059
Room 59W is an original Chacoan room located in the central section of Salmon Pueblo. It measures 7.5 m north-south x 5.4 m east-west. It is connected to Rooms 38W and 62W through doorways. It was partially excavated during the Salmon Project. Twenty strata were identified in 59W, including post-occupational fill, roof-fall, structured trash, feature-specific layers, and two floor complexes. All excavated strata are associated with the San Juan era. Eighteen features were identified in Room 59W. Ten appear to be of Chacoan origin, including three doorways, several latilla and viga sockets, a niche, two other wall features, and a unique red sandstone mosaic inferred to be of archaeo-astronomical importance. The San Juan era features included two hearths, postholes, wall plaster, a ramada-esque feature, and two lithic concentrations. The uses of this room are unclear based on the partial excavation. It is unknown what the Chacoan use was but it my have been used for residential purposes during the San Juan era. Given the location of 59W and tree-ring dates from adjacent rooms in this area, it was built in the 1090s and used into the late 1200s.
