The relics of the past beneath the surface
Frequent readers of these Wildside cultural resources articles know that archaeological sites occur at Site 300. There are more than 30 sites, with five considered significant. Yet, you may wonder if more archaeological sites will be found at Site 300 or will one be discovered at the main site? The answer is "Absolutely….in time."
All of the undisturbed land at both of the Lab’s sites has been surveyed by archaeologists over the past 30 years. These surveys involve an archaeologist walking imaginary gridlines looking for evidence of a site. After the survey, with a potential site marked off on the surface, digging test pits is often the next step. Test pits help to locate the site’s boundaries and determine if any useful information, such as artifacts, exists. Believe it or not, archaeologists limit digging test pits. Recording the boundary and avoiding the site is preferred. This may seem like an odd preference for an archeologist, but sites are non-renewable resources and once "breached," the information potential may be lost forever.
That’s why mapmaking is essential for archaeologists. These maps provide visual references for where sites might exist based on previous surveys and research. The archaeological sensitivity maps for the Lab’s main site show that from Vasco road east to Greenville Road, deeper and deeper depths of construction disturbance occurred over the last 50-plus years. This means any chance of finding undisturbed sites at the main site will most likely occur west of Lake Haussmann around the Lab’s buffer zones and in areas of less intense development.
Site 300’s large expanse of undisturbed land provides more opportunity to locate new archaeological sites. There also is a much higher likelihood of finding fossils there, too. Even though Niffy, the mammoth excavated while digging Bldg. 581 in 1998, was found at the main site, the geology of Site 300 is just better for preserving old bones.
New discoveries will likely be related to the development of the town of Livermore, or the industry that occurred in the Corral Hollow area over the last 150 years. Other sites that we may discover include those related to the building and operation of the former Naval Air Station that existed here at the main site as well as early operations of the Lab itself. So, as you conduct your own pedestrian’s survey along your imaginary gridlines while at work, keep your archaeologist-eyes ever seeking that next intriguing find.
If you’re interested in finding out more about archaeology at the Lab, contact Heidecker at 3-8579 or heidecker2 [at] llnl.gov ( by e-mail. )
