SMITHSONIAN ARCHEOLOGICAL PROJECTS 

 CONDUCTED UNDER THE FEDERAL EMER- 

 GENCY RELIEF ADMINISTRATION, 1933-34 



By M. W. Stirling 

 Chief, Bureau of American Ethnology 



[With 10 plates] 



When the President's Civil Works Administration program was 

 inaugurated for the winter of 1933-34, under the Federal Emergency 

 Relief, archeological projects were proposed by the Smithsonian In- 

 stitution for the States of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ten- 

 nessee, and California, and quotas of relief labor were allotted for 

 each of these States. Inasmuch as proper supervision was essential 

 for successful scientific results on these projects, provision was made 

 for the salaries of trained archeologists. Excavations were begun 

 during the latter half of December 1933, and this work continued 

 throughout the winter, giving employment to approximately 1,500 

 men. 



Because of the opportunity to make use of large laboring crews, 

 sites were selected which ordinarilj?' would not have been practicable 

 to work because of the unusual amount of excavation necessary to 

 work them successfully. The final results proved to be more than 

 satisfactory. A great fund of archeological information has been 

 accumulated regarding some of the hitherto little-known sections of 

 the country. These results were due to the fine cooperation of both 

 Federal and State relief officials, who did all in their power to assist 

 during trying times, and also to the excellent staff of trained super- 

 visors who willingly gave their time, in some instances at a con- 

 siderable personal sacrifice, to the completion of the projects to 

 which they were assigned. The crews of men engaged on the various 

 excavations exhibited real interest in the work, and without excep- 

 tion excellent morale was maintained. 



At the present writing, it has, of course, not been possible to make 

 complete studies of the notes and collections obtained from the va- 

 rious sites. The present brief article pretends only to give a general 



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