Gebbers Farms is in the process of leasing seven tracts of land for agricultural use in south central Okanogan County. All of the tracts are located within the outer boundaries of The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (CCT). Before the tracts are permitted for development, the CCT requested a cultural resource survey to determine if any potential cultural resources could be impacted by ground disturbing activities. Plateau Archaeological Investigations was retained by Gebbers Farms to complete the cultural resource survey. Prior to field work, a permit application for a cultural resource survey was completed by Plateau. The CCT issued the permit.
The area of potential effect (APE) covers approximately 250 acres within seven tracts along and near the left bank of the Okanagan River. The APE is a portion of the total tracts acreage that are slated for development. Anticipated impacts include hand or mechanical excavations, compaction of sediments, and other ground disturbing construction activities related to planting activities. The overall APE will hereafter be referred to as the Project Area, while each of the individual survey tracts will use their tract number or name for this report.
Pre-field research consisted of the review of known archaeological resources within a 1.0-mile radius of the Project Area as inventoried at the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) in Olympia, Washington. This review was completed using DAHP’s secure electronic database known as the Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Data (WISAARD). The background review identified 35 previously recorded cultural resources including the NRHP-determined eligible Lake Pateros Archaeology District (45DT35).
Cultural resource survey and subsurface investigations of the Gebbers Farms Lease Tracts Project resulted in seven new cultural resources identified and the re-recording of one previously recorded cultural resource in five of the seven lease tracts.
Location: Okanogan County, Washington
