cantonment areaof FRA is considered to have a low potential for prehistoric sites. In contrast, six of the FRA trainingareas have been identified as having high archaeological sensitivity. A survey of selected samplezones in 1980 identified four historical archaeological sites. Six archaeological sites are known onFRA (USARAK 2004). One site is prehistoric (ANC–01175), four are historic (ANC–00263, ANC–00264, ANC–00265, and ANC–00668), and one was reported as both prehistoric and historic (ANC–00822). Later reports list the last site as prehistoric. All of the sites are recommended as not eligible.Portions of the Seward to Susitna segment of the Iditarod Historic Trail cross FRA, and may have associatedhistorical archaeological sites. Many areas need to be surveyed and there is a strong potentialfor newly discovered sites, particularly in those settings identified as having high archaeological sensitivity.February 2008 3–108 2/25th SBCT Final EIS