All Posts Homer Thiel – “Recent Discoveries at the Hardy Site and Fort Lowell”
The City of Tucson recently acquired the Adkins property at the southwestern corner of N. Craycroft Road and E. Fort Lowell Road. Used as a steel tank manufacturing location for 70 years, portions of the site were contaminated by oil and metals. As part of the clean-up efforts organized by the City of Tucson, Desert Archaeology, Inc. monitored the removal of contaminated soils. Beneath a thin layer of soil, archaeologists discovered a large number of features. These included 10 pit structures, ranging in date from A.D. 950 to shortly after A.D. 1150. Seven were completely excavated, revealing exception preservation and abundant floor artifacts. Fort-era features included a garden area, Cottonwood Row, the fort Bakery, and a corner of the Guard House. These findings provide new insights into the prehistoric Hardy Site and will guide the planned construction and interpretation of the Fort Lowell Cultural Park.