Feature 76
Feature 76 is a pithouse located near the west-central portion of the property. The feature was originally identified during mechanical excavation when a caliche floor was exposed at the southern end of the structure. An oval outline of organic material and burned roof and wall fall was visible during the stripping. A low density distribution of artifacts was observed within the fill above the house. Modern trash was visible approximately 0.03 m above the floor; plow scars had disturbed portions of the floor .
Feature 76 was constructed in the house-in-pit fashion with an oval floor plan. The long axis was oriented nearly due north to south with the entryway facing west. No obvious construction pit was visible due to plowing disturbances. No walls were evident, although the floor did exhibit a slight lip around the west wall. The structure was similar to the type described by Haury (1976) as S-1.
The entrance to the feature was irregular in shape due to rodent disturbances that affected the edges. A caliche step and riser were present. The entry measured 1.60 m in length and 1.05 m in width. The upper step was D-shaped and rose 0.10 m above the level of the floor.
The floor was situated on the sterile silt stratum. Two postholes were present on the northern edge of the entrance; the average diameter of the postholes was 0.175 m, with a mean depth of 0.135 m.The house floor was level except for a slight lip along the western wall that rose a maximum of 0.03 m above the floor. Caliche had been used to plaster the floor. while a layer of clay covered an area extending 0.30 m away from the hearth lip. The floor had burned across the majority of its surface, particularly near the hearth. The floor was well preserved, but had been disturbed by rodent activity near the hearth. In addition, four plow scars that paralleled the long axis of the house and mechanical excavation had removed a small portion of the floor near the southwestern edge. Replastering was evident around a slight depression that was situated east of the hearth. This replastering consisted of a thin layer that covered a small, irregularly shaped area.
Roof and wall fall were present in the form of small pieces of burned daub above the floor. A concentration of charcoal that appeared to be small reeds, measuring 0.01 m in diameter, was observed on the floor along the southern wall. These materials might have been remnants of the roof or wall or floor mats. Sediment above the floor was a dark organic silt with some caliche nodules. Plowing had mixed the fill slightly above the floor and made it impossible to confirm whether roof or wall fall capped the entire structure.
The hearth, Feature 109, was filled with a dark brown silt and was similar to soil observed on the floor. The hearth was circular in shape with vertical sides and a basin bottom. The hearth measured 0.20 x 0.17 m and 0.10 m deep. Rodent disturbance had crumbled the clay-lined feature along the southwestern edge. Some cracks were present in the clay lining at the bottom of the feature.
Three internal postholes were observed in the northern half of the structure. Another posthole was located along the central axis and measured 0.18 m in diameter and 0.29 m deep. The two remaining postholes were secondary supports that averaged 0.19 m in diameter and 0.185 m in depth. Exterior postholes might once have been located along the wall opposite the entrance but could not be defined from soil discoloration. No wall trench was present.
Feature 76 had the highest elevation in the SRP property. The southern edge of the house superimposed the northwestern corner of another pithouse, Feature 133. Two other nearby houses (Features 6 and 78) had steps that were lower in elevation than Feature 76; however, the differences between Features 76 and 78 were negligible . Two other houses, Features 112 and 113, had slightly lower elevations, but were close enough to be considered at roughly the same elevation.