River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 35: Archeological Investigations at the Hosterman Site (39PO7), Oahe Reservoir Area, Potter County, South Dakota, 1956

The Hosterman site, named for John B. Hosterman, owner of the property, is located in sec. 36, T. 119 N., R. 79 W., Potter County, S. Dak., on a high bluff on the east bank overlooking the Missouri River about 21;2 miles north of Whitlocks Crossing. It is on the western margins of the Coteau du Missouri, "that part of the Missouri Plateau section of the Great Plains province which lies east of the Missouri River." The name of the Coteau dates back to the days of the French fur traders. The bluff slopes gently toward the Missouri River, then pitches steeply into the river valley about a mile
from the present stream. The former stockaded village overlooked the gently sloping plain with a broad view of the valley and the high tableland extending to the east, north, and south. The elevation of the site, 50 or more feet above the flood plain, was advantageous in the defense of the village from attack from the west because of the sharp rise of the bluff on that side. The village site was first surveyed by Dorothy E. Fraser on August
7, 1949.