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Show 1 17 16 iLmv. r yi. V :i . V- - ... "" " . ' 7 ' lad T - mA E" - m - :J r.s . fj.. - - r -- :,jh- V - 2 ; ' ';;- " ( . vr . v,..-r--- -, . .... ' -- irr.-. - " Ceramic pottery pieces of varying sizes, left and above, hava been discovered by authorized archaeologists on the Utah Test and Training Range. Right, the Willow Springs Pony Express Station, located on the Nevada side of the south range, preserves a moment In history. The building pictured in the background is part of the original station. Far right, the remnants of a pioneer wagon wheel are carefuMy unearthed at a UTTR site. V'- -- Artifacts from ancient tribes, earlysettlers- - Preservation of cultural relics high on list at desert test range resources. These sites are protected under the Archaeological Resources ProtecOgden ALC Public Affairs tion Act. "With ARPA we can ensure that the The Utah Test and Training Range and its surrounding areas conceal mys- The Air Force is commitknowledge gained from present day research will be shared with the public," teries of peoples who crossed and lived i ted to protecting the ir; Hall said. on the land long ago. And though the area is used to test air- iiau said tne umce ot special inyes-;- . historic traces tigations and the Security Police are in- craft and weapons, the Air Force is com- - replaceable left for our current and mitted to preserving its history. vestigating looted areas. Federal fines of up to $225,000 and five years in jail can future generations. In be levied on those disturbing known or Early visitors unknown cultural sites. Utah's first residents were ancient fact, the restricted range Hall represents Hill AFB and the tribes of Studies show adds a measure of securithat more than 12,000 years ago, groups Department of Defense on several federal and state preservation groups and of ancients wandered the land, settling ty for the sites. the area for short periods. Through the committees, such as: The State of Utah Native American years, other groups followed. Graves Board in accordance with the NaHeavily loaded wagons driven by the D.bbW Hall Donner-Ree- d tive American Graves Protection and party became Ogdaa ALC Cultural Rmovtcm Managar mired in mud at the southwest corner of Repatriation Act; what is now the UTTR, delaying then-tri-p The State of Utah Cultural Task across the mountains to California. Force that includes State. Historic Their wagon tracks are still visible un- Preservation Preservation Office, Bureau of Land In 1995, Hill AFB hosted a range visit -- Management, Forest Sraia.-N-SSJder the right conditions. AmeriNative Portions of the Lincoln Highway, once by representatives of the L, tional Park bervice; a major road connecting the east and can tribes including the Northwest Resources The Cultural working Shoshoni, Southern Piute, Goshutes and west coasts 'and later replaced by crosses the property. Signs marking the Prates from Utah, Western Shoshoni group that includes the City of Wendover, Tooele County, Box Elder County, Pony Express Trail remind travelers of from Nevada, Shoshoni Bannock from Bureau of Land Management, Utah Washakie of and the Shoshoni the short-liveof this famous Idaho, glory days Tribe in Wyoming. They spent three Historian, Utah Department of Trans- -' lifeline of 1860-6The military has been present in this days traveling land their ancestors portation, Native Americans and the Wendover casinos to develop a welcome area for more than 150 years, beginning crossed. center and cultural resources interprewith Capt. John C. Fremont, said DebUTTR lands managed and controlled tive center at the Nevada-Utaborder. cu-' bie Hall, Ogden Air Logistics Center by the Air Force contain some of Ameriltural cultural resources. most ca's resource precious manager. The, survey Department of Defense has used areas They document the existence of in- Archaeological Hall also oversees an ongoing archaeoon the range's west side since World War digenous peoples that lived in the numerII to train pilots and test new and ous caves and sand dunes and hunted on logical survey on the UTTR's 1 million repaired aircraft. Gen. Jimmy Doolittle the playa lake sediments for more than acres to meet archaeological artifact stewardship requirements. Once and his Raiders launched from a hangar 10,000 years, Hall said. a at Wendover AB, Nev., on the She quickly noted that although the gathered, this information is shared with border. Recently opened to the land is now an active military range, the Native Americans whose ancestors existed in the area. Native American tribes ' public as the General Jimmy Doolittle resources are protected. have access to and information on their "The Air Force is committed to proMuseum, the hangar housed the Enola traditional hunting grounds, archaeologhistoric traces to historic over its the irreplaceable Gay prior flight, tecting ical sites and repatriation of remains. left for our current and future generaHiroshima, Japan. Some UTTR sites inventoried could Hall directs a cultural program that tions," Hall said, adding that the sites documents and protects resources under will in no way impede the Air Force's date as far back as 10,000 years and contribute significantly to the overall preHill AFB stewardship. The National mission at the range. "In fact, the reHistoric Preservation Act of 1966 was stricted range adds a measure of security history of the Great Basin. Without passed to protect cultural resources on for the sites." proper