PAP.Na isf ^ORT PIERRE II — SMITH 113 



Pierre lay in tlie immediate vicinity of the Breeden-Wagner buildings 

 (which include the building believed to be the Brignoli claim shanty) . 

 The evidence considered to be of archeological importance comprised 

 a large "enclosure" bounded by straight lines, approximately rectangu- 

 lar, and having what appeared to be smaller rectangular outlines con- 

 tiguous to the larger "enclosures," which were interpreted as sites of 

 former blockhouses. These surface features were believed to antedate 

 the farm buildings (also visible on the photographs, and still stand- 

 ing in 1956), which they appeared to enclose. It was therefore sup- 

 posed that these buildings had been built on the site of the abandoned 

 trading post. 



With initial exploratory trenching it soon became apparent that 

 this belief was erroneous, and that the true site of the post actually 

 lay somewhat north of, and quite separate from, the farm buildings. 

 It seems probable that these farm buildings, beginning with the claim 

 shanty, had for some reason been purposely located near the site of the 

 former post. No evidence, however, is visible on the aerial photo- 

 graph mentioned, of the actual site determined by excavation, and 

 this can best be explained by reference to the prolonged cultivation 

 of the area. By contrast, the sites of many native villages of the 

 Oahe Reservoir area have been observed on such photographs despite 

 cultivation, but the physical characteristics of those sites are notably 

 different, and the present experience demonstrates the fact that all 

 sites of archeological interest may not be visible on such photographs, 

 even those taken under ideal conditions of ground cover, if the sites 

 have been long cultivated. 



Excavations were initiated with an exploratory trench 3 feet in 

 width and extending to the north, beginning approximately 50 feet 

 north of a corral fence surrounding the farm buildings, in line with 

 the west side of the corral, this side forming the front of the group, 

 and facing the present highway. The accompanying plan of the ex- 

 cavated site shown in map 4, was subsequently made with alidade 

 and plane table, distances being chained. This trench was carried 

 to only a shallow depth (approximately 6 inches), since it produced 

 only the scantiest cultural debris, much of which was of recent origin. 

 When this trench had been extended northward for a distance of ap- 

 proximately 50 feet, structural features were first encountered in 

 place, in the remains of a stockade trench having an alinement ap- 

 proximately at right angles to the exploratory trench, and containing 

 burnt and decayed timber remains, fragments of burnt adobe clay, 

 and other debris, the original trench averaging 2 feet in width and 

 containing random earthfiU with cultural materials. 



When vertical and horizontal sections of this original stockade 

 trench had been made and examined, tests approximately 5 feet square, 

 and separated by balks approximately 6 inches wide, were opened east 



