78 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1952 



The River Basin Surveys will do no further work in Texas since that 

 is one of the projects being taken over by the National Park Service 

 on July 1. Arrangements have been made, however, for the com- 

 pletion of the reports on the investigations made under the direction 

 and supervision of the River Basin Surveys and when the manuscripts 

 are received they will be published in accordance with previous plans. 



Virginia. — All the work in Virginia during the past year was con- 

 cerned with the John H. Kerr Reservoir (formerly called Buggs 

 Island) on the Roanoke River. During the period from May 19 to 

 June 30, 1952, test excavations were made in seven sites. One had been 

 partially dug the previous year but a stratigraphic test as a counter- 

 check against the earlier results was deemed advisable. Data ob- 

 tained during the current activities augment those from other seasons, 

 filling in certain gaps and clarifying some obscure features. From 

 all the information now available a complete sequence of cultural de- 

 velopments from a relatively early prepottery stage to the late pre- 

 Colonial period can be described. No further work will be possible 

 at the John H. Kerr Reservoir as the gates of the dam will be closed 

 in July and the various sites will soon be flooded. 



Sections of the technical report pertaining to sites that were exca- 

 vated in previous years have been completed. The writing of the 

 report on the current investigations and the summary and conclusions 

 should be completed before the end of the present calendar year. 



Future work in Virginia depends upon the program of the Corps of 

 Engineers. There are proposed projects for the James and Shenan- 

 doah Valleys and when they are authorized investigations will be 

 needed in both. Indications are that two small reservoirs in the upper 

 James drainage may be started within the next year or two. 



Cooperating institutions. — Various State and local institutions co- 

 operated with the River Basin Surveys as in previous years. The Uni- 

 versity of Washington and State College of Washington cooperated 

 in excavations in the Columbia Basin. Space for field offices and 

 laboratories for units of the surveys was provided by the Universities 

 of Nebraska, Oregon, Texas, and Georgia. 



The program developed by the National Park Service whereby 

 various scientific agencies carried on salvage operations on the basis 

 of agreements between those agencies and the Service was continued 

 throughout the year. In some cases the agreements were signed in 

 the preceding year and in others the work provided for did not start 

 until after the close of the fiscal year. However, during fiscal 1952 

 such agreements were in force with the University of California, Uni- 

 versity of Washington, University of Oregon, State College of Wash- 

 ington, Montana State University, University of Missouri, University 

 of South Dakota, Nebraska State Historical Society, University of 

 Kansas, University of Wyoming, State Historical Society of North 



