Using the Products of Yesterday's Stewardship to Tackle Today's Questions in Historical Archaeology: Insights from the River Basin Surveys Collections

Summary

Many current practices in American archaeology arose from the mid-20th century River Basin Surveys (RBS). These surveys were part of the Inter-Agency Salvage Program, an unprecedentedly large effort to investigate archaeological sites threatened by extensive dam-building projects. RBS researchers studied mostly prehistoric sites, but the work was also a turning point for historical archaeology, especially of the Great Plains and the American West in general. The research priorities of the RBS teams were often different from the questions that are of interest to present-day historical archaeologists. However, reexamination of documents, publications, and artifact collections associated with the RBS allow us to answer contemporary questions about sites that have long been destroyed. In this paper I examine RBS research design and findings, and elaborate on how those formed the basis for my own research of sites excavated along the Upper Missouri River by RBS crews.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Paper / Report Submission (General Sessions) 2016   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 637