Archeological Investigations At The McKensey Village (39Ar201) Oahe Reservoir,Central South Dakota

Abstract

The McKensey Site, on the north or right bank of the Missouri River just upstream from the mouth of No Heart Creek, was composed of seventeen house depressions that appeared to be arranged in regular rows or “blocks”. Most of one house was excavated by a Smithsonian Institution field party during the summer of 1960. The structure was of the longrectangular type but it was atypical in that it was quite long in relation to its width and in the presence of a wide, transverse bench at the rear, The associated artifacts were related to the general Thomas Riggs pattern but the site cannot be placed in either the Thomas Riggs focus or the Huff focus,     

An Analysis Of Four Survey Collections From Armstrong County,South Dakota 39Ar2 (No Heart Creek Site), 39Ar4, 39Ar5 And 39Ar 7

Abstract

The materials collected from four sites on the Little Bend of the Missouri River are described and analyzed. In the conclusion, these manifestations, referred to as the No Heart Creek complex, are compared to seven other sites along the river in north.-central South Dakota. The sites are related to the Le Compte Focus and are characterized by a distinetive settlement pattern.     

Ceramics From the Highwalker Site: a Study of Late Prehistoric Period Cultural Systematics on the Northwestern Plains

Abstract

The Highwalker site is a two component prehistoric encampment located in the Pine Parklands region of southeastern Montana. The Late Prehistoric period occupation represents a briefly used, special purpose site occupied by a Native American group primarily engaged in the final butchering of bison and the processing of its by-products. Two radiocarbon samples date the Late Prehistoric period occupation between A.D. 1000 and A.D. 1100. Ceramics recovered from this component shed some light on the debate concerning “Crow Pottery” and Late Prehistoric period cultural systematics. The ceramics represent the earliest known representatives of a localized Powder River Basin pottery tradition which appears to be related to Extended Middle Missouri Tradition ceramics. These nomadic Powder River Basin ceramic-using groups maintained contact with the Middle Missouri village farmers and were influenced by their pottery technology. Later when the ethnographically known Crow moved into the area, the Powder River Basin hunting groups either were amalgamated into Crow society or were driven from the area.     

An Analysis of the Survey Collection from the Pascal Creek Site (39ARl:07), Armstrong County,South Dakota1

Abstract

Descr·iptive analysis of a limited survey collection, including primarily ceramics, reveals the Pascal Creek Site to be an 18th century settlement resembling contemporary villages along the Missouri River in central South Dakota affiliated with the Snake Butte Focus.     

Aboriginal Use of Tongue River Silica in Northwest Iowa

Abstract

One of the raw materials available to prehistoric peoples _of northwestern Iowa is known as Tongue R1ver S1hca. Although the original source of the rock is the Fort Union formation (Paleocene) of the Dakotas, these resistant materials occur commonly in downstream alluvial deposits and along the Missouri River system where they were collected locally in northwestern Iowa for over 7000 years. This paper deals with the recognition of these redeposited Tongue River materials, their archaeological distribution in time and space, a consideration of the most workable color phase resulting from thermal pretreatment, and a general analysis of the types of chipped stone tools most frequently produced.     

Testing the Modified Initial Middle Missouri Variant

Abstract

Taxa in the Middle Missouri subarea are differentiated largely on the basis of cultural content and time; thus, the creation of a new taxon (the Modified Initial Middle Missouri Variant of the Middle Missouri Tradition) implies change within the Initial Middle Missouri Variant - change which is implied but not documented. The objective of the present study is to examine the validity of the new taxon. The analysis relies primarily on ceramics, supplemented by a new series of radiocarbon dates. The investigation failed to support the hypothesized ceramic tradition change, and the radiocarbon dates suggest these sites do not fit the Modified Initial Middle Missouri time period. This study concludes the Modified Initial Middle Missouri Variant is not a valid taxon.     

