Archaeology in Newfoundland and Labrador 1997
Edited by K. Nelmes
Claim Block VA, Kogaluk River: Stage 1 Historic Resources Overview Assessment
Ian Badgley
A Stage 1 Historic Resources Overview Assessment was conducted on part of Claim Block VA, on August 6, 1997.
Claim Block VA is located on the Kogaluk River, central Labrador, approximately 25 km west of the river’s mouth on Voisey’s Bay and about 50 km southwest of the community of Nain. The archaeological field work carried out in this block was centred on the survey of five areas of interest identified on the basis of geophysical research. The main goal of this work was to determine whether historic resources were present in the vicinity of two proposed drill holes in Area A or at other locations throughout this area. A second objective was to assess the archaeological potential of the four other areas of interest. No drill holes are currently proposed in these areas.
Areas of Interest
Area A is located on a sand-gravel terrace 1.5 km south of the Kogaluk River. The terrace is bordered to the north and south by small ponds and, to the east and west, by steep hill slopes. The altitude of the terrace is estimated at roughly 100 m asl, or about 60 m above the level of the Kogaluk. A sandy blowout extends almost continuously across the western, central and northeastern portions of the terrace, covering the greater part of the formation. Open spruce forest occurs along the edge of the blowout and the adjacent margins of both ponds. The southeastern and eastern portions of the terrace are densely forested.
Area A is situated on the southwestern section of the terrace. The area is delimited to the west by a stream connecting the two ponds and, to the south, by the second pond. It encompasses the western extremity of the blowout and the forested terrace slope to the pond.
Areas B, C and D are located on hill summits to the southeast and southwest of Area A. These areas, ranging in altitude from 185 to 245 m asl, are barren uplands in character. Each consists of extremely uneven terrain composed of bedrock outcrops, excessive slopes and thin, discontinuous till. Areas B and C are both 100 m in diameter. Area C measures 200 x 300 m, with the length axis oriented north-south.
Area E is located about 2 km south-southwest of Area A and 1 km west of Area C. It consists of the crest of a steep sloped, densely forested ridge situated at an altitude of roughly 140 m asl. Area E is 200 m in length, oriented east-west, and 150 m in width.
Field Activities
The study area was accessed by helicopter and surveyed on foot. This work included the surface inspection of all areas of interest using systematic transects and subsurface sampling in Area A and its surroundings. Surface inspection extended beyond the limits of each area and, in the case of Area A, covered the entire terrace. Parts of the valleys and uplands between the separate areas were also surveyed.
Subsurface sampling was judgmental and was limited to the forested portions of Area A and the terrace. This sampling involved the excavation of 44 test pits, varying in dimensions from 25 x 25 cm to 50 x 50 cm. Nine of these test pits were excavated in the vicinity of the proposed drill holes.
Survey Results and Recommendations
No historic resources were identified on the surface or recovered from subsurface excavation carried out during the survey. In addition, with the exception of the Area A terrace, no locations that can be reasonably expected to contain historic resources were observed in the remaining four areas of interest or in other localities that were inspected.
In view of these results, the present study area is assessed as being of extremely low or no archaeological potential and no further archaeological research is recommended in any of the areas of interest or other locations surveyed in Claim Block VA.