Test Excavations at the Mitchell Site 45WW62, Walla Walla County, Washington

Test excavations were conducted at prehistoric site 45WW62, Walla Walla County, Washington, by Archaeological and Historical Services, Eastern Washington University. The site is located along the Snake River on lands administered by the Walla Walla District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Excavations focused on determination of site extent, content, and research potential pursuant to eligibility for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Artifacts found at the site by an amateur archaeologist suggested a Windust phase occupation. The testing effort, therefore, concentrated on identification of sediments likely to be of the appropriate age to contain such materials in situ. The results of testing indicate that there probably are still sediments which could contain Windust phase materials; however, few artifacts were recovered during testing. It is considered probable that most of the site area was inundated by the raising of the pool level behind Ice Harbor Dam, and that most of the site subsequently has been eroded.