River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 7: Archeological Investigations in the oahe Dam Area, South Dakota, 1950-52

The Inter-Agency Archeological Salvage Program is a cooperative plan of the Smithsonian Institution; the National Park Service and the Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior; and the Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army. It was formulated, through a series of interbureau agreements, for the purpose of recovering archeological and paleontological remains which would otherwise be lost as a result of the numerous projects for flood control, irrigation, hydroelectric power, and navigation improvements in the river basins of the United States. Various State and local agencies have assisted in the work. To carry out its part of the joint undertaking, the Smithsonian Institution organized the River Basin Surveys as a unit of the Bureau of American Ethnology. The National Park Service has served as liaison between the various agencies and has provided the Smithsonian Institution with all of the necessary information pertaining to the location of proposed dams and other construction and their priorities. It has also had responsibility for budgeting costs of the program, funds for which are provided in the annual Department of the Interior appropriations. The operations of the River Basin Surveys, Smithsonian Institution, have been supported by funds transferred to it from the National Park Service. Through agreements with the National Park Service, money has also been made available to State and local agencies to supplement their own resources and aid them in their contributions to the program.