PACIFIC NORTHWEST RIVERS STUDY 

 MONTANA INVENTORY OF CULTURAL RESOURCES 



The University of Montana conducted the cultural inventory, 

 using information from the Statewide Archaeological and 

 Historical Database maintained at the University. Archaeologists 

 from the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management 

 participated, as did other interested professionals. 



While similar distributional studies have been conducted in the 



state, largely for linear transmission facilities such as 



powerlines and pipelines, none have explicitly considered the 



relationship of cultural resource values and stream reaches. 



The assignment of value classes was based on two criteria: 

 whether sites had been reported within the stream reach vicinity 

 (or could be expected to be found if a survey were conducted); 

 and the significance of the properties, measured using the 

 standards of the Keeper of the National Register and the 

 President's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. 



Class I was assigned to reaches in the general vicinity of 

 sites listed in (or determined eligible for listing in) the 

 National Register of Historic Places. Class II included reaches 

 in the general vicinity of sites eligible for listing in the 

 National Register by a concensus determination of the Montana 

 State Historic Preservation Officer and a federal agency head. 

 Class III was assigned to reaches in the vicinity of sites that 

 have been reported (or have not been reported) but not evaluated 

 for eligibility for listing in the National Register. Class IV 

 was used for reaches having no reported sites, but where some 

 potential exists for National Register eligible properties. 



To maintain site confidentiality, value classes were assigned 

 to all stream reaches that had been assigned water codes by the 

 Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks; specific sites were not 

 identified on the maps. The University will maintain the type 

 and location of sites on file. 



Over 6,700 stream reaches were assessed. Reaches were 

 distributed over the entire state, with the density of studied 

 reaches corresponding largely to the density of drainages in the 

 area . 



More precise figures are forthcoming, but current estimates 

 place four percent of the reaches in Class I, one percent in 

 Class II, 25 percent in Class III, and 70 percent in Class IV. 

 Although a Class V category had originally been reserved for 

 reaches having no potential for significant historical and 

 cultural properties, study participants could not identify any 



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