Crazy Bull Site (39LM220), Big Bend Reservoir, South Dakota

Abstract

The Crazy Bull site (39LM220), is an earth lodge village situated in the neck of the Bier Bend of the Mis souri River, Lyman County, South Da kota. One-half of a circular earth lodge and a midden area were exca vated in July, 1959, by Warren Cald well of the Smithsonian Institution, River Basin Surveys. Iona Ware, Talking Crow Straight Rim, and Ca dotte Collared pottery made up most of the rim sherd sample. Brass frag ments in the house fill indicate a late occupation f^r the site. Due to a close ceramic relationship with the Spain site, the Crazy Bull site was assigned to the Chouteau Asrsect. The Crazy Bull site, 39LN1220, is an earth lodge village in Lyman County, South Dakota situated in the neck of Big Bend on the west bank of the Missouri River. This area will be flooded upon completion of the Big Bend Reservoir. Survey and excavation of this site were carried out by the Missouri Basin Pro ject of the River Basin Surveys, Smith sonian Institution as part of the Inter agency Archaeological Salvage Program. The survey was done in 1956 by Harold Huscher and the excavation was carried out by Dr. Warren Caldwell in July, 1959. The site is located in the SW 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of sec. 27, T. 108 N. , R. 73 W. at an elevation of 1400 feet above sea level. The topographic setting is a ridge 30 feet above the present flood plain and approximately 3100 feet from the present channel of the Missouri River. The ridge is a dissected remnant of the first ter race above the river, MT-1 (Coogan and Irving 1959), covered by out wash and aeolian deposits. The area is treeless and has been under cultivation for at least a half a century. At the time of excavation it was in corn and small grain stubble. The soil consists of a gray loess overlying a sterile yellow loess to a depth of 0. 5 to 1. 3 feet. EXCAVATION AND FEATURES Excavation began with a north-south test trench on the south side of the ridge. The trench was laid out to cross-section a midden area and a small adjacent de pression. It was formed by a series of adjoining 5 foot squares, numbered in sequence beginning at the north with number 1. A midden area approximately 10 feet across and 1. 0 foot deep was cut through in squares 1, 2, and 3. Also found in the test trench were remains of an earth lodge, approximately 112 of which, plus the central fireplace area, was excavated. Two other features, both shallow sub floor pits, were located in the house. Feature 1, the earthlodge, was cir cular in shape and 31. 0 feet in diameter. The depth from the surface to the floor was 1.9 feet. The pit walls and floor consisted of yellow loess. There were probably 4 center posts, 2 of which were definitely located. Seven wall posts were found approximately 3 feet apart and 3 feet inside the pit wall. There were numerous secondary posts, 6 of which were bone wedged. The entrance ap peared to be to the southeast but could not be defined postively. The firepit, Feature 2, was a centrally located cir cular basin 3. 2 feet in diameter and 0. 8 foot in depth. The pit margins were burned red earth and the fill was a white ash. Two subfloor pits, Features 3 and 4, were found in the southeast quadrant of the house. Both were circular in plan and rectangular in cross-section. Fea ture 3, situated near the fireplace, was 2.0 feet in diameter and 0.95 foot in depth. Feature 4, located near the south