APPENDIX 'D' Archaeological Investigation

Transcription

1 City of Peterborough Lansdowne Street West Our File: 6552 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY REPORT ADDENDUM APPENDIX 'D' Archaeological Investigation March 2008

2 Lansdowne Street West Widening / Reconstruction Class EA Addendum, Spillsbury Drive to the West City Limit City of Peterborough, Ontario Submitted to McCormick Rankin Corporation 920 Princess Street, Suite 101 Kingston, ON K7L 1H1 Tel: (613) Fax: (613) Prepared by Archaeological Services Inc. 528 Bathurst Street Toronto, Ontario M5S 2P9 Tel.: (416) Fax: (416) archaeology@sympatico.ca Website: ASI File 06EA-307 Archaeological Licence P057 MCL PIF P December 2006

3 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES INC. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS PROJECT PERSONNEL Project Director: Project Administrator: Field Director: Report Writers and Graphics: Robert Pihl, M.A., C.A.P.H.C. Partner and Senior Archaeologist Manager, Environmental Assessments Caitlin Pearce, Hon. B.A Research Archaeologist Peter Carruthers, M.A., C.A.P.H.C. Senior Associate Caitlin Pearce Deborah Pihl, B.A. Staff Archaeologist Report Review: Robert Pihl

4 Lansdowne Street West Widening / Reconstruction, Spillsbury Drive to the West City Limit City of Peterborough, Ontario 1.0 INTRODUCTION Archaeological Services Inc. (ASI) was contracted by McCormick Rankin Corporation, Kingston, on behalf of the City of Peterborough, to conduct a Stage 1 archaeological assessment for the Widening / Reconstruction of Lansdowne Street West from Spillsbury Drive to the West City Limit, City of Peterborough, Ontario (Figure 1). The project is a Class Environmental Assessment Addendum for the widening / reconstruction of Lansdowne Street. The 1.3 kilometre long study area is well developed with commercial and scattered residential properties on either side. The assessment was conducted under the project direction of Mr. Robert Pihl, ASI, under an archaeological licence (P057) issued to Mr. Pihl. The field review was conducted by Mr. Peter Carruthers (P160) in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act (2005). Permission to access the study area and to carry out the activities necessary for the completion of the Stage 1 assessment was granted to ASI by McCormick Rankin Corporation on October 13, This report presents the results of the Stage 1 background research and field review and makes several recommendations. Figure 1: Location of the study area [NTS Sheets 31 D/8 (Peterborough)].

5 City of Peterborough, Ontario Page BACKGROUND RESEARCH 2.1 Previous Archaeological Research In order that an inventory of archaeological resources could be compiled for the study area, three sources of information were consulted: the site record forms for registered sites housed at the Ontario Ministry of Culture; published and unpublished documentary sources; and the files of ASI. In Ontario, information concerning archaeological sites is stored in the Ontario Archaeological Sites Database (OASD) maintained by the Ontario Ministry of Culture. This database contains archaeological sites registered within the Borden system. Under the Borden system, Canada has been divided into grid blocks based on latitude and longitude. A Borden Block is approximately 13 kilometres east to west, and approximately 18.5 kilometres north to south. Each Borden Block is referenced by a four-letter designator, and sites within a block are numbered sequentially as they are found. The study area under review is located in the Borden Block BbGo. According to the OASD, there are no previously registered sites within two kilometers of the study area. 2.2 Physiography and Assessment of Pre-contact Archaeological Potential The study area is located at the western edge of the City of Peterborough within the Peterborough Drumlin Field Physiographic Region (Chapman and Putman 1984: ). The Peterborough Drumlin Field extends from Simcoe County east to Hastings County and is generally characterized by rolling till plains overlying limestone bedrock. The predominant surface features are the hundreds of drumlins, drumlinoid hills and eskers. The study area extends across the summit of a drumlin, perhaps a double drumlin. In addition, the lands on the hill include wetlands and local surface erosion. Potable water is the single most important resource necessary for any extended human occupation or settlement. Since water sources have remained relatively stable in southwestern Ontario after the Pleistocene era, proximity to water can be regarded as a useful index for the evaluation of archaeological site potential. Indeed, distance from water has been one of the most commonly used variables for predictive modeling of site location. More specifically, Aboriginal peoples would have been attracted to Otonabee River and Jackson Creek, especially during the spring, by the abundance of fish, as well as by other important aquatic resources. The Ontario Ministry of Culture Primer on Archaeology, Land Use Planning and Development in Ontario (1997: 12-13) stipulates that undisturbed lands within 300 metres of a primary water source, and undisturbed lands within 200 metres of secondary or tertiary water sources, are considered to exhibit archaeological site potential. The only water source within the stipulated distance from the study area is a small pond, 200 metres south of the west end of the study area. The pond is located on the north side of Dobbin Road, just outside of the area covered in Figure 3. Therefore, where ground conditions have not been previously disturbed, there is the potential for the recovery of pre-contact archaeological remains at the west end of the study area.

