A group of triangular projectile points recovered from northern Mississippi, displaying consistent morphology that may represent an unnamed Late Prehistoric point type.
This article presents a group of triangular projectile points recovered from northern Mississippi that appear to represent a consistent, but currently unnamed, type. These points share a number of defining characteristics that separate them from more commonly recognized Late Prehistoric forms in the Southeast.
The specimens are small to medium in size and display a triangular blade form with straight to slightly excurvate edges. Bases are generally straight to slightly concave, with careful thinning and occasional smoothing. The workmanship suggests intentional design rather than variation within an existing type.
Material selection varies, but most examples are made from locally available cherts common to the Yazoo Basin and surrounding regions. Flaking is typically fine and controlled, indicating skilled craftsmanship. While some variation exists in size and proportions, the overall morphology remains consistent across multiple finds.
These points have been recovered in contexts associated with Late Prehistoric occupations, suggesting a temporal placement within the Mississippian period. However, their exact cultural affiliation remains uncertain. They do not cleanly fit into established typologies such as Madison or other well-documented triangular forms.
The repeated occurrence of these points within a defined geographic region raises the possibility of a localized or specialized form. Whether this represents a cultural variation, a functional adaptation, or a distinct type yet to be formally recognized remains open for further study.
As with many aspects of artifact classification, continued documentation and comparison will be critical. Additional finds, especially those with clear context, may help clarify whether this form warrants formal designation as a new point type.
Figure 1. The 3.75-inch long Eden found by Shane Skulvik in Logan County, Colorado. It is made of Flattop Chalcedony.
by Tom Westfall, Sterling, Colorado
Central States Archaeological Journal January 2011
The Eden point is Paleoindian in origin and dates to around 9500–7600 BP. The type site is the Finley site, located in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. Other Eden sites have been discovered on the High Plains, but they are few and far between.
Eden points are considered some of the most beautiful and highly valued projectile points on the High Plains. In their unresharpened form, they are usually long and quite narrow, often made from the finest lithic materials available. These points exhibit very fine flaking to a medial ridge and have a diamond-shaped cross section.
This past year has witnessed the recovery of several nice Eden points. The first point (Figure 1) is a 3.75-inch-long Eden made of Flattop Chalcedony. This point was found by Shane Skulvik in Logan County, Colorado. There is a bit more “base” on this particular point, and several have suggested that it may be a particularly well-made Scottsbluff point similar to several found at the Finley site where both Scottsbluff and Eden points were discovered together.
Figure 2. The 2.25-inch long Eden found by Grayson Westfall in Logan County, Colorado. It is made from Knife River Flint.
My son, Grayson, found a Knife River Flint Eden point (Figure 2) in Logan County, Colorado. Knife River Flint, a lithic fairly scarce in Colorado, seems to have been favored by the aboriginal peoples for making these points. This example shows a lot of reworking and is 2.25 inches in length in its present condition. This point was found on a gravel bar on our farm along with a Scottsbluff point, two Alberta points, and a Cody ultra-thin knife.
Figure 3. The 4.25-inch long Eden found by Steve Juranek in Sedgwick County, Colorado. It is made from Knife River Flint.
Another Knife River Flint Eden point (Figure 3) was found in July 2010 by Steve Juranek in Sedgwick County, Colorado. It is 4.25 inches in length.
Generally speaking, the base/stem of an Eden point has been “ground in” and may be barely discernible. There is some speculation that very narrow Eden points have been reworked from wider points, though Job Taylor disputes this assumption. Based on his observations and examinations, Eden points appear to have only been resharpened on their tips.
Having examined a fair number of Eden points myself, I would agree with Taylor’s assertion. Furthermore, I believe that the diamond-shaped cross section made for a sturdy point that did not experience significant breakage when impacting bone or other hard substances. Most impact fractures on Eden points which I have seen have allowed for relatively easy “re-tipping.” In some cases, the tips were broken, but by removing just a few small flakes on either side of the fracture, the knapper created a serviceable point again.
Figure 4. A grouping of Eden points in the author’s collection. Materials include Niobrara Jasper (far left and far right), agatized wood, Knife River Flint, and agatized wood. The large point at the bottom is made of translucent agatized wood. The largest point is 3.5 inches long, and the smallest is 1.75 inches. Some examples (left side) may be described as “Eden-flaked” Scottsbluff points.
