River Basin Surveys Papers: Inter-Agency Archaeological Salvage Program, No. 1-6

The Inter-Agency program for the recovery of archeological and paleontological remains which would otherwise be lost as a result of the numerous projects for Hood control, irrigation, hydroelectric installations, and navigation improvements in the river basins of the United States got under way in 1946 as a cooperative effort on the part of the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army. Preliminary steps taken over a period of many months by the Smithsonian Institution and the National Park Service resulted at that time in allotments of funds from the Bureau of Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers to initiate preliminary surveys in the Missouri Basin and other areas throughout the country. Subsequently all of the funds for carrying on the work have been provided by the Department of the Interior through its Bureau of Reclamation and National Park Service, although the Corps of Engineers has continued to cooperate in other ways. The National Park Service has served as the liaison between the various agencies and has provided the Smithsonian Institution with all of the necessary information pertaining to the locations of the proposed dams and reservoirs and their priorities. It also has carried the responsibility for budgeting the costs of the program.