Missouri River Valley Archaeology

Missouri River Valley Archaeology. . This portion of the Missouri River Valley has sparked the interest of archaeologists since 1895. Prehistoric sites along the river were excavated, mapped, recorded, and preserved. By the 1930s, aerial photography became an important tool for finding large village sites. The region gained national recognition during the 1950s as Smithsonian scientists and university field crews worked in the area. The rising water behind the Missouri's dams deluged many sites, creating "salvage archaeology" , crews working quickly to excavate what they could., State and federal laws dealing with how archaeological work may be conducted have evolved over the years. New scientific methods for conducting such research have also changed. Today the Missouri River Valley continues to spark archaeological interest and reveal much about the area's rich heritage., Collecting or digging for artifacts is illegal. Please be respectful of the past and leave artifacts in place., Archaeologists have been studying the Missouri River Valley since 1895., Aerial photograph of a village site at 700 feet altitude. (USACE), Archaeologists learn much from animal bone artifacts. The remains reveal the types of food eaten centuries ago. Bones were also used to make tools and decorations., Each tribe decorated their pottery in a distinctive way. Identifying the stylistic differences found on pottery shards helps archaeologists track the movements of tribes over time.