Pap.^No; ist ^^^^ PIERRE II SMITH 127 



and very nearly leveled during cultivation, leaving only a slight de- 

 pression. The borders of the pit were somewhat vague and ill defined, 

 doubtless as a result of the slumping of the walls while the pit was 

 still open, and of differential rates of settling after the pit had been 

 filled with loose earth. In order to obtain information on the original 

 pit, the area was sectioned by a north-south trench approximately 

 3 feet in width and carried to the floor level of the original pit, 

 approximately 8 feet below the present surface, approximately the 

 depth of the cellar during use. 



This section revealed that the north-south dimension of the cellar 

 had also been approximately 8 feet, and the east- west dimension may 

 have been equal, from the outline of the pit visible in horizontal sec- 

 tion. The pit appeared to have originally had vertical walls (subse- 

 quently somewhat damaged by earth-movements), and at the base 

 of the north and south walls were two or more heavy timbers, to re- 

 tain the walls and retard earth slumping. These timbers, though 

 heavy, were too greatly decayed to permit accurate measurement, but 

 they appeared to have been not less than 6 inches in diameter, or 6 by 

 6 inches. The floor of the cellar was marked only by the undisturbed 

 subsoil. 



The random fill encountered in opening the cellar section revealed 

 little to illustrate the original use of the pit, most of the fill having 

 been intentionally introduced subsequently, during attempts to oblit- 

 erate it, probably during the period beginning in 1892 with the home- 

 stead settlement nearby. Some of the objects encountered in this 

 fill, probably deposited here after the abandoimient of Fort Pierre 

 II, in 1863, certainly pertain to a later period, wliile a few seem to 

 have been derived from the use of the area at the earlier date, by re- 

 deposit through earth moving and cultivation. Of the older objects, 

 several suggest the presence of Indians at the trading post — e.g., a 

 rimsherd of native pottery (one of only eight sherds from the entire 

 site) , a fragment of catlinite pipe, and three small human skull frag- 

 ments. Of the remainder of the objects found in the cellar, some ap- 

 pear to pertain to the period of the trade (i.e., ca. 1859-63), while 

 others seem to be derived from the later farm period — e.g., clinker 

 fragments, bits of plate glass, parts of the metal frame of a buggy 

 top, and the articulated skeleton of a young horse. In view of the 

 fact that the fill revealed little of the original uses of the cellar, 

 during the period of the trade, the trial section was not extended. 



No suggestion was seen of the use of any superstructure with this 

 cellar, probably because of cultivation prior to excavation. It is clear, 

 however, that the cellar had been of some importance for storage, 

 since no other large pit was found at the site. Since the pit was lo- 

 cated near a building believed to have been itself primarily for storage 



