Archaeology at SRP
SRP has played a pivotal role in the history of Phoenix. Much of our service territory has
archaeological and historical significance, and some of our facilities are of historic importance.
The canal system and the Hohokam legacy
The history of the canals in Phoenix began
more than a thousand years ago when the Hohokam Indians, early inhabitants of the
Valley, built a network of canals to bring water to their crops.
The Hohokam set the groundwork for our major canal system,
which follows many of the same paths. In fact, the earliest successful modern irrigation works,
started in the 1860s and 1870s, were based on reopening the prehistoric canals.
SRP is the modern successor to the prehistoric and historic cultures in managing the
Valley's Salt River water supply through a system of canals that run through the
Phoenix metropolitan area. The nine canals that make up this system were developed
over the past 100 years. Each canal has unique
characteristics and history.
Our goals are to minimize disturbance to the cultural resources, and to promote
community education about our area's history.
SRP reviews all proposed construction projects, both its own or those proposed by
other companies within SRP rights-of-way, to determine if archaeological materials
will be disturbed. If disruptions to archaeological materials cannot be avoided, SRP
tries to recover as much information as possible about the areas that will be disturbed.
SRP has sponsored archaeological projects across much of Arizona, and into western
New Mexico and northeastern Nevada. These projects have recovered information from
dozens of prehistoric and historic sites.
Recent projects sponsored by SRP include surveys of distribution lines in the Tonto Basin
and the Salt River Valley immediately east of Mesa. These surveys produced some exciting results:
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The Salt River Valley survey recorded seven new sites on the Tonto National
Forest and Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community.
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The Tonto Basin survey recorded 27 new sites including the first reported
Archaic settlement in the Globe-Miami area and several Preclassic and Classic
period settlements.
SRP conducts a variety of archaeological education and outreach efforts for the public.
For example, we support and participate in the annual Archaeological Exposition during
Arizona Archaeological Awareness Month.
Educational materials are available for schools, and the
SRP Speaker's Bureau provides lectures on a
variety of topics including archaeology.
For more information about local, regional, national and international archaeology and history,
view the following: