River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 34: The Demery Site (39C01), Oahe Reservoir Area, South Dakota

Published as a series sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, the “River Basin Surveys Papers” are a collection of archeological investigations focused on areas now flooded by the completion of various dam projects in the United States. The River Basin Surveys Papers (numbered 1-39) were mostly published in bundles, with 5-6 papers in each bundle. In collaboration with the United States (US) National Park Service and the US Bureau of Reclamation, the US Department of the Interior, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Smithsonian Institution pulled archeological and paleontological remains from several sites prior to losing access to the sites due to flooding. The Smithsonian Institution calls this project the Inter-Agency Archeological Salvage Program. Paper number 34 discusses the excavation of the Demery Site, located on the west bank of the Missouri River, near John Grass Creek (named for chief John Grass also known as Matȟó Watȟákpe or Charging Bear, of the Blackfeet band of Lakota). The site was excavated in 1956, by members of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The excavation was sponsored by the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, and the North Dakota State Legislator. The Standing Rock Nation Tribal Council granted permission for the site to be excavated. Excavation of the site yielded several houses, pottery, plant and animal remains, The site yielded artifacts made from chipped stone, ground stone, antler, and shell. Ancestors (human remains) were also found at the site. The authors do not posit what group(s) lived at this site but note that they likely lived there peacefully judging by the lack of fortifications. The authors estimate that the area was occupied between 1550 and 1650 A.D. This paper contains photographs, illustrations, text figures, and maps.https://commons.und.edu/indigenous-gov-docs/1127/thumbnail.jp

River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 20: The Archeology of a Small Trading Post (Kipp\u27s Post 32MN1) in the Garrison Reservoir, North Dakota

Published as a series sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, the “River Basin Surveys Papers” are a collection of archeological investigations focused on areas now flooded by the completion of various dam projects in the United States. The River Basin Surveys Papers (numbered 1-39) were mostly published in bundles with 5-6 papers in each bundle. In collaboration with the United States (US) National Park Service and the US Bureau of Reclamation, the US Department of the Interior, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Smithsonian Institution pulled archeological and paleontological remains from several sites prior to losing access to the sites due to flooding. The Smithsonian Institution calls this project the Inter-Agency Archeological Salvage Program. Paper number 20 describes the excavation of a site known as Kipp’s Post which was a Columbia Fur Company trading post, built in 1826-27. The site is located at the mouth of the White Earth River in Mountrail County, North Dakota. This paper includes a description of the site, historical background, and detailed information on the fur trade primarily from the perspective of White/European accounts. Structures excavated include buildings, trenches, pits, and burial sites. The paper also discusses artifacts and faunal remains discovered at the site. Artifacts include those manufactured by Indigenous people such as arrow points, mauls, hammer stones, whetstones and abrading stones, pottery, fleshing tool, and beads. These are through o have come from Fort Berthold, North Dakota so were likely manufactured by the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara tribes. This paper contains illustrations, text figures, photographs, and a map.https://commons.und.edu/indigenous-gov-docs/1105/thumbnail.jp

River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 33: The Paul Brave Site (32SI4), Oahe Reservoir Area, North Dakota

Published as a series sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, the “River Basin Surveys Papers” are a collection of archeological investigations focused on areas now flooded by the completion of various dam projects in the United States. The River Basin Surveys Papers (numbered 1-39) were mostly published in bundles, with 5-6 papers in each bundle. In collaboration with the United States (US) National Park Service and the US Bureau of Reclamation, the US Department of the Interior, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Smithsonian Institution pulled archeological and paleontological remains from several sites prior to losing access to the sites due to flooding. The Smithsonian Institution calls this project the Inter-Agency Archeological Salvage Program. Paper number 33 discusses the excavation of the Paul Brave site (also known as the Fort Yates site), a location that the authors refer to as a pre-historic village. The site was first investigated in 1947 by Gordon W. Hewes from the University of North Dakota. The North Dakota State Historical Society later sponsored a full-scale excavation in 1955. Permission for this excavation was granted by the Standing Rock Tribal Council. The authors indicate that this site is significant because it was one of the first villages in the area. It is presumed to have been a Mandan village which the authors estimate was occupied between 1300 and 1400 A.D. Excavation of the site yielded several houses, pottery, works in bone, works in chipped and ground stone, animal and plant remains. This site was flooded by completion of the Oahe Dam. This paper contains photographs, illustrations, text figures, and maps.https://commons.und.edu/indigenous-gov-docs/1126/thumbnail.jp