SECRETARY'S REPORT 79 



appear in the area. Preceding that was an occupation which just 

 antedated the introduction of trade goods. The earliest occupation 

 was definitely prehistoric in age and its cultural affinities seem to 

 have been widespread. The latest component appears to correlate 

 with one phase of Kivett's Oacoma sites and with the Indian Creek 

 site in the Oahe area. The one just preceding seems to equate with 

 an older phase at Kivett's sites and with the latest component at the 

 Oldham site. The next to the oldest component correlates with the 

 older level at the Black Widow site in the Oahe area, but there is still 

 some question as to the relationship of the first occupation at Talking 

 Crow. 



In the Kirwin Reservoir basin in Kansas the historic-sites party, 

 which had moved from the Fort Randall area, spent the period from 

 September 2 to 20 excavating the remains of Camp Kirwan, an old 

 frontier post located on the right bank of the Solomon River in Phil- 

 lips County. The site (14PH6) was completely excavated and the 

 palisade line was traced as an intrusive trench in the soil. 



An archeological party spent 3 w^eeks in June 1953 testing sites at 

 the Tuttle Creek Reservoir in Kansas. During that period work was 

 carried on at four sites ; three of them were in the spillway construction 

 area, and one in the general construction area for the dam. Two of 

 them had been severely damaged by the cut for the spillway, while the 

 others were in immediate danger of destruction by further activities. 

 One of the sites in the spillw^ay line (14P014) was an earth and stone 

 mound approximately 26 feet in diameter with a maximum height of 

 iy2 feet. The mound contained a burial pit with skeletal remains oc- 

 curring at two levels. The original interment of at least three bodies 

 apparently had been dug into to make room for subsequent burial of 

 three, possibly four, more bodies. In both levels there was one articu- 

 lated skeleton in a semiflexed position. Stone implements, copper 

 beads, and fragmentary bits of copper sheeting were found with the 

 bones. At some distance from the pit the remains of an extended 

 burial without a skull were found. It had no accompanying mortu- 

 ary offering. Indications were that the skull had been removed by 

 some earlier digger and also that the interment was a later intrusion in 

 the mound. In general appearance the mound suggested relationship 

 to others in the Tuttle Creek, Glen Elder, and Wilson Reservoir basins. 

 They have not as yet been assigned to any culture but may well have 

 Woodland affiliations. The extended burial possibly is attributable to 

 the Kansa, as it had certain similarities to others found elsewhere 

 which presumably were made by that tribe. Furthermore, materials 

 collected from two occupation areas nearby indicate a late occupancy, 

 and since a historic Kansa village is known to have existed in the 

 immediate area it seems likely that they may also have lived at those 

 locations. As a matter of fact, the two sites (14P012 and 14P013) 



