SECRETARY'S REPORT 65 



carried on by Dr. Bowers during the previous two summers. The 

 objective for this final season was the excavation of portions of the 

 early, long- rectangular house component that underlay at least thi'ee 

 later occupations of circular earth-lodge villages. This objective was 

 only partially achieved. Portions of a rectangular house wall were 

 uncovered, and a substantial series of early ceramic types of the 

 Thomas Riggs-Huff sequence was collected. In addition to this, a 

 major contribution to an understanding of this type of prehistoric 

 site was made in the excavation of a sequence of fortifications and 

 defensive structures especially equipped with bastions and "strong 

 points." Two distinctive fortification systems separated by 4 to 5 feet 

 of fill were identified. The upper one is associated with late Alaska 

 material and represents one style of fortification in use in earliest 

 historic times. The lower system is associated with the Thomas 

 Riggs-Lower Fort Yates material of the rectangular house period of 

 seven or eight centuries ago. The Bowers party completed its season's 

 work on August 22, after six weeks in the field. 



Two Missouri Basin Project field parties were in operation for brief 

 periods during the winter months. In response to notification by the 

 area engineer at Gavins Point Dam that an archeological site was 

 being destroyed by wave action at Lewis and Clark Lake, Robert W. 

 Neuman visited the site in company with Corps of Engineers person- 

 nel during the period December 2-5. Brief testing of the Miller 

 Creek site (25KX15) demonstrated that it was a campsite of the period 

 prior to the sedentary earth-lodge villages in the area and may be of 

 considerable significance when excavated later in conjunction with 

 XJroposed bank stabilization work by the Corps of Engineers, The 

 fine cooperation of the Corps of Engineers staff was most helpful in 

 this project. In addition to work at the ]\Iiller Creek site, Neuman 

 visited a burial-mound group near JNIitchell, S. Dak., where unauthor- 

 ized digging had been reported, and found that one of the mounds had 

 been destroyed. The landowner agreed to allow no further imauthor- 

 ized excavation there. The trip was completed with a brief survey of 

 the construction activities at the Big Bend Dam. 



The second wintertime field party in the Missouri Basin also went to 

 the Miller Creek site (25KX15). This was a cooperative project 

 between the River Basin Surveys, the University of Nebraska Labora- 

 tory of Anthropology, and tlie Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, at the 

 Gavins Point Dam. The area engineer advised that bank-stabilization 

 work would begin in the area of this site the week of February 15. 

 During the period February 12-20, Robert W. Neuman, of the River 

 Basin Surveys staff, and Thomas A. Witty, of the University of 

 Nebraska Laboratory of Anthropology, excavated a portion of the 

 site. They were assisted by the area engineer, the reservoir naturalist, 



