p'jp.'^o.' Irf ^^'^^ SOLDIER SITE — ^NEUMAN 315 



I do not think that the possibility of a simultaneous occupation for 

 the component should be ruled out. 



Two discrepancies remain to be discussed. The first concerns the 

 question of whether or not Great Oasis pottery is prehistoric Omaha 

 in origin. Statements alluding to the possibility of this origin have 

 appeared in print at least twice (Champe, 1946, p. 48; Wilford, 1949, 

 p. 36), and each reference concerns the vessel or vessels recovered 

 from the excavations at 25DK2A mentioned earlier in this report. I 

 have examined the field notes and sketches from the site and am of 

 the opinion that the vessels, both of which are good Great Oasis speci- 

 mens, belong to the prehistoric burial remains rather than to the 

 intrusive Omaha interments that were accompanied by European 

 trade goods. I am not aware of any Great Oasis ceramics found in 

 undisturbed, direct association with White trade material. The trait 

 of cord-paddling that appears on the exterior surface of some Great 

 Oasis vessels is not a late prehistoric technique in the central Plains 

 or Middle Missouri region, nor is this pottery type very similar to 

 others that are diagnostic of the protohistoric or historic periods in 

 those areas. Great Oasis sherds have been more aptly compared to 

 pottery from the Middle Ceramic Period (Champe, 1946), and trac- 

 ing this pottery type up through time to Omaha occupations has yet 

 to be validly demonstrated. 



The second problem is in connection with the carbon- 14 date ob- 

 tained from charcoal at Feature 4. This date, 419 B.C. ±150 years, is 

 certainly not compatible with the artif actual material of the compo- 

 nent; however, it may be a perfectly acceptable date for the basin- 

 shaped pit in Feature 4. As other sites are dug, in locales where 

 stratigraphy is not so subject to stream erosion and deposition, arti- 

 facts may be found that show significant relationships to so7ne of those 

 in the Badger Component, thus validating an earlier occupation not 

 recognized now. 



In conclusion, the Badger Component represents an early occupa- 

 tion site, the artifacts of which are most closely comparable to those 

 from other sites assigned to the Plains Woodland Period, and a date 

 no later than A.D. 1200 is suggested for the occupation of this com- 

 ponent. 



CONCLUSIONS 



The Good Soldier site (39LM238) , located along the Missouri River 

 in central South Dakota, consists of two stratigraphically separated 

 occupations. The latest has been named the Good Soldier Component. 

 It comprises remains closely resembling those from two other sites in 

 the vicinity and has been assigned, together with those sites, to the 

 Shannon Focus of the Chouteau Aspect. The early occupation at 



661-932—64 23 



