Dam Projects and the Growth of American Archaeology: The River Basin Surveys and the Interagency Archaeological Salvage Program ed. by Kimball M. Banks, Jon S. Czaplicki (review)

Dam Projects and the Growth of American Archaeology is an educational read and a welcome look at the two most influential federal programs in American archaeology: the Interagency Archaeological Salvage Program (IASP) and the River Basin Surveys (RBS). Editors Kimball M. Banks and Jon S. Czaplicki hit their mark in wanting to understand the impacts of these two programs.

In the introduction, the editors clearly state their two goals for this book. First, they want to bring attention to the activities of the IASP and RBS, and second, they want to understand how these programs have affected the discipline of archaeology. The book is clearly laid out in a five-part format, and the chapters, although connected, read fairly independently.

This book is purposeful and fills a void in contemporary understanding of the roles of the IASP-RBS. It can readily play a role in many courses, especially within classrooms in the Great Plains. Further, the book clearly makes a point that needs repeating: much research still needs to be done on many of the collections recovered under these programs.

One of the main strengths of the work, due to the efforts of the editors, is its comprehensiveness. The first part provides a background of the programs and various connections to other organizations (universities, state agencies, etc.). The second part includes chapters written about each region IASP-RBS operated in. The third part looks at paleontology and a few of the subfields that received major contributions from IASP-RBS, and the many eminent researchers who made careers around these programs. The fourth part provides perspectives on two of the lesser-considered communities impacted by IASP-RBS. The book wraps up with some firsthand reflections on IASP-RBS and the many ways these two programs have impacted the field of archaeology today.

The number of perspectives collected in itself illuminates the impact of IASP-RBS: the list of contributors is a who’s who of seasoned professionals and stakeholders. Readers can expect to find out just how impactful the post–World War II preservation legislation was on the field of archaeology. You may be surprised to learn that well into the 1950s, women couldn’t ride in a state-owned vehicle in Kansas. You can also read firsthand how damaging these large-scale dam projects were to sovereign nations located along the Missouri River.

My critiques are few. With 16 semi-independent chapters, the reader can expect some overlap in background and context development of each chapter. The redundancy is not much of a hurdle, and it underscores the use of much of this compilation in educational settings. The book as a whole does require some interest in and understanding of archaeology and, to a limited extent, paleontology. While students, advocates, and professional archaeologists will be able to connect to the book in its entirety, it may have less appeal to the lay reader. The final, and least significant, critique is of the cover art.

From the seen-it-all, done-it-all professional to the first-year student, Dam Projects will create a greater understanding and needed appreciation for the significance of the Interagency Archaeological Salvage Program and the River Basin Surveys.