South Dakota State Historical Society
Archaeological Research Center

A Late Woodland Period Pot

This reconstructed specimen was recovered from Site 39BR102 in Brule County, S.D., along the Missouri River in the central part of the state. It dates to the Late Woodland period, about A.D. 700–1000. The surface of the vessel is roughened from a cord-wrapped paddle. The decoration on the rim was pressed in the wet clay with a narrow stick or blade wrapped in cord. This type of vessel has been given the ungainly name "Ellis Cord-Wrapped Rod-Impressed" by archaeologists.