SEVENTY-SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT 25 



Kesults were limited. A relatively constant stratigraphy was re- 

 vealed, but no aboriginal habitations were located with certainty. At 

 least one hearth and other evidences of very localized "camp" areas 

 were excavated, but artifacts were remarkably scarce. A limited 

 number of potsherds (Stanley, Thomas Riggs) constitute the most 

 distinctive material. A portion of the site had been disturbed by 

 recent farming activities, but at best it does not seem to have been 

 heavily occupied. This crew terminated fieldwork on August 20, 

 after 10 weeks in the field. 



The fifth River Basin Surveys field party in the Big Bend Reser- 

 voir area had a crew of 14 men under the leadership of Dr. Warren 

 W. Caldwell. Work of this party consisted of excavations at two 

 sites immediately to the south of the Hickey Brothers site, on the 

 first terrace of the Missouri River. The major portion of the season 

 was devoted to continuing excavations begun in the 1957 season at 

 the Black Partizan site (39LM218), a large multicomponent earth- 

 lodge village, situated one- fourth mile south of the Hickey Brothers 

 site. Four houses within the fortification ditch were exposed. In 

 addition, deep cross sections of the moat were cut at two places, and 

 two extensive midden areas were sampled by trenching. Several 

 differing house patterns were recovered. The most distinctive con- 

 sisted of a small (18-foot diameter) square(?) house with rounded 

 corners, large intramural cache pits, and a dearth of house posts. 

 Thomas Riggs pottery was characteristic. Two circular houses were 

 exposed, one 35 feet in diameter, the other 29 feet in diameter. The 

 larger, containing many bone and stone- wedged post holes, overlay 

 a large rectangular house. Associated cache pits are probably at- 

 tributable to the latter structure rather than to the former. Braced 

 rims and typical Thomas Riggs rims are both present. The smaller 

 circular house was characterized by an abnormally large group of 

 in-floor cache pits. The pottery sample is varied and much of it may 

 predate the house. 



The deep midden debris overlying much of the site contained pot- 

 tery rim sherds with horizontal trailed or incised decoration. Be- 

 neath the midden, a series of large cache pits produced an abundance 

 of Talking Crow pottery. The fortification ditch varies from 12 to 

 15 feet in width and from 4 to 6 feet in depth, and contains both 

 water- deposited silt and midden fill. The latter normally contains 

 cord-marked body sherds and a scattering of mammal bone. 



At site 39M215, lying between the Black Partizan and the 

 Hickey Brothers sites, only a single house was excavated. Site 

 39LM215 physically overlaps both of the latter sites. The two houses 

 dug at 39LM218 in 1957 appear to be associated with it. The single 

 structure excavated this year was characterized by Talking Crow 