protection the resources could be federal property. It requires actions inlost along with the data they contain. A Most land surrounding the cultural cluding identifying sites, determining if sites is off limits to the public, Hall said, group of archaeologists led by Dr. sites are eligible for nomination to the though this hasn't discouraged looting. Brooke Arkush, Weber State UniversiNational Register of Historic Places and While some are looking for arrowheads, ty professor of archaeology, recently mitigation if the site is to be altered or others are more serious pot hunters who completed a fourth year of investigations at the range. The group walked over dig, loot and destroy these valuable destroyed. by Gwen Brewer ' . r : .r - I; . - hunter-gatherer- 99 ! : .Bit o liiiil i A Sa . . A : ' S V Ih&Akmi sfr J M i VA LAKE CITY J VV ' WENDOVER itlllll ) 7 tlfi ll V SALTIJJCEOO. . : T' ' 'aJ' J I htbMtw . d Utah-Nevad- acres of . the range complex. "The group has recorded 105 archaeological sites so far," Hall said. "Rock rings were discovered on Air Force property.!' The rings are significant because they are the only built structures found on the UTTR or in the Great Ba- sin Range of northern Utah, Nevada or Idaho Hall said the rings could be evidence of a village, unique because other Great Basin area sites currently documented are cave dwellings or rock overhangs. The village is evidence of man changing the environment to meet his needs rather than adapting to the natural landscape. Arkush said, his group stratified archaeological samples according to ecological zones into six environmental zones that contain resources for prehistoric people. The area is significant for prehistoric sites. Most sites date from to the early 1800s. A vast- 10,000 . : e nwi J J- - u : years . , h y ' 12,000 66 d ' G' j V l- t:.-- 7 ) ::..-- ' - OKUUJ ujg glVUU WTVU Hlft at least 1 0 percent of the acreage in each zone. Range environmental zones begin with the mud flats low-lyin- g eco-zon- e, the lowest level of fresh water Lake Bonneville. It dates between 9,000 and 11,000 years and contains the oldest sites on the test range. These Great Basin Stem sites contain spear points mostly made of igneous and volcanic rock. The area was a thriving marshland habitat 10,000 years ago, so there was reason to live in that area then, Arkush said. It contained a lot of resources and fresh water, and the water attracted large animals. " Zones include: , Wetlands surrounding the Blue Lake area, with very dense habitation. The area is mostly late prehistoric in age; Dune fields and sandy flats. Dune fields contain many cultural resources and are very sensitive; Valley bottom and rock outcrops; ecological areas Valley that include anything 4,600 and 5,200 feet above sea level. Mountain slopes and upland ridges 5,200 to 5,900 feet above sea level. Arkush recommends these areas be recognized and managed for containing important cultural resources. edge-foothi- ll Jj oDugwar Utah Test and Training Range in United over land The largest DOD special use airspace The Utah Test and Training Range, located 50 miles west of Hill AFB on 2,675 square miles of land, is used by all the military services to fly more than 22,000 and more than 1,000 test sorties antraining sorties ' v . : .. . p. nually. e The approximately 17,000-sq- u airspace is the largest Department of Defense special use airspace over land within the continental United States. It is the consolidation of the Hill Air Force Range, Wendover Air Force Range and Dugway Proving Ground airspace under a single manager. Extensive training facilities and services exist on u UTTR. The range's Air Combat Maneuvering nentation arena provides a realistic, real-tim- e ment for developing combat skills. 2 and 1 aircraft routinely deliver munitions on UTTR POOR COPY are-mil- In-str- en-vir- oi air-to-a- ir B-5- 16 UTTR target areas on the range provide realistic training using virtually any combination of inert or live munitions in the Air Force inventory. UTTR has one manned bombing range and three tactical ranges scored by a television ordnance scoring targets. The " system. ' desert floor The varied terrain, from the 4,300-foo-t n climate, supto 12,000-foo- t mountains, and plies conditions necessary for full training. Daily training operations on UTTR involve organizations such as: the 388th Fighter Wing, Hfll AFB; the U.S. Air Force Reserve's 419th FW, Hill AFB; the Air Force's composite wing at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho; special forces members from the different services; Marine air wings; U.S. Navy fliers; and U.S. Army soldiers from a light armored vehicle battalion. four-seaso- I States the UTTR is the primary Air Force range for unmanned air vehicle and large footprint weapons testing. Numerous areas are used fen explosive tests. propagation tests and munitions "shelf-life- " Tests up to 500,000 pounds of conventional explosive have been conducted here. Static motor firing tests for ICBMs and tactical weapons are also conducted here. The extensive aircraft test work includes hardware and software upgrades for the Fighting Falcon. Designated as a major range and test facility base, the UTTR is under the control of the AFFTC at Edwards AFB, Calif. Detachment 1, 412th Test Wing, located at Hill AFB, manages the operations at the range. Approximately 250 Air Force and contractor personnel located at Hill operate and conduct test and evaluations at UTTR. precision-monitore- F-1- d 6 day-to-da- y |