It is my suspicion that Scottsbluff, Alberta, Eden, and Firstview points were used somewhat interchangeably by ancient peoples. Differences may reflect personal preference, or further research may lead to a clearer understanding of how each style was most effectively used.
by Bob Reeves Knoxville, Tennessee Central States Archaeological Societies, October 2010 Journal
Drilled greenstone Southern spatulate found along the French Broad River in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Shown in front, reverse, and profile views, the artifact features a tapered drilled hole and refined shaping typical of rare Mississippian ceremonial pieces associated with the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex.
Way back in November of 1966, I was surface hunting along the banks of the French Broad River in Jefferson County, Tennessee when I found what I then called a ceremonial celt. It was a tremendous find, the best artifact I had ever found at the time, and still is one of my best. It is made of greenstone and is 7” long, 3 1/2” at the widest point, 1 1/8” wide across the slightly rounded poll end, and 5/8” thick. It has an 11/16” diameter hole which tapers to 5/16” where it penetrates, and is 2 7/16” across the face at the center of the hole, and the top of the hole is 3” down from the top of the poll. It is complete and with only one very small modern ding on the poll, but the prehistoric craftsman did not quite finish polishing out all the peck marks, a few of which still remain. Regardless, this is truly a rare artifact and the slight imperfections are easily overlooked.
It was not until many years later that I learned that it is one of a group of artifacts referred to as a Drilled Greenstone Southern Spatulate and is thought to be associated with the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex (SECC, also known as the Southern Cult) dating from 1200 AD on into the early contact phase of the late Mississippian period in the southeastern United States. This particular artifact is impressive for two reasons. The first is that this type artifact is rare under any circumstances, and the second is that the area from which it was found has never produced many Mississippian artifacts.
I found this in a pile of dirt next to a hole that had been dug to make a duck blind. I did look around for more artifacts, but found none. Since this is not the normal Archaic or Woodland artifact found in this area, I should have dug around some to see if it had come from a later Mississippian burial or other feature, but did not realize what I had at the time. Near where this spatulate was found, about two hundred yards from the river’s edge, a mound once stood. The bottom land around the mound had been cultivated for about one hundred years and the mound had been slowly reduced to just a low rise above the surrounding level flood plain. Then in the mid 1940’s, the Tennessee Valley Authority built the Douglas Dam and flooded the site. During low levels of the lake back in the fifties and on until the late sixties, the mound could still be seen as the highest point in the silted flood plain, maybe eighteen inches higher than the surrounding area, but by the early seventies, all vestiges of it was gone and was soon forgotten. Few people today are even aware that it once existed.
During my research of this type artifact, I happened to come across an old archaeological site survey which sheds some light on my find. In February of 1972, Dr. Major C. R. McCollough, research assistant professor for the Department of Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, conducted an archaeological survey of the area for the Tennessee Valley Authority who had proposed building a steam plant on the higher elevations above the site where the mound stood. Dr. McCollough noted mainly Woodland sites in the adjacent area of the proposed steam plant site, but there was one brief mention of some Mississippian cultural material. In his report he wrote “A ‘substructure’ (presumably Mississippian) mound (site 17Je9) and a stray find of a raptorial bird pendant were reported in the downstream end of the site.” He also mentioned “Cherokee types [of pottery shards] from the lower end of the site from an earlier site survey found by local collectors.”
That may explain this artifact being where I found it, but even with this explanation, I am left with several questions. I have talked to several local collectors who have hunted this area for years and few of them have any Mississippian artifacts other than a few pottery shards and a handful of small triangular points that might even be late Woodland types. Could that mound have actually been a Woodland structure and was misidentified? Why so few Mississippian culture artifacts from this area if the mound was indeed of Mississippian origin? Is it possible that the few artifacts that have been found were all left behind by one group of Mississippian Indians passing through the area? Possibly all of the artifacts were from one grave or cache that had been plowed out and scattered during the many years of cultivation prior to the lake being formed.
I’ll never know the answer to these questions, but the mysteries surrounding such finds is so intriguing that it will keep me hunting and collecting Indian artifacts as long as I am able to walk the fields and riverbanks.
