SECRETARY'S REPORT 67 



the investigations were considered as part of the over-all Georgia 

 project. The outline of the fort was traced and a few minor arti- 

 facts were recovered. The fort had been a masonry structure erected 

 in 1765 as a defense against the Creek and Cherokee Indians who were 

 prone to raid the Scotch-Irish, French Huguenot, and German settle- 

 ments in the Long Canes region of upper Carolina. Its seizure by 

 patriot forces in 1775 was the first overt act of revolution in the 

 southern colonies. American possession of the fort throughout the 

 struggle was of considerable importance in holding the loyalties of 

 the inhabitants of upper Carolina during the troubled times that 

 followed. The recent excavations there give information about the 

 physical nature of the fort and its location which was not available 

 in documentary records. Underlying the occupation level of the 

 fort were Indian materials indicating that the location had also been 

 a place where the aborigines held forth. Pottery fragments suggest 

 that the Creeks were the tribe involved. There is no question but 

 what the Indian material is some years, possibly a good many, older 

 than the fort and that the site was deserted at the time it was chosen 

 for the location of Fort Charlotte. 



There will be no further work in Georgia under the direction and 

 supervisions of the River Basin Surveys, unless there are further 

 changes in present plans. As indicated earlier in this report Mr. Cald- 

 well's employment terminated on June 30 and he was transferred to 

 the National" Park Service. He will be permitted, however, to com- 

 plete his technical reports on work done under the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution and the manuscripts will be turned over to the River Basin 

 Surveys. 



Missouri Basin.— The Missouri Basin project as in previous years 

 continued to operate from the field headquarters at Lincoln, Nebr. 

 Paul L. Cooper served as director for the program in that area from 

 July 1 until February 28 when, in accordance with his request to 

 be relieved of administrative duties, Ralph D. Brown took charge. 

 Certain changes were made in the organization at that time and Mr. 

 Brown was designated as chief of the Missouri Basin project, the old 

 title of field director being dropped. Mr. Cooper remained with the 

 organization and was assigned to the position of consulting archeolo- 

 gist. The trend toward more excavation and less reconnaissance or 

 survey work, started the previous year, continued and increased in 

 fiscal 1952. This is attributable to the fact that much has been ac- 

 complished in the survey portion of the program and there is less 

 need for that kind of activity than in previous years. Furthermore, 

 the available funds were sufficient to provide for extensive excavations. 

 During the course of the year the staff was able to devote a greater 

 •proportion of its time to the study of data and specimens and in the 

 preparation of technical reports. 



