Timeline 1945-1969

• 1945
  • 

    Missouri River Basin Survey

    The Committee for the Recovery of Archaeological Remains (CRAR) is established. It provides a voice for archeologists to express their concern that salvage archeology is conducted to preserve archeological remains before reservoir projects are completed. Its members include William S. Webb, Frederick Johnson, John O. Brew, and Alfred V. Kidder.
  • The River Basin Survey (RBS) Program begins in attempt to protect archeological materials from destruction by dam construction and flooding. Funding is provided by the Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation. The archeological work is administered by the NPS and SI.
• 1946
  • 

    Missouri River Basin Surveys in South Dakota

    The RBS Program expands when NPS establishes the Interagency Archeological Salvage Program in cooperation with the SI under the Historic Sites Act of 1935. In the SI, the River Basin Survey is created under the administration of the Bureau of American Ethnology.
  • The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is established.
• 1947
  • J. O. Brew's "Symposium on River Valley Archaeology" is published in American Antiquity 12(4): 209-225.
• 1948
  • Frank H. H. Roberts publishes "A Crisis in U.S. Archaeology" in Scientific American.
• 1949
  • 

    Storing artifacts at Mesa Verde

    The National Trust for Historic Preservation is chartered by the U.S. Congress.
• 1950
  • Jesse Nusbaum initiates the Pipeline Salvage Program in the Southwest. Archeologists work alongside pipeliners, surveying the land for surface evidence of underlying objects and inspecting the trenches in which the pipes are being laid.
• 1956
  • Development of highway salvage archeology is enhanced with the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act, which contains specific language for the salvage for archeological materials within a construction area.
• 1960
  • 

    Salvage archeology during dam construction

    The Reservoir Salvage Act is enacted to preserve historic and archeological materials that might otherwise be lost through dam construction.
• 1963
  • Following a report chaired by A. Starker Leopold, natural resource management is restructured along ecological lines. Environmental interpretation and the emphasis of ecological relationships and special environmental education programs reflect and promote the nation's growing environmental awareness.
  • 

    President Johnson signs the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act and the Wilderness Act

    Photo by A. Rowe, courtesy of the White House

    The Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology is formed to educate scholars, governments, sport divers, and the public about underwater archeology and the preservation of underwater cultural resources.
• 1964
  • Ozark National Scenic Riverways in Missouri is established as the first of its kind.
  • The Land and Water Conservation Fund Act passes and serves as an important source of public funds for cultural and natural preservation.
  • The Wilderness Act becomes law.
• 1965
  • The Bureau of American Ethnology merges with the Department of Anthropology at the Smithsonian and becomes the Office of Anthropology. By 1968 it is called the Department of Anthropology of the SI.
  • 

    Archeological field work at Gran Quivira National Monument

    Pecos National Monument, with its long legacy of archeological exploration, is authorized. It is renamed Pecos National Historical Park in 1990.
• 1966
  • Fred Johnson publishes "Archeology in an Emergency" in Science and Gordon C. Baldwin publishes Race Against Time: The Story of Salvage Archaeology.
  • The National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) is enacted in response to the concerns about the adverse impacts of federal development projects on archeological sites and historic structures. It establishes national policy and programs for the preservation of those resources. In particular, NHPA calls for consideration of historic properties during modern development such as urban renewal and highway construction.
  • A report by Ronald F. Lee, John O. Brew, and Ernest A. Connally provides the blueprint for how the NPS should take on its national archeological and historic preservation responsibilities outside the National Park System.
• 1967
  • Office of Archeology and Historic Preservation (OAHP) is established within the NPS. OAHP has an Interagency Archeology Services (IAS) Division whose chief is the Departmental Consulting Archeologist.
  • The Society for Historical Archaeology forms to promote scholarly research and dissemination of knowledge about the archeology of the modern world (A.D. 1400 to present).
• 1968
  • The National Anthropological Archives (NAA), Smithsonian Institution, is established.
• 1969
  • The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) passes in which the "cultural environment" is considered.

DOI  |  History & Culture  |  Search  |  Contact  |  FOIA  |  Privacy  |  Disclaimer  |  USA.gov