Journal of the Iowa Archeological Society
Volume 27, 1980
R. Clark Mallam, Editor
Following cessation of Pleistocene loess deposition, approximately 14,000 B.P., several episodes of downcutting followed by aggradation have altered western Iowa landscapes. These episodes varied in their duration and intensity and are recorded as a series of alluvial fills in small stream valleys. A few dated sequences indicate that periods of aggradation and degradation were roughly contemporaneous throughout the Missouri drainage of Iowa. Archeological sites located on Holocene (11,000 B.P. to present) surfaces in these valleys have either been preserved by deep burial or voided by downcutting. By mapping the distribution of these Holocene alluvial fills and determining the location of intact paleo-surfaces, as indicated by the presence of paleosols, it is possible to locate portions of the alluvial landscape where the preservation of intact buried archeological sites is most likely.
This research report describes the results of the emergency archaeological investigation of 13PK154, the DeArmond/Barrier Dam site, and the analysis of the data gathered during that investigation which took place during the summer of 1974. To place the work at 13PK154 in historical perspective, a brief background of previous archaeological work within the Saylorville Reservoir project is also presented. Diagnostic materials from the surface and plowzone of the site indicate occupation of the area over an extended period of time from Late Archaic/Early Woodland through post Woodland (possibly Great Oasis) manifestations. Limited diagnostic archaeological data from undisturbed context below the plowzone suggest that the earliest occupation was one of a temporary Late Archaic/Early Woodland camp site the inhabitants of which were involved primarily in the production and repair of hunting tools.
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It is proposed that Iowa's amateur archaeologists can become directly involved in the statewide archaeological survey process by arranging agreements for matching grants-in-aid between their IAS chapter, a professional archaeologist, and the Division of Historic Preservation for conducting a wide variety of archaeological activities. Chapter members can create the matching funds easily and use the federal matching funds for paying the costs of the work not attainable by contributions. This approach would result in more efficient use of public funds, enhance the positive relationship between amateur and professional communities, and assist the state in meeting the goals of completing the statewide archaeological survey.
The destruction of archaeological sites in Iowa is a continuing process that requires constant cooperation and interaction between numerous agencies and interested members of the Iowa Archaeological Society. Since 1975 a cooperative program has been established in Hardin County, Iowa, between two members of the Iowa Archeological Society and the Soil Conservation Commission and the Iowa Conservation Commission. This cooperative endeavor has resulted in the location, preservation and mitigation of many sites.
Since 1969 a major portion of archaeological research conducted by members of the Luther College Archaeological Research Center has focused on the Effigy Mound Tradition in northeast Iowa. One of the objectives of this research has been to obtain a photographic record of the remaining Iowa Effigy Mound groups. Many of these photographs have already been used in the areas of public education, scientific analysis and cultural resource management. A corollary result of this photographic project is the recognition that effigy mounds can be studied as prehistoric artistic creations using the humanistic approach with its emphasis on symbolic analysis.
Book Reviews
Joseph A. Tiffany, Ed.
pp. 132-145
Journal of the Iowa Archeological Society
Webpage by Heidi M. Thunhorst, September 3, 2002.