USE OF GIS AND GEOPHYSICS TO LOCATE CULTURAL FEATURES OF FORT PIERRE CHOUTEAU, AN EARLY FUR TRADING AND ARMY FORT ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER, SOUTH DAKOTA

Fort Pierre Chouteau National Historic Landmark is an American Fur Company Fort located on the west bank of the Missouri River approximately two miles north of Fort Pierre, South Dakota. Prince Maximilian of Germany created the first sketch of the fort in1832 when the fort was first established. The fort was remodeled beginning around 1842. Purchase of the fort by the military began in 1855 at which time the fort was again sketched by Captain Turnley. Lt. G. K. Warren created a map of the proposed military layout of the fort later the same year prior to the construction of portable cottages sent up-river by steamship. This military plat placed the majority of the building adjacent to the Fur Trade Fort. These buildings and possibly other portions of the fort were dismantled two years later for the construction of Fort Randall approximately 260 miles down stream. The differences in the historic maps have been an ongoing problem during previous excavations.

Geophysical surveying was conducted on segments of the Fur Trade Fort and specific buildings associated with the proposed military layout in an attempt to rectify historic maps and identify structures during 2001 and 2002 field season. Subsequent excavations were placed in areas of agreement between magnetometer and ground penetrating radar for the identification of the proposed military hospital. GIS was used to assemble aerial photography, historic maps, geophysics and archeological excavations to create a meaningful model for future research.

In reference to the project, the GIS proved to be the most cost effective and beneficial to the overall goals of the project. The contributions of the geophysics are based upon the success of the magnetometer for identifying subsurface anomalies and the ground penetrating radar for targeting substantial features associated with the fort.