By Matt Rowe Curator, Museum of Native American History, Bentonville, Arkansas
Central States Archaeological Journal April 2013
Spavinaw Creek dart point showing low side notches concave base and fine serrated flaking
Spavinaw Creek dart points are small to medium-sized side-notched projectile points made on a triangular preform. The blades are triangular in outline, with edges that may be straight, slightly convex, or recurved. In cross section they are typically lenticular, and many examples display sharp, needle-like tips. Fine serrations are not uncommon. The side notches are delicate and positioned very low near the base, usually angled upward. Basal edges are well thinned and may be straight, recurved, or concave. When the base is deeply concave, the low notches can give the point an auriculate or fish-tailed appearance. These points are finely crafted, with flaking that ranges from random to parallel or evenly patterned. Thermally altered lithic materials were often preferred, especially Kay County and Reeds Spring cherts. Most examples fall within a size range of approximately 35 to 60 millimeters in length and 17 to 20 millimeters in width.
Although precise dating remains uncertain, Spavinaw Creek points are generally associated with the terminal Hopewell period and are thought to date between A.D. 100 and A.D. 400. In eastern Oklahoma, they are considered part of the Cooper Focus. They have been recovered from a number of Late Woodland contexts, including the Shields site near Kansas City, the Rice Shelter site in Missouri, the Lawrence site in Nowata County, Oklahoma, and at Pine Mountain Lake in Crawford County, Arkansas .
The distribution of Spavinaw Creek points is centered along the western edge of the Ozark Plateau and across the central lowlands of Oklahoma and Kansas. They are most commonly found in northeast Oklahoma, northwest Arkansas, western Missouri, and eastern Kansas. A large percentage of known examples come from sites along the Arkansas River drainage and the Grand (Neosho) River system and its tributaries. As recognition of the type improves, this distribution may become better defined.
The type is named for Spavinaw Creek, a small perennial stream that originates in the Ozark foothills of northwestern Arkansas and flows into the Grand River in northeastern Oklahoma. This region supported numerous prehistoric sites due to its reliable water source, rock shelters, plant resources, and abundant wildlife.
Spavinaw Creek dart points were first recognized from specimens found at two sites in Mayes County, Oklahoma. These sites produced a number of Hopewell-related artifacts along with Late Woodland materials, but relatively little else. A cache of seven Spavinaw Creek points recovered from one of these sites helped define the range of variation within the type. These points, made from Reeds Spring and Barren Fork chert, exhibited basal forms ranging from straight to concave, with one example showing an extended tip.
Small, side-notched dart points similar to Spavinaw Creek are found throughout much of the United States, and this has led to occasional misidentification. In northern regions they are sometimes mistaken for Pelican Lake points, while in southern areas they may be confused with larger Scallorn, Edgewood, or Ensor types. Some researchers have suggested that these forms could represent a late transition toward bow-and-arrow technology, although their use as atlatl dart points is generally considered more likely.
A larger knife form is occasionally found in association with Spavinaw Creek points. These knives are typically side- to corner-notched, considerably larger in size, and often exceed three inches in length. They are distinguished by deeply concave bases and well-developed barbs.
Spavinaw Creek dart points are not considered rare and are commonly found in collections from the southwestern Ozarks through the central lowlands of Oklahoma and Kansas.
References
Bray, Robert T. 1956 The Culture-Complexes and Sequence at the Rice Site (23SN200), Stone County, Missouri. In Preliminary Salvage Archaeology in the Table Rock Reservoir Area, Missouri, The Missouri Archaeologist, Vol. 18, Nos. 1–2, pp. 47–131.
Bell, Robert E. 1984 Prehistory of Oklahoma. New World Archaeological Record. Academic Press, New York.
Hurdlebrink, Douglas; Judith C. Husted; and Thomas Pilgrim 1976 Archaeological Sites Recorded and Tested in the Pine Mountain Lake Area. Arkansas Archaeological Survey, Research Report No. 7, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Shippee, J. M. 1967 Archaeological Remains in the Area of Kansas City: The Woodland Period, Early, Middle, and Late. Missouri Archaeological Society Research Series No. 5, Columbia, Missouri.
Baldwin, Jane 1969 The Lawrence Site (NW-6): A Non-Ceramic Site in Nowata County, Oklahoma.Bulletin of the Oklahoma Anthropological Society, Vol. XVIII, Oklahoma City.
