Appraisal of the Paleontological Resources of Nine Reservoirs in the Missouri River Basin: Supplement

Author(s): Theodore E. White

Year: 1953

Summary

This report has been prepared for the River Basin Recreation Survey, Region Two Office, National Park Service, in accordance with
 a “Memorandum of Understanding” between the Smithsonian Institution and the National Park Service, approved October 9, 1945.

The report is an appraisal of the paleontological resources of nine reservoir areas in five sub-basins in the Missouri River Basin drainage area. The nine reservoirs were prospected for paleontological materials at various times during the field seasons of 1948 to 1952, by Theodore E. White, paleontologist, Missouri Basin Project, River Basin Surveys, Smithsonian Institution. Except for the Canyon Ferry Reservoir area, none of these provided any appreciable amount of paleontological material and the reports of the surveys have therefore not previously been issued. The present report is designed to place on record the fact of this lack of material in these areas so that future planning can be done on that basis.

It is to be noted that the nature of the work of prospecting for vertebrate fossil materials is somewhat different from that of prospecting for archeological remains. In the latter case a survey can be made and statements issued as to whether or not there were any Indian remains found. If none were found this is usually certain enough to make it possible to recommend no further work in the area. On the other hand paleontological materials usually are buried beneath the surface, often at considerable depths. Consequently, only eroded or otherwise exposed subsurface areas are subject to prospecting*

A paleontological survey of an area, then must begin with examination of the earth formations in the area and then confine itself to the localities where these formations are exposed to observation. This requires, instead of one or two intensive examinations, as is the case with archeological surveys, a series of briefer, intermittent inspections of the exposures. The latter are usually not constant in their appearance, due to erosion and construction activities, and can only be examined thoroughly at intervals during the period of changing conditions. Fossil materials which may be so obscured as to be even unsuspected one season, may well be exposed to view the next season or even the next month or week, by flood action, dam construction or other earth moving activity.

The present report records many of these intermittent examinations of the several areas involved. It also presents, in some cases, final negative statements for those areas that have been thoroughly examined, recommendations for further intermittent examinations in other areas, and in one case, extensive excavations.

Cite this Record

Appraisal of the Paleontological Resources of Nine Reservoirs in the Missouri River Basin: Supplement. Theodore E. White. 1953 ( tDAR id: 36690) ; doi:10.6067/XCV8PK0J7T

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Keywords

Material
Fauna • Faunal Remains • Macrobotanical • Mineral • Oligocene Fauna • Shell

Site Type
Agricultural or Herding • Borrow Pit • Reservoir • Resource Extraction / Production / Transportation Structure or Features

Investigation Types
Archaeological Overview • Site Evaluation / Testing

General
Carlisle Shale • Fossil Materials • Marine Turtle • Niobara Limestone • Paleontological Resources • Plesiosaur Skull • Upper Cretaceous

Geographic Keywords
08087 (Fips Code) • 08125 (Fips Code) • 20089 (Fips Code) • 20195 (Fips Code) • 30007 (Fips Code) • 30049 (Fips Code) • 31087 (Fips Code) • 38015 (Fips Code) • 38029 (Fips Code) • 38059 (Fips Code) • 38085 (Fips Code) • 46015 (Fips Code) • 46017 (Fips Code) • 46021 (Fips Code) • 46023 (Fips Code) • 46031 (Fips Code) • 46041 (Fips Code) • 46053 (Fips Code) • 46065 (Fips Code) • 46085 (Fips Code) • 46107 (Fips Code) • 46117 (Fips Code) • 46119 (Fips Code) • 46129 (Fips Code) • 56017 (Fips Code) • Anchor Reservoir • Bighorn River Sub-basin • Bonny Reservoir • Broadwater (County) • Brule (County) • Buffalo (County) • Burleigh (County) • Campbell (County) • Canyon Ferry Reservoir • Cedar Bluff Reservoir • Charles Mix (County) • Colorado (State / Territory) • Corson (County) • Culberton Reservoir • Dewey (County) • Emmons (County) • Fort Randall Reservoir • Gregory (County) • Hitchcock (County) • Hot Springs (County) • Hughes (County) • Jewell (County) • Kansas (State / Territory) • Lewis And Clark (County) • Lovewell Reservoir • Lyman (County) • Mid-Pliocene Yuma Formation • Missouri (State / Territory) • Missouri River • Missouri River Sub-basin • Montana (State / Territory) • Morgan (County) • Morton (County) • Narrows Reservoir • Nebraska (State / Territory) • North America (Continent) • North Dakota (State / Territory) • Oahe Reservoir • Potter (County) • Republican River Sub-basin • Republic River • Sioux (County) • Smoky Hill River Sub-basin • South Dakota (State / Territory) • South Platte River Sub-basin • Stanley (County) • Sully (County) • Swanson Lake Reservoir • Trego (County) • Trenton Reservoir • United States of America (Country) • Upper Cretaceous Pierre Formation • Upper Permian • Walworth (County) • White Rock Creek • Wyoming (State / Territory) • Yuma (County) Show More

Spatial Coverage

min long: -113.166; min lat: 38.696 ; max long: -97.931; max lat: 47.954 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Anne Vawser

Contributor(s): Theodore E. White; Marvin F. Kivett; Wesley L. Bliss; J. Joseph Bauxar; Robert L. Shalkop; Jack T. Hughes; J. M. Shippee; George Pierce; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; Bureau of Reclamation

Project Director(s): Robert L. Stephenson

Prepared By(s): Missouri Basin Project, Smithsonian Institute

Submitted To(s): River Basin Recreation Survey, Region Two Office, National Park Service

Record Identifiers

NADB document id number(s): 921677

NADB citation id number(s): 000000120440

Notes

General Note: Two relative tDAR resources were created in the past by the National Archaeological Database. All useful and important information has been combined into this current resource.

File Information

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Appraisal_Nine-Reservoirs-in-the-Missouri-River-Basin--KS--NE-... 1.39mb Nov 17, 2014 11:34:51 PM Public