Settlement Pattern Variability in Brush Creek Valley,Platte County,Missouri

Abstract

During the summer of 1971, a field party from the Museum of Anthropology at the University of Kansas conducted an intensive archaeological- ·survey along Brush Creek, a tributary of the Missouri River four miles west of Parkville, Missouri. Data collected during this survey provides a preliminary characterization of the local environmental setting and a comparativecontrastive statement on prehistoric settlement pattern variability from the Early Archaic to the Steed-Kisker phase.

Topographic, geological, and botanical features of importance in establishing the parameters of effective biophysical environments for prehistoric occupants are summarized, and four resource zones tentatively identified: an upland prairie zone, an oak-history forest zone, a river-bottom forest zone and the Missouri River itself. Although the time depth for these resource zones is unknown, their presence throughout the history of man’s presence is a possibility.

Aspects of the human occupation and utilization of Brush Creek valley, which began as early as 8000 B.C., are viewed as adaptations to the local environmental setting. During the Archaic period (8000 B.C.-A.D. 1), £rush Creek valley was apparently exploited by hunters and gatherers who established short-duration camps. A large and probably permanent village was established during the period of Kansas City Hopewell occupation (A.D. 1-500), although small, temporary, camps were also in evidence. The Late Woodland occupation (A.D. 500-1 000) is marked by small sites with little evidence of any long term occupation. The final occupation of the valley, by Steed-Kisker peoples (A.D. 1 000-1250), is characterized by a pattern of many small homesteads occupied by populations who made their living through a combination of hunting, gathering, and horticulture.     

A Tentative Radiocarbon Chronology for the Middle Missouri Tradition

Abstract

Chronology has long been a major concern of researchers in the Middle Missouri Subarea. However, the paucity of radiocarbon dates, as well as the general lack of multiple dates for many components, has hampered comprehensive assessment and interpretation of culture-historical sequences. A large number of radiocarbon dates pertaining to the Middle Missouri Tradition has become available over the last several years, and presently at least 124 dates are available from both published and unpublished sources for 36 components of the tradition. Dates for each radiocarbon-dated Middle Missouri Tradition component in the Big Bend, Bad-Cheyenne, Cannonball, and Knife-Heart Regions – a total of 111 dates for 33 components – are assessed and averaged according to techniques recently advanced by Bruce Rippeteau and Austin Long. Tentative occupational sequences for each of these regions are offered and problems with specific date series are discussed. Dates for components in the Grand-Moreau Region and the James River valley are also discussed, but are not fitted into sequence. Lehmer’s earlier postulation of a gap in the Bad-Cheyenne sequence at about A.D. 1300 is supported by this analysis, and the presence of a similar hiatus is suggested for the Cannonball Region.     

The Avifauna from Prehistoric Arikara Sites in South Dakota

Abstract

During an approximate 15-year period from about 1950 to 1965, numerous anthropologists representing at least a dozen institutions were periodically involved in archaeological salvage of Plains sites in the Middle Missouri Valley. In many instances the cultural aspects of subsistence and the utilization of native fauna in general were not of primary interest. However, some animal bone was salvaged and this discussion involves the study of the avian remains from 51 prehistoric Arikara sites along the Missouri River in South Dakota. Approximately 3,100 bird elements, representing 22 families and about 68 species, were identified. Although mammals, especially the bison, elk, deer, and pronghorn, provided the greatest quantity of meat in the diet of these people, birds were also of special significance as supplemental food (e.g. waterfowl, grouse) and because of the part they played in the cultural and ceremonial activities of the Plains Indian. The predominance of remains of such groups as eagles, hawks, harriers, owls, and ravens in these sites is indicative of their special cultural significance; in some instances, such as eagle trapping by the Hidatsa and Mandan, they can be correlated with ethnohistoric accounts dealing with the utilization of birds.     

