An Archeological Overview and Assessment of Homestead National Monument of America, Gage County, Nebraska

This document provides an archeological overview and assessment of Homestead
National Monument of America in Gage County, Nebraska. The study was completed
under the terms of a purchase order and scope-of-work issued by the Midwest
Archeological Center, National Park Service in Lincoln, Nebraska. Archeological
investigations began at the park in the late 1940s and have continued through the present.
All fee title land within the park has been examined on at least one occasion by
professional archeological teams from the National Park Service or other agencies
working under contract to the Service. Investigations were implemented largely in
response to a need for a park-wide inventory of archeological resources as well as
retrieval of archeological data related to the park’s interpretive mission and various
developments. These efforts have resulted in the identification of six archeological
properties associated with both Native American and Euroamerican settlement. Several
sites have been the subject of test excavations and more extensive data recovery
programs. This study offers a description of all park archeological investigations, sites
recorded, collections recovered and overall contributions the archeological resources
have made to a broader understanding of Central Plains archeology. Recommendations
for further research are provided which focus on geomorphic investigations, testing for
deeply buried resources, analysis of the 1948 collection recovered by Joseph Bauxar and
updating databases and other archival materials.