6 City of Peterborough, Ontario Page Assessment of Historic Archaeological Potential: Summary Review of Historical Maps The 1879 Illustrated Historical Atlas of Peterborough County was consulted in order to determine the potential for the recovery of historic archaeological remains within the study area (Figure 2). The study area is located on Lots 6 & 7, between Concessions 6 & 7, in the former Township of North Monaghan. Figure 2: The study area overlaid on the historic map of the Township of North Monaghan, as depicted in the 1879 Illustrated Historical Atlas of Peterborough County. First settled in 1818 by Irish settlers, North Monaghan is the smallest of Peterborough County s townships (Mika 1983). Although the township is hilly, early settlers found it ideal for farming, and the nearby town of Peterborough provided a market for their products. By the 1881, the area was well settled. For the Euro-Canadian period, the majority of early nineteenth century farmsteads (i.e., those which are arguably the most potentially significant resources and whose locations are rarely recorded on nineteenth century maps) are likely to be captured by the basic proximity to water model outlined above, since these occupations were subject to similar environmental constraints. An added factor, however, is the development of the network of concession roads through the course of the nineteenth century. These transportation routes frequently influenced the siting of farmsteads. Accordingly, undisturbed lands within 100 metres of an early settlement road are also considered to have potential for the presence of Euro-Canadian archaeological sites. Landsdowne Street West, and Brealey Drive / Airport Road are such roads. Therefore, depending on the degree of previous land disturbance, it may be concluded that there is potential for the recovery of historic cultural material within the study area. Furthermore, it should be noted that not every feature of potential interest today would have been illustrated on the nineteenth century mapping.

7 City of Peterborough, Ontario Page FIELD REVIEW A field review of the study area (Figure 3) was carried out by Mr. Peter Carruthers (P163), ASI, on December 5, 2006, in order to confirm the assessment of archaeological potential and to determine the degree to which development and landscape alteration may have affected that potential. The weather was clear and cold with a skiff of snow. The study area includes residential and commercial properties on either side of Landsdowne Street from Spillsbury Drive west approximately 1.3 kilometres to Westridge Boulevard. The existing road is minimally improved with a rural right-of-way (ROW) disturbance consisting of wide gravel shoulder, intermittent roadside ditch. In places, the roadbed has been leveled with minor road cuts or the addition of fill. The existing ROW appears to be rather narrow. Disturbance on the properties adjacent to the ROW is variable. Most of the commercial and industrial properties appear disturbed; grading has occurred in conjunction with landscaping, installation of parking lots, and construction of structures. On most of the residential properties dating prior to 1960, large trees or hedgerow are present along the road margins and disturbance may be minimal. A pumping station east of Applewood Crescent appears to be entirely disturbed. In summary, outside of the existing ROW disturbance, there is the potential for archaeological sites wherever the lands have not been disturbed. Undisturbed lands occur on mainly on residential properties. Most of the commercial properties are disturbed. Overall, the potential is for historic sites, and there is also potential for pre-contact sites at the west end of the study area. 4.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The Stage 1 archaeological assessment for the for the Widening / Reconstruction of Lansdowne Street West from Spillsbury Drive to the West City Limit, City of Peterborough, determined that no archaeological sites had been previously registered within a two kilometer radius of the study area. A review of the general physiography and local nineteenth century land uses of the study area suggested that the study area exhibits archaeological site potential. Field review determined that there is potential for archaeological sites along Landsdowne Street wherever previous disturbance has not occurred, since the road follows an historic transportation route. There is potential for pre-contact sites only at the western extreme of the study area. In light of these results, the following recommendations are made: 1. In accordance with the Ministry of Culture s Standards and Guidelines for Consultant Archaeologists (2006), Stage 2 assessment should be conducted in areas where there is potential for archaeological sites (see Figure 3: green areas) in order to identify any archaeological remains that may be present. The above recommendation is subject to Ministry of Culture approval, and it is an offence to alter any archaeological site without Ministry of Culture concurrence. No grading or other activities that may result in the destruction or disturbance of an archaeological site are permitted until notice of Ministry of Culture approval has been received.