Range‐wide assessment of pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus (Forbes & Richardson, 1905) relative condition

Pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus relative condition has been observed to be declining along the Nebraska reach (rkm 1212.6–801.3) of the Missouri River over the past several years; therefore, pallid sturgeon capture data was synthesized from the entire Missouri and Middle Mississippi rivers to document and compare how pallid sturgeon condition varies spatially and temporally throughout much of their current range. The study area was subdivided into four river reaches based on a priori statistical differences for pallid sturgeon catches from 2003 to 2015. Pallid sturgeon in the Middle Mississippi River (Alton Dam [rkm 321.9]) to the confluence of the Ohio River (rkm 0.0) were in the best condition while pallid sturgeon in the Middle Missouri River (Fort Randall Dam [rkm 1416.2]) to the Grand River confluence (rkm 402.3) were in the poorest condition. Furthermore, pallid sturgeon condition in the Upper Missouri River (Fort Peck Dam [rkm 2850.9] to the headwaters of Lake Sakakawea [rkm 2523.5] and lower Yellowstone River) and the Lower Missouri River (Grand River confluence to the Mississippi River confluence [rkm 0.0]) were significantly less than in the Middle Mississippi River but significantly higher than the Middle Missouri River. Temporally, pallid sturgeon condition was highly variable. Relative condition in the Middle Mississippi River was consistently above average (Kn = 1.1). Comparatively, Kn throughout the Missouri River rarely exceeded “normal” (Kn = 1.0), with Kn in the middle and lower reaches of the Missouri River having declined to the lowest observed. As pallid sturgeon recovery efforts continue, understanding the range‐wide differences and effects on condition could be critical, as poor condition may cause maturation delays, reproductive senescence or even mortality, which affects the likelihood of natural reproduction and recruitment.     

Cross Ranch: A Study of Variability in a Stable Cultural Tradition

Abstract

Work in the Missouri River valley has yielded information on the earliest through historic sedentary, horticultural occupations. In the Cannonball region of North Dakota, previous studies have (1) established the presence of two cultural traditions (the Middle Missouri and Coalescent), and (2) outlined major shifts in intra-tradition and occupational patterns. Tests and excavations at the Cross Ranch (320L 14) and Clark’s Creek (32ME 1) sites provide the first information on the early sedentary occupation of the Knife-Heart region. Remains from these sites are similar to those in Middle Missouri tradition sites in the adjacent Cannonball region. This study defines and evaluates variation in the ceramic and lithic technologies within the seemingly stable Middle Missouri cultural tradition by using new analytic techniques, statistical methods and computer analysis. Previously reported material and new data are analyzed and compared. Radiocarbon dates which range from the 12th through mid-15th centuries provide temporal control. Analysis of the fauna and flora indicate a stable subsistence based on hunting and horticulture. The artifact assemblages suggest general cultural stability and persistence. There are, however, subtle differences in the lithics and ceramics, most of which reflect changes through time by people sharing the same general potting and stone working practices. It is hypothesized that Clark’s Creek represents a northern component of the Fort Yates phase. A Nailati phase is posited on the basis of formal and temporal variation between Cross Ranch and the Fort Yates phase sites.     

The Holocene Naiad Record at Rodgers Shelter in the Western Ozark Highland of Missouri

Abstract

Freshwater mussels from Rodgers Shelter in the western Ozark Highland of Missouri have been identified and their place in the prehistoric subsistence economy assessed. Recent collections indicate that the present day naiad populations in the lower Pomme de Terre River are as diverse, if not more diverse, than prehistoric populations as reflected in the archaeological assemblage. When present day populations are used as an approximation of prehistoric naiad availability it is apparent that little use was made of this potential, albeit marginal, food resource until the Late Archaic Period. Variations in utilization of mussels are attributed to human population pressure in the western Ozark Highland. Differences in species recovered from Rodgers Shelter as compared to collections from the Pomme de Terre are a result of differential preservation and changes in the fluvial system. Size variation observed in several Midwest naiad assemblages recovered from archaeological contexts are also observed among a common mussel, Amblema plicata, at Rodgers Shelter. The wide distribution of this phenomena in the Midwest may correlate with regional climatic change delineated on the basis of other faunal and floral records.     