Small stemmed quartz points and knives from the Housatonic Valley, Western Connecticut. These diminutive tools exhibit typical regional quartz workmanship, with short contracting stems and thick, somewhat irregular flaking due to the material. Personal find collection of Matt Dorso
Introduction In southern New England, particularly in southern Connecticut, one artifact type dominates Late Archaic assemblages: the small, narrow-stemmed projectile point, most often made of milky cobble quartz. These “small stemmed” points occur in huge numbers, yet questions remain about their precise typological placement, function, and role within Late Archaic life. Were they primarily atlatl dart tips? Did some serve as drills or gravers? How do we distinguish Wading River, Squibnocket Stemmed, and Lamoka forms when quartz’s difficult fracture obscures fine traits? This essay synthesizes the archaeology of these points in southern Connecticut, examining their history of study, morphology, technology, chronology, distribution, and cultural meaning. The aim is to present a grounded interpretation of this ubiquitous but often underappreciated artifact class.
A History of Study Understanding of small stemmed quartz points stems largely from William Ritchie’s mid-20th century excavations on Martha’s Vineyard, where he identified the Squibnocket complex, rich in quartz stemmed and triangular points dated to ca. 2100 B.C. Ritchie’s framework, later expanded by Alice Dincauze and Charles Mulholland, defined the “Small Stemmed Tradition” (or “Narrow-Stemmed Tradition”), which became a common shorthand across New England compliance reports. By the late 20th century, archaeologists routinely described Late Archaic components in southern New England as dominated by small quartz stemmed points and small quartz triangles. While typologists continue to debate labels, consensus holds that these artifacts are a hallmark of the Late Archaic in southern Connecticut.
Why Quartz? Quartz is the defining raw material of this tradition. Southern Connecticut’s glacial tills and river gravels provided abundant cobbles, and Late Archaic knappers took advantage of it. Quartz’s fracture properties—brittle, unpredictable, and resistant to controlled pressure flaking—produced artifacts with distinct characteristics:
Thick cross-sections with step fractures.
Straight or slightly contracting stems.
Weak or uneven shoulders.
Stout, short tips rather than fine, elongated ones. In other words, the qualities of quartz shaped the look of the tradition. The variability and “chunkiness” seen in many points are less cultural idiosyncrasies than the material’s mechanical limits.
Typology: What Counts as “Small Stemmed”? The category includes several overlapping types:
Wading River: Small, thick points with weak shoulders and straight, parallel stems. Often 28–38 mm long, stems 8–12 mm.
Squibnocket Stemmed: Similar but usually slightly larger (35–50 mm). Weak shoulders, narrow stems, narrow blades. Often found with Squibnocket Triangles.
Lamoka (stemmed form): Broader northeastern type; in southern New England its stemmed variants overlap with Wading River/Squibnocket. Quartz blurs distinctions between these types. In practice, Connecticut archaeologists often group them under the “Small/Narrow-Stemmed Tradition” instead of forcing fine separations.
Technology and Hafting The manufacturing sequence began with cobble blanks, reduced through heavy percussion. Retouch was opportunistic, alternating short flakes with edge nibbling.
Shoulders were weak and often asymmetrical.
Stems were straight, parallel-sided, rectangular.
Bases were unground, straight to slightly convex.
Hafting: These points seated into split shafts or foreshaft slots, bound with sinew. Use-wear suggests stout dart armatures, suited for durability and re-sharpening. Many show tip rejuvenation, producing increasingly stubby forms through use.
Chronology Small stemmed quartz points are securely Late Archaic (ca. 4500–3000 B.P., or 2500–1000 B.C.), anchored by radiocarbon from Martha’s Vineyard and similar sequences. Two refinements matter for Connecticut:
Persistence into Early Woodland. Some contexts show small stemmed forms alongside ceramics and Orient Fishtail or Meadowood points, meaning the tradition lingered beyond 1000 B.C.
Coastal-inland differences. Along the Sound, they appear with shell middens and fish remains; inland, they occur at hunting camps. Thus, while Late Archaic is the core horizon, archaeologists caution against rigid assignments.
Distribution in Southern Connecticut Lower Housatonic Valley. Sites from Derby to New Milford reveal quartz workshops and camps with small stemmed points. The Fastener Site documented clear Archaic-Woodland sequences rich in quartz. Quinnipiac and coast. Surveys in Norwalk, Westport, and Milford regularly report quartz-rich Late Archaic scatters tied to estuarine resources. Connecticut River corridor. The Dibble Creek 1 site (Haddam) yielded 125 projectile points, 54 of them small stemmed quartz. This underscores the centrality of the tradition even in interior contexts. Rockshelters and uplands. Rockshelter deposits often contain small sets of quartz small stemmed points alongside mixed Archaic/Woodland artifacts, suggesting short-term hunting or caching. Overall, small stemmed quartz points are statewide in distribution, but especially dense in southern Connecticut’s coasts and valleys.