8 City of Peterborough, Ontario Page 5 2. Should deeply buried archaeological remains be found during construction activities, the Heritage Operations Unit of the Ministry of Culture should be immediately notified. 3. In the event that human remains are encountered during construction, the proponent should immediately contact both the Ontario Ministry of Culture, and the Registrar or Deputy Registrar of the Cemeteries Regulation Unit of the Ontario Ministry of Government Services, Consumer Protection Branch at (416) or toll-free at The documentation related to the archaeological assessment of this project will be curated by Archaeological Services Inc. until such a time that arrangements for their ultimate transfer to Her Majesty the Queen in right of Ontario, or other public institution, can be made to the satisfaction of the City of Peterborough, the Ontario Ministry of Culture, and any other legitimate interest groups. 5.0 REFERENCES CITED Chapman, L.J. and F. Putnam 1984 The Physiography of Southern Ontario. Ontario Geological Survey, Special Volume 2. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Toronto. Mika, N and H Mika 1983 Places in Ontario: Their Name Origins and History. Mika Publishing Company, Belleville, Ontario Miles & Co Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Peterborough, Ontario, Miles & Co., Toronto Ministry of Culture 1997 Conserving A Future For Our Past: Archaeology, Land Use Planning & Development in Ontario. Cultural Programs Branch, Archaeology & Heritage Planning Unit, Toronto Standards and Guidelines for Consultant Archaeologists (final draft). Cultural Programs Branch, Ontario Ministry of Culture, Toronto.

9 City of Peterborough, Ontario Page PHOTOGRAPHY Plate 1: View to west-southwest along Landsdown St. W, disturbance from commercial development at Spillsway Dr Landsdowne St. intersection. Plate 2: View to south-southeast along Spillsway Dr, disturbance from commercial development at Landsdowne St. intersection. Plate 3: View to east-northeast, possible potential for sites outside disturbed ROW on residential properties. Note slightly elevated roadbed. Plate 4: View to northeast, disturbed pumping station. Potential to east on playground margin. Plate 5: View to east-northeast, potential on residential properties outside disturbed ROW and road cut. Plate 6: View to northeast, undisturbed lands at hedgerow along ROW. Junction of Applewood Crescent.

10 City of Peterborough, Ontario Page 7 Plate 7: View to west, potential near older residence and along hedgerow. Plate 8: View to east-northeast along Landsdowne St. Potential along fronts of residential properties, outside of disturbed ROW. Plate 9: View to east-northeast, potential for sites on residential properties, outside of road cut and ditch. Plate 10: View to west-northwest, potential at hedgerow but may bedisturbed behind. Commercial disturbance on south side. Plate 11: View to east-northeast, disturbance on two south side of Brealey Dr/Airport Rd intersection. Note grade in foreground. Plate 12: View to northeast toward disturbed north side of Brealey Dr / Airport Rd intersection. Potential at residential properties at left.

11 City of Peterborough, Ontario Page 8 Plate 13: View to east-northeast, commercial development on both sides but possible undisturbed margin on north side. Note dip at junction of Dobbin Rd. Plate 14: View to east-northeast, disturbed and graded commercial lands on both sides of road. Plate 15: View to northeast, potential outside of roadside ditch. Plate 16: View to north-northwest, possible undisturbed northeast corner at junction of Westridge Blvd. Plate 17: View to south-southeast along Westridge Blvd. Disturbed east side at junction with Landsdowne St. Plate 18: View to east-northeast, disturbed south side at junction of Westridge Blvd. Possible potential on agricultural lands to west.

12 ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES INC. Water source LEGEND Disturbed, no potential for archaeological sites Potential for sites, Stage 2 assessment recommended Figure 3: Landsdowne Street West Widening I Reconstruction Class EAAddendum. Spillsbury Drive to Westridge Boulevard - Results ofstage 1ArchaeologicalAssessment o Plate loca1ion and number --- o