River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 35: Archeological Investigations at the Hosterman Site (39PO7), Oahe Reservoir Area, Potter County, South Dakota, 1956

Published as a series sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology, the “River Basin Surveys Papers” are a collection of archeological investigations focused on areas now flooded by the completion of various dam projects in the United States. The River Basin Surveys Papers (numbered 1-39) were mostly published in bundles, with 5-6 papers in each bundle. In collaboration with the United States (US) National Park Service and the US Bureau of Reclamation, the US Department of the Interior, and the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Smithsonian Institution pulled archeological and paleontological remains from several sites prior to losing access to the sites due to flooding. The Smithsonian Institution calls this project the Inter-Agency Archeological Salvage Program. Paper number 35 discusses the excavation of the Hosterman Site, named for John B. Hosterman who was identified as the landowner at the time of excavation. The site is located on a bluff overlooking the east bank of the Missouri and was first surveyed in 1949, then again in 1951. The excavation described in this paper occurred in 1956. Excavation of the site yielded rectangular houses, cache pits, slaughtering/butchering areas, midden pits, and pottery. Many artifacts were also uncovered at the site, including projectile points, microblades, scrapers, oval bifaces, biface choppers, knives, burinlike implements, stone perforators, lamellar flake tools, and worked bone and teeth. Copper and shell were found at the site along with plant and animal remains. The author notes that there were no traces of European contact and asserts that the occupation of this site was likely short. The author labels the site as “pre-Arikara” and “pre-Mandan.” This paper includes photographs, illustrations, text figures, and maps.