Internal Diversity Three points stand out:
Triangles and stemmed forms frequently co-occur, echoing Squibnocket assemblages.
Overlapping labels. Quartz obscures crisp distinctions, making type boundaries fuzzy.
Regional sub-traditions. While Cape Cod has the “Cape Stemmed” type, Connecticut’s contribution is best defined by its quartz-heavy material signature.
Function: Projectile, Knife Blade, Graver or Drill? Traditionally seen as dart points, some researchers argue that narrow-stemmed quartz pieces were also used as hafted knives, gravers or drills. Their straight stems and stout tips would work well in rotational tasks such as piercing shell. Wear studies on quartz are tricky, but evidence supports functional pluralism: the same general form may have served both as projectile armature and as a hand or socketed tool.
Hunting Technology These points were almost certainly mounted on atlatl darts, not arrows. Haft widths of 8–12 mm fit medium-mass darts with foreshafts. Their durability suited generalist hunting of deer, small mammals, and waterfowl in southern Connecticut’s forests and marshes. On-the-spot repairs produced the stubby, reworked forms collectors often find.
Settlement and Economy The Long Island Sound and its tidal rivers defined the economic landscape. Late Archaic groups exploited shellfish, anadromous fish, deer, and small game, moving seasonally between coast and upland. Small stemmed quartz points are found in both settings:
Coastal camps with shell and fish remains.
River terraces with workshops and hunting camps.
Uplands and rockshelters with curated or cached tools. This pattern underscores their role in a mobile, broad-spectrum subsistence strategy.
Abundance: Why So Many? Several factors explain their ubiquity:
Quartz availability. Cobble quartz was plentiful and easy to access.
Durability. Points were re-sharpened until exhausted.
Caching. Hunters may have stored preforms and points in shelters for future use.
Functional versatility. Some points doubled as knives, drills or gravers. Thus, high frequencies reflect both raw material and practical use strategies.
Broader Regional Context Southern Connecticut’s small stemmed points align with broader Northeastern patterns:
Eastward, Massachusetts and Martha’s Vineyard emphasize Squibnocket stemmed/triangles.
Westward, Long Island and Hudson Valley feature Wading River.
Inland, the Connecticut River valley shows both small stemmed and broadspear traditions. Everywhere, these forms dominate Late Archaic toolkits, linking Connecticut to regional cultural trends.
Case Examples
Fastener Site (lower Housatonic): Quartz debitage and small stemmed points in stratified contexts.
Dibble Creek 1 (Haddam): Over 40% of points were narrow-stemmed quartz.
Norwalk/Westport corridor: Coastal scatters with quartz Archaic components.
Rockshelters: Small stemmed points as curated or cached tools. These snapshots confirm the pattern across different landscapes.
Interpretation Small stemmed quartz points reveal much about Late Archaic life in southern Connecticut:
Seasonality. Their presence in both coastal and inland sites reflects seasonal mobility.
Shared traditions. Stemmed quartz points show cultural continuity across southern New England.
Continuity into Early Woodland. Their persistence signals conservative technological choices amid broader cultural change.
Typological Debates Modern archaeologists increasingly treat Wading River, Squibnocket, and stemmed Lamoka as overlapping ends of a continuum rather than distinct, rigid types. In Connecticut, grouping them as the “Small/Narrow-Stemmed Tradition” is practical and analytically sound, while still allowing communication with traditional type names.
Conclusion Small stemmed quartz points are the Late Archaic’s most visible legacy in southern Connecticut. They embody the adaptation of local peoples to abundant quartz, their seasonal mobility between coast and upland, and their pragmatic, risk-balanced toolkits. They are durable, flexible, and ubiquitous—a true hallmark of the region’s archaeology. When handling one of these small, milky quartz points, the archaeologist holds not just a projectile armature but a key to understanding Late Archaic life: practical technology, adaptive mobility, and cultural continuity in the face of changing environments and traditions.
The Macoupin County Axe – Exceptional Prehistoric Stone Axe from Illinois
The Illinois State Archaeological Society is proud to submit this superior axe for the cover of this Central States Archaeological Journal. Having been born and raised in Macoupin County, Illinois, I am honored to pay tribute to this work of art by writing this article.
