River Basin Surveys Papers, No. 34: The Demery Site (39C01), Oahe Reservoir Area, South Dakota

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 34 discusses the excavation of the Demery Site, located on the west bank of the Missouri River, near John Grass Creek (named for chief John Grass also known as Matȟó Watȟákpe or Charging Bear, of the Blackfeet band of Lakota). The site was excavated in 1956, by members of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. The excavation was sponsored by the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, and the North Dakota State Legislator. The Standing Rock Nation Tribal Council granted permission for the site to be excavated. Excavation of the site yielded several houses, pottery, plant and animal remains, The site yielded artifacts made from chipped stone, ground stone, antler, and shell. Ancestors (human remains) were also found at the site. The authors do not posit what group(s) lived at this site but note that they likely lived there peacefully judging by the lack of fortifications. The authors estimate that the area was occupied between 1550 and 1650 A.D. This paper contains photographs, illustrations, text figures, and maps.https://commons.und.edu/indigenous-gov-docs/1127/thumbnail.jp