pip.^o.'isf' HISTORIC SITES ARCHEOLOGY — MATTES 13 



HISTORIC SITES INVESTIGATIONS 



In the spring of 1950 funds for the historical phase of the salvage 

 program were assured, and Thomas R. Garth was employed as arche- 

 ologist in this field. In July he accompanied Cooper and the writer 

 on a trip to initiate the program in the Fort Randall Reservoir. 



The first problem requiring attention was the exact location of 

 early Fort Randall, a military post of commanding importance in the 

 Dakotas from 1856 to 1892 (Mattes, 1952 b). In 1871 the crude log 

 structures at this post had been replaced by large frame buildings. 

 Contemporary pictorial evidence suggested that the rebuilt fort was 

 somewhat removed from the original. It was suspected that the early 

 site was on the point of land once known as Handy 's Point, which 

 would be entirely covered by the giant Fort Randall Dam (Mattes, 

 1949, pp. 482-483 ; Chittenden, 1936, p. 927) . The area was searched 

 rather thoroughly but surface evidence, at least, was negative. It 

 was the consensus that, despite certain contrary evidence suggested 

 in the meager pictorial data, the early fort must have been laid out 

 substantially within the area of the identifiable later Fort Randall. 

 Since this site would be just below the downstream toe of the dam, 

 and precautions had been taken that it would not be disturbed by 

 construction activities, it was determined to forsake Fort Randall for 

 the moment and to take the party upriver where important known 

 values would be destroyed. 



The Fort Randall Reservoir area extends from the site of old Fort 

 Randall, just above the Nebraska- South Dakota line, to the curious 

 reverse in the Missouri River known as Big Bend, just above Fort 

 Thompson, agency for the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Indian 

 Reservations. This is a distance of nearly 140 miles. However, the 

 heaviest concentration of sites, both historic and prehistoric, falls 

 within a relatively short section of about 20 miles in the upper reser- 

 voir, between American Crow Creek and Campbell Creek, in the gen- 

 eral vicinity of Chamberlain, S. Dak. An unusual abundance of 

 tributary streams and wide bottomland in this section apparently ac- 

 count for its popularity with explorers, fur traders, military com- 

 manders, and Indian agents. Here on the "Oacoma Bench" was the 

 Camp Pleasant of Lewis and Clark, where the Captains spent several 

 days in October 1804 to rest and overhaul their gear (Lewis and Clark, 

 1904, pp. 149-155) . Here, beginning in 1812 or earlier, was located a 

 whole succession of trading posts which also served as outposts of the 

 expanding American Territory, strongly influencing the course of 

 western history for four decades. This section was also the locale of 

 three military posts and as many Indian agencies during the pre- 