Depending on which type of axe one favors and who is doing the judging, it is fair to say that this axe is either the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd finest Native American axe ever found in the continental United States. It is certainly, to the best of my knowledge, the best axe ever found in the state of Illinois. This top-quality, three-quarter-grooved axe was made from fine-grained granite. It has a prominent ridge just below the groove, which is indicative of prehistoric resharpening. It is 10 inches long and weighs 9 1/2 pounds. The photographs on the cover attest to its symmetry and fine lines. The surface of the axe has excellent overall polish. Axes of this type date from the Middle Archaic to the Early Woodland Culture.
We do not know who originally found the axe, but we are fortunate to have the modern history of its ownership. This outstanding artifact has been well documented. It was first reported to have been in the collection of Edward Payne. Later it was in the collection of Richard Meyer. B.W. Stephens acquired the axe for his second collection in 1958. Mr. Meyer exchanged it, along with two other axes, for three bannerstones. After Stephens’ death, Gene Johns sold the Stephens’ collection and arranged for interested collectors to view the collection prior to the sale. Bob Jenkins was the next owner of record. The record shows that with only forty-five minutes to make his selection before the next collector was due to arrive, Mr. Jenkins bought the axe. Since Mr. Jenkins preferred pocket axes, it was not one of his favorite pieces. The current owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, arrived at Mr. Jenkins’ home shortly after he arrived home with this axe and obtained it from him at that time.
We are pleased to share this wonderful artifact and its modern history with the members of the Central States Archaeological Societies. Illinois is proud to have it represent our state on the cover of the Central States Archaeological Journal July 1998
January 2015 Central States Archaeological Journal
Quartz crystal Talco projectile point from Yell County, Arkansas, shown in three views displaying the thin triangular blade and concave base characteristic of the type.
Quartz is a hard, brittle, durable mineral that occurs in nature in many varieties, but is best known from Arkansas as transparent crystals. Arkansas is known worldwide for the production of quartz, so much so that, in fact, that quartz crystal was designated as its official State Mineral. It can be found over a large area in the state, mainly within a belt about 30–40 miles wide that extends a distance of about 170 miles west southwest from Little Rock, Arkansas, to eastern Oklahoma. Most of the quartz in the Ouachita Mountains occurs as milky veins. The principal difference between milky quartz and clear rock crystal is the presence of innumerable microscopic bubbles in fluid-filled cavities in the former. These cavities scatter the light that otherwise would pass through as in clear crystal.
The existence of quartz crystal in the Ouachita Mountains has been known since humans first occupied the area. According to H. D. Miser, DeSoto’s men found native Americans had chipped projectile points from quartz crystals. The reason they were able to do this is that flint and quartz crystal share the property of “conchoidal fracture.” This term describes the way that brittle materials break when they do not follow any natural planes of separation. Conchoidal fracture forms the very basis of flint knapping, since the shape of the broken surface is controlled only by the stress applied, and not by some preferred orientation of the material.
Flint is much easier to knap, however, because fracture surfaces are not as uneven and curved. Because of this, it is easier to control the direction of splitting, and the edges are more straight. In flint, stress will dissipate into the material, whereas in a crystal, a stress-induced small crack will often propagate through the entire crystal and split it. Thus, quartz crystal is much harder to work with, as the talented modern flint knapper Woody Blackwell attests to on his website:
“I don’t knap much quartz crystal. When I do, I swear I’ll never do it again. Flakes shatter into thousands of invisible needles that shred my hands and arms. In one direction, flakes run smoothly and terminate predictably. Knapped in another plane, every flake chatters along in micro-steps that threaten to end badly… Between the blood, the pain, and the frustration, it’s not a pleasant experience… I’m done with this miserable stuff.”
Located within the heart of the quartz crystal distribution area, Carden Bottoms is a rich alluvial flood plain in northeastern Yell County created by the Arkansas River and internationally known for its rich archaeological heritage. Investigations from the early 1990s indicate that some of these acres were also farmed from 500 to 1,500 years ago, while a forging activity extended as far back as 11,500 years. The expedition of Hernando de Soto also provided information on these Mississippian peoples in the Arkansas River Valley. The expedition visited an important capital city, Tanico, in September 1542. The inhabitants were many, but they apparently lived in scattered settlements. The Spaniards stayed awhile, made salt, and then with an elaborate filtration process, and eventually headed out for a big battle two days’ march away at Tula with the Caddo. Because the great quantity of pottery recovered in the Carden