NO. 2 MISSOURI VALLEY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM — WEDEL I3 



remains probably attributable to the Upper Republican period. At 

 one of these there are shallow depressions in uncultivated ground, 

 suggesting pit-house ruins. Two sites yielded thick, coarsely tempered, 

 cord-roughened sherds similar to those of the Valley focus of the 

 Woodland period. Here, as with many Woodland sites, the cultural 

 level seems to be quite thin, but there is a possibility of pits and other 

 underground features. One site, 25BF2, yielded sherds of both 

 Woodland and Upper Republican types, suggesting two occupations 

 and the possibility of stratification of cultures. The Upper Republican 

 remains seem to show some variations from the usual run of this 

 material, but whether the indicated differences are due to time or other 

 factors cannot now be surmised. 



Local collectors report the presence of many other sites within the 

 reservoir area, and further intensive survey is called for. 



Buffalo Creek Reservoir. — The locality here involved lies in north- 

 central Dawson County, approximately 9 miles northwest of Lexing- 

 ton, on Buffalo Creek. Despite a generally favorable terrain, only 

 one site was found. There was no pottery, and assignment to any 

 known cultural complex is at present impossible. It is to be noted that 

 many of the most promising terraces bore a heavy cover of prairie 

 grass at time of the survey, and there may therefore well be other 

 locations as yet unfound. 



Cairo Reservoir. — This unit is proposed for Dry Creek, in Hall 

 County, approximately i mile above Cairo. The area is small, and 

 the topography not especially inviting from the standpoint of abo- 

 riginal occupation. No sites were found, and it appears improbable 

 that further work will be needed, unless construction operations 

 reveal now-unknown materials. 



Ericson Reservoir. — This is proposed for Cedar River, in Greeley 

 and Wheeler Counties, near the eastern edge of the Sandhills. Five 

 sites were located, all within the proposed pool area. Pottery of rather 

 distinctive character was present at all. The sherds were small, of a 

 hard, thin ware composed of fine-textured gray paste with a small 

 amount of grit temper. Exterior surfaces are generally plain ; others 

 have been treated with a simple carved paddle, and a few are cord- 

 roughened. Parallel trailed lines above a sharp shoulder, and flaring 

 rims with short diagonal incisions on the inner lip, were present. 

 There is one strap handle with zigzag incised decoration. Projectile 

 points are small triangular, with or without lateral notches ; small 

 scrapers and beveled-edge knives also occur. 



The remains are quite similar to others excavated by the River 

 Basin Surveys in 1946 at a village on Prairie Dog Creek, in 



