88 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1963 



fuse, occupation sites and tested numerous rock shelters. Site 

 24BH215 at the mouth of Black Canyon, 6 miles above the dam, was 

 a stratified campsite with three levels of occupation. Artifacts were 

 moderately abundant and included a few nondescript potsherds, 

 corner-notched projectile points, and many scrapers, blades, and bone 

 tools, but no evidence of structures. It appears to have been a camp 

 intermittently occupied from a few hundred years ago to historic 

 times. Site 24BH212 was a complex of occupations at the mouth of 

 Bull Elk Canyon 18 miles above the dam. It contained six stone 

 circles, two circles of shallow postholes, midden deposits, fireplaces, 

 a profusion of scrapers and other small stone tools but very few pro- 

 jectile points and no evidence of pottery. Five of the stone circles 

 contained semicompacted floors, floor debris, and a central fireplace, 

 and one had a midden deposit just outside the stone circle all empha- 

 sizing the fact that they served the function of actual tipi rings. 

 The circular arrangements of shallow postholes with a suggestion of 

 floors indicate structures of temporary pole construction. Occupation 

 was shallow with only one level apparent except in one small section 

 of the site where three levels were apparent. Artifacts are not very 

 diagnostic but probably represent a period of three or four centuries 

 before White contact. The third major site excavated by Brown's 

 crew was located on the opposite (left) bank of the Big Horn River 

 at the mouth of Dry Head Creek some 25 miles above the dam. 

 There, four levels of occupation produced large quantities of bison, 

 deer, and elk bone, numerous small stone artifacts, an elk bone flesher, 

 numerous fire pits, and basin-shaped pits but neither pottery nor 

 structures. Several rock shelters between Black Canyon and Dry 

 Head were investigated and tested but none proved to contain worth- 

 while occupational materials. This party returned to the Lincoln 

 headquarters August 31 after 11 weeks in the field. 



Wilfred M. Husted was in charge of the second Yellowtail field 

 party excavating a series of sites in the upper reaches of the reser- 

 voir. Working from various campsites between the village of Kane 

 at the extreme southern end of the reservoir to Barry's Landing, some 

 20 miles to the north, this crew used boat. Jeep, carryall, and foot 

 transportation to resurvey this portion of the Big Horn Canyon and 

 excavate five sites. A rock shelter (48BH206) was sampled but not 

 completed owmg to difficulty of access. A large tipi ring site 

 (48BH10) with 20 stone circles, on the left bank of Crooked Creek, 

 was excavated. Five of the circles were dug and three of them 

 contained central fireplaces as well as exterior fireplaces. One open 

 campsite (48BH211) and several rock shelters were examined and 

 tested but provided no useful archeological data. On the Wyoming 

 side of the reservoir, a site at Barry's Landing (24CB201) was exca- 



