Archaeological Reconnaissance of the Proposed Clifty Creek Reservoir Area Bartholomew and Decatur Counties, Indiana

This is a report of an archaeological survey of areas potentially affected by the proposed Clifty Creek reservoir project in Bartholomew County and Decatur County, Indiana (Fig. 1). The project would be an undertaking of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and involves the construction of one or more dams on Clifty Creek and Fall Fork to provide flood control and recreational facilities. Four possible dam sites and several reservoir alternatives are being considered. Data regarding these are given in Figure 4.
The present work was conducted during the fall and winter of 1973-74 by the author for the Glenn A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology, Indiana University. Funding for the project was provided by the National Park Service under Contract No. PX-4000-3-0635.
Previously, in 1968, Claude White of Indiana University surveyed part of the area in question for the National Park Service. His report discusses twenty-one Bartholomew County sites, 12B2-22, and four Decatur County sites, 12De2-5, in or close to the reservoir (White 1969). Though not discussed in the text they are indicated on the map (Fig, 4) and are included in the recommendations.
The above two surveys constitute the total archaeological work that has been done in the area to date. They were undertaken to locate sites adversely affected by the proposed construction and evaluate them for salvage.