Discoidals and Problematical Stones from Mississippian Sites in Minnesota

Abstract

There is no conclusive evidence that discoidals, chunkey stones or similar problematical stones were used exclusively or intermittently for games, ceremonials, food preparation or other village purposes, but the weight of evidence from eyewitness accounts suggests the dominance of game use. There are several eyewitness records of the game as olaved by the tribes of the Southeast and by some Siouan tribes of the plains and the Missouri Valley. Discoidals are found most frequently at late prehistoric Mississippian sites.

Recent Minnesota finds include: a single artifact with unusual features (Fig. 1), identified tentatively as a chunkey game piece, recovered by the author in 1976 from the Bryan site; a broken, more conventional game stone discovered at the neighboring site of Silvernale in 1975 (Harrison, 1978); a surface find at the Bartron site in 1978 by John Barnett; and an artifact, either a chunkey stone or a grinding stone, also found by John Barnett near the entrance of Belle Creek into the Cannon River. All of these sites are in the Red Wing area and these recent finds, together with other known discoidals from Goodhue County, link the Mississippian villages of the Red Wing area to the chunkey playing region further south.     

Investigation of the Swift Bird House (39DW233) in the Oahe Reservoir,South Dakota

Abstract

The Swift Bird House (39DW233) is a prehistoric structure of indeterminate characteristics. The associated artifacts are directed to a Northern Plains horticulture and hunting complex. A tenuous relationship to the Anoka Focus and a possible occupation date of about A. D. 1500 is suggested for the site     

The Archaeology Of The Breeden Site

Abstract

The Breeden Site cultural sequence reenforcesthe general culture history already established for the Bad-Cheyenne Region and the more inclusive Middle Missouri Tradition. House remains and the bulk of the ceramic materials from the site indicate habitation of the area by peoples of the Initial Middle Missouri Variant and the PostContact Coalescent Variant.Component A at the Breeden Site and the Monroe and Anderson components at the Dodd Site exhibit a complex of diagnosticcultural traits significant enough to define a new phase - the Anderson Phase. A temporal span of approximately A.D. 950to 1250 is suggested for the phase. Component B of the Breeden Site, an early manifestation of the Post-Contract Coalescent Variant, is closely associated with components of the Felicia Phase and the putative Talking Crow Phase. Breeden Component B probably represents an upriver movement of Coalescent peoples from the Big Bend area, eventually being assimilated into the Arikara populations of the Bad River Phase within the Bad-Cheyenne Region.     

Inferring History From Crania: Biological Distance Comparisons Of Mill Creek And Early Middle Missouri Tradition Crania With Mandan And Arikara Population Samples

Abstract

Craniometric data are used to compare available human crania from Mill Creek and early Middle Missouri Tradition sites with a pooled Mandan sample and Coalescent Tradition samples from Crow Creek, Mobridge and Rygh(inferred proto-Arikara). Discriminant functions are computed for the reference samples, and test cases are classified according to their proximity to each population centroid. With one exception, early Middle Missouri Tradition site crania compare most favorably with Mandan. Mill Creek site specimens are unlike the Mandan, most closely resembling early Coalescent samples.     

The Middle Missouri Tradition Reappraised

Abstract

The geographic distribution of the Horizons within the Middle Missouri Tradition are now well established but temporal and cultural relationships are not entirely clear.     

Some Important Developments in Northern Plains Prehistory, 1942-1967*

Abstract

The area of the Northern Plains is defined as by Wedel in his 1961 synthesis. For the period under consideration, the “process” of archeological work is presented in terms of two main areas of growth--the River Basin Survey Program and the opening up of intensive work in Canada. Also for the period considered, the “results 11 of archeological work are presented in terms of the following eight areas of both fact and theory development: 1) The Middle Missouri “Plains Village” development; 2) Paleo-Indian diversity; 3) Meso-Indian gap filling; 4) Projectile points as diagnostics; 5) Functional interpretations; 6) Ecological prespectives; 7)Relationships outsidethePlains; 8) Broad-ranging synthesis. Future developments are seen in the need and possibilities for historic work, preparation of syntheses and the deeper development of micro-analytic approaches.