SECRETARY'S REPORT 65 



of late prehistoric and early historic times, was also completed and a 

 summary report finished. The latter was mimeographed and dis- 

 tributed in June. 



Late in October Mr. Shiner made a brief investigation at the site 

 of The Dalles Dam on the Columbia River and in March made an 

 exhaustive survey of the area to be flooded. A brief preliminary re- 

 port was issued after the first visit, while a second and more detailed 

 one was written and mimeographed following the investigations in 

 March. The survey showed that there were 10 sites and that 3 were 

 worthy of further investigation. One of them is a very large mound 

 with stratified deposits some 15 feet in depth. It offers one of the best 

 opportunities along the Columbia River for obtaining evidence on the 

 sequence of cultural development. This mound, the Wakemap, is in 

 danger from two sources, flooding and looting by private collectors. 

 The situation with respect to unauthorized digging was so critical that 

 plans were being made to start excavations there shortly after the be- 

 ginning of the new fiscal year. Two other sites in the area were tested 

 later in the spring and one of them proved to be much deeper and 

 richer in artifacts than had been anticipated. One test pit, 5 feet 

 square, yielded large numbers of flaked-stone tools and "fetish" stones 

 and reached a depth of 13 feet. More extended excavations at that 

 location are indicated. 



From April 7 to 19 Mr. Shiner carried on test excavations at three 

 sites in the McNary area. One of them consisted of an occupation 

 level underlying the same layer of volcanic ash as that covering the 

 site worked the previous year. The findings corroborated those of 

 the previous year and in addition the digging produced several new 

 artifact types. At another it appeared that the Indians who had 

 occupied it moved in shortly after the fall of the ash. The interval 

 represented by the ash layer will help to explain certain differences 

 in the artifacts and provides a good basis for establishing relative 

 dating in the district. Excavations at the third site proved fruitless. 

 The latter part of April Mr. Shiner moved his field party to the Albeni 

 Falls Reservoir project on the Pend Oreille River in Idaho for the 

 purpose of testing a number of sites in that basin. The occupational 

 debris at the various locations was found to be so shallow, however, 

 that extensive digging was not warranted. Consequently the party 

 spent several days making surface collections. A good series of 

 specimens was obtained which will be useful in extending the known 

 distribution of types. The data collected indicate that the area 

 never had a permanent population. It apparently was a place where 

 various groups of Indians spent their summers hunting, fishing, and 

 gathering food. 



After returning to the office Mr. Shiner devoted most of his time 

 to processing the artifacts collected in the field. Over 1,500 were 



