An Archaeological Survey of the Benham Falls Reservoir, Oregon

Abstract

Few of the smaller proposed or authorized reservoir sites examined by River Basin Survey teams in the Northwest have yielded archaeological sites suitable for excavation. In some of them, however, the surveying parties have found extensive surface indications and made collections which are in themselves worthy of study and reporting. The Benham Falls Reservoir is in this latter class; indeed, it is the only'reservoir area in which no sites were found which warranted excavation and yet which exhibited extensive evidence of aboriginal use and yielded a fair surface collection. Consequently the data which resulted from the survey work are sufficient to justify their being made generally available. This is seen to be doubly true when it is recalled that no previous work has been done in the area.