River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 15: Historic Sites Archeology On the Upper Missouri

The data compiled by the Missouri River Basin historical survey have not been limited to those found in published material. Inevitably, the broad scope of this survey has enabled the historians to sweep up in their net an imposing array of new data, derived from interviews and unexploited documents, which have not only expanded the historical horizon but have compelled scholars to revise many long cherished misconceptions. The survey has provided fish, so to speak, for many years of historical frying. Several "byproducts" of this research are now in manuscript form; a few have found their way into print (Mattison,1954 a, b, and c; Mattes, 1953; Morgan, 1953, pp. 376-377).

The principal salvage effort in the historical field has been the archeological search and excavation of sites of importance in early Missouri River history, with the object of ascertaining or verifying structural data and obtaining objects, for eventual museum use and study, which might throw new light on everyday conditions during the frontier period. The Smithsonian Institution, which had
already assumed responsibility for the survey and excavation of Indian sites, agreed to undertake the historic sites fieldwork required. After several unsuccessful efforts to obtain appropriations for this particular type of archeology, funds finally became available in the fiscal year 1950. Actual fieldwork in historic sites on the Upper Missouri was conducted for three summers, 1950 to 1952 inclusive, and again in 1954, all in the Fort Randall and Garrison Reservoirs, where dams were under construction.

The Fort Randall report listed 120 historic sites and features, including 15 Lewis and Clark camp sites, 3 military posts, 4 trading posts, and 13 abandoned communities of other types (Mattes, 1949). The Garrison report described 77 historic features, including 15 identifiable Lewis and Clark sites, 1 military post, 4 trading posts, and 9 abandoned communities of other types (Mattison, 1951).

What factors determined which sites would be most eligible for archeological investigation, in view of the limitation placed on funds available for that purpose? Three such factors appeared in weighing any given site or in weighing one against another: the degree of historical significance, the extent of available knowledge, and the accuracy of orientation data. Thus, theoretically, the most eligible site would be associated with some important event in American history.