22 



BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY 



with increased efficiency. The program includes intensive research in 

 dendrochronology, radiocarbon- 14 dating, pollen analysis, geologic- 

 climatic dating, typological analyses of artifact materials, historical 

 documentation, and the several subsidiary techniques applicable to 

 chronology. Ultimately the program should provide a specific time 

 scale into which each of the culture complexes represented in the 

 excavated sites can be fitted with pinpoint accuracy. In the second 

 half of the fiscal year the Missouri Basin Chronology Program made 

 several significant accomplishments. A large wall chart and map 

 were prepared, showing temporal position and geographic location of 

 all of the archeologically pertinent carbon-14 dates so far available. 

 A series of 11 radiocarbon- 14 specimens were submitted to the Univer- 

 sity of Michigan for dating. The available dendrochronological ma- 

 terials on hand in the Missouri Basin were analyzed, and a determina- 

 tion was made of what further material is needed. Plans were also 

 made for procuring additional dendrochronological specimens upon 

 which a series of local master plots can be built. Pollen samples from 

 ancient bog areas were collected and submitted to Oberlin College for 

 analyses, and plans were made for further collecting of fossil pollens. 

 A man with geological training was temporarily added to the staff 

 to work out a terrace-system sequence along a portion of the Missouri 

 River, and a series of specimens was submitted to the University of 

 Michigan proportional counter laboratory for analyses. Representa- 

 tives from several State institutions are also cooperating in the 

 program. 



The laboratory and office staff devoted its time to processing specimen 

 materials for study, photographing specimens, preparing specimen 

 records, and typing and filing of records and manuscript materials. 

 The accomplishments of the laboratory and office staff are listed in 

 the following tables. 



Table 1. — Speciinens processed July 1, 1957- June SO, 1968 



Reservoir 



Number 

 of sites 



Catalog 

 numbers 

 assigned 



Number of 

 specimens 

 processed 



Big Bend _-_ _ 



34 



13 



29 



5 



8,290 



5,417 



901 



23 



52, 718 



Oahe _- 



38 864 



Toronto 



1, 304 



Sites not in reservoirs 



212 







Collections not assigned site numbers 



81 

 2 



14, 631 

 9 



93, 098 

 9 



Total 



83 



14, 640 



93, 107 







