River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 18: Fort Pierre II (39ST217), a Historic Trading Post in the Oahe Dam Area South Dakota

From time to time since the establishment of the Missouri Basin Project of the River Basin Surveys, as funds and personnel were available, in addition to studies of native sites the Project has given attention to sites of White origin in areas to be flooded. Less numerous than native sites (both prehistoric and historic) in these areas, the White sites-fur-trade posts, military posts, and the like have also been carefully studied, with actual excavation in certain instances, inasmuch as they have independent importance in the history of the region, as well as direct bearing upon its native history. This work by the Missouri Basin Project supplements and expands systematic documentary investigations of historic sites made by the National Park Service in these areas of the basin, including that of the Oahe Reservoir area. The report that follows presents results of excavation at one such
site of White origin, that of Fort Pierre II, a successor of a more famous original, Fort Pierre Chouteau, both posts having been operated by the St. Louis firm of P. Chouteau, Jr., and Company; Fort Pierre II was constructed after 1855, when the previous post was sold for military purposes. It is probable that the use of the later establishment, the site of which has now been partially excavated, was of relatively short duration, and that the post itself was of relatively minor importance even during its own period-one of rapid decline in the trade as a whole. These inferences call for a brief statement explaining why the present work was undertaken, in view of the urgent demands of numerous other sites.

自流域勘测计划（River Basin Surveys）下设密苏里河盆地项目（Missouri Basin Project）成立以来，每当资金与人员条件允许，该项目除开展原住民遗址研究外，亦对规划淹没区域内的白人定居点予以关注。相较于该区域内的原住民遗址（涵盖史前与历史时期遗存），白人定居点数量较少，此类遗址包括毛皮贸易站、军事要塞等，亦得到了细致研究，部分案例还开展了实际发掘——鉴于其在该地区历史中具备独立价值，且与原住民历史亦存在直接关联。密苏里河盆地项目的此项工作，补充并拓展了美国国家公园管理局（National Park Service）针对该流域相关区域（包括奥希水库（Oahe Reservoir）区域）所开展的历史遗址系统性文献调研工作。后续报告将呈现此类白人定居点中的一处发掘成果，即皮埃尔堡二号遗址（Fort Pierre II），其为更负盛名的初代遗址皮埃尔堡舒托堡（Fort Pierre Chouteau）的后继要塞；两处据点均由圣路易斯的P·舒托Jr.及其公司（P. Chouteau, Jr., and Company）运营，皮埃尔堡二号建于1855年之后，彼时原据点被出售以作军事用途。这座后期建立的遗址目前已得到部分发掘，其使用周期大概率相对较短，且即便在其存续的整体贸易快速衰退的时期，该要塞本身的重要性也相对有限。鉴于其他众多遗址的迫切研究需求，这些推论需要简要说明本次研究开展的缘由。