FOREWORD XI 
origin and some late pottery types from other complexes which were 
present suggest that the Stutsman Focus belongs in the early historic 
period and may well date from A.D. 1750 or 1770 to 1800. Prior 
to the investigations by the River Basin Surveys, virtually nothing 
was known of the archeological manifestations in that immediate area. 
The investigations in the Tiber Reservoir basin in Montana were not 
as satisfactory as might be desired. The original surveys were made 
in the late summer of 1946 and some excavating was done during the 
summer of 1950. Because of insufficient funds it was not possible 
to continue that project until the summer of 1955. In the meantime 
heavy floods had swept down the river and washed away many of the 
sites which had been designated for further investigation. By the 
time that Mr. Miller went there in June 1955, practically all that 
remained was one large site where there had been some digging in 
1950. Mr. Miller tested a number of locations in that site where it 
appeared that archeological evidence might be obtained. On the basis 
of what he found and the material collected 5 years earlier, it appears 
that the Tiber area was mainly occupied by intermittent groups of 
hunters from communities located elsewhere. The major game animal 
was the bison, and the bones representing that animal indicate a 
transition between one of the older forms and modern bison, with 
the implication that there was appreciable antiquity to some of the 
remains occurring there. Unfortunately there is not sufficient evi- 
dence to identify the hunters with some of the groups which were 
occupying portions of Montana in the surrounding area. However, 
it would appear from the limited number of potsherds recovered that 
the later stages of the culture were related to a Woodland variant 
existing in late prehistoric times. 
The presence of archeological manifestations in the Lovewell Res- 
ervoir area was known for some time prior to the investigations by 
the River Basin Surveys. In 1935 George Lamb, an interested local 
amateur, did some preliminary digging in two of the more important 
sites. ‘Two years later a party under the sponsorship of the Nebraska 
State Historical Society, directed by Paul Cooper, carried on excava- 
tions at one of the sites. He was assisted by Mr. Lamb. A survey of 
the entire reservoir basin was made in 1951 by Franklin Fenenga for 
the River Basin Surveys. Then, in the summer of 1956, a River Basin 
Surveys party undertook more intensive investigations in the area. 
Further excavations were made in the village remains previously 
tested by Mr. Lamb and Mr. Cooper, and digging was carried on at 
several others which until then were known only by their surface in- 
dications. Mr. Neuman, who was in charge of the 1956 work, in addi- 
tion to digging extensively in three village and one mound site, also 
collected material from all other known archeological locations in 
the basin. The results of Mr. Neuman’s studies in the field form the 
