THE STUTSMAN FOCUS: AN ABORIGINAL CUL- 
TURE COMPLEX IN THE JAMESTOWN RESER- 
VOIR AREA, NORTH DAKOTA * 
By R. P. Wuereter 
ABSTRACT 
The term Stutsman Focus identifies a newly recognized aboriginal 
culture complex represented at 10 sites that occurred along the west 
side of the James River, from about 214 miles to about 614 miles in an 
airline north and northwest of the Jamestown Dam, which lies just 
above the city of Jamestown, in Stutsman County, east-central North 
Dakota. The sites are now covered, or are in imminent danger of 
Being engulfed, by waters of the Jamestown Reservoir. 
Prominent traits of the Stutsman Focus include: 
1. Unfortified, semipermanent town sites and transitory campsites on flood- 
free alluvial terraces along the upper James River; and eagle-trap sites on the 
erest of valley ridges in this area. 
2. Small, circular, earth-covered (?) lodges, randomly placed and rather 
closely set, with four central supporting posts and two rings of peripheral posts, 
a long covered entryway or vestibule opening on the east or southeast, one or 
more fireplaces, and small subfloor cache pits. 
3. Various minor structures, including a small, circular sweat lodge; a 
bower; a drying rack; open unprepared and prepared hearths; and eagle-trap 
pits. 
4. Secondary burials in eagle-trap pits. 
5. Knife blades of trade iron and brass. 
6. Culinary pottery of 16 newly defined and 6 previously defined (rim) types. 
7. Utilized pottery sherds—gaming pieces? 
8. Triangular and bilaterally side-notched arrowpoints, small end serapers, T- 
and sickle-shaped drills, three-quarter grooved and full-grooved hammers, an 
incised cuboid pipe of limestone and pipe fragments of steatite and catlinite. 
9. Splinter awls, flakers, quill flatteners or pottery tools, a shaft wrench, and 
paintbrushes of shaft, rib, or cancellous bone; and scapula hoes with intact 
head and centrally perforated body. 
10. Shell pendants (?), some of which are of Busycon contrarium. 
11. Remains of large and small mammals, predominantly mature and immature 
bison, and three species of freshwater mussels; and charred pits of wild plum, 
but no surviving traces of maize, beans, sunflowers, cucurbits, or tobacco. 
1 Submitted March 1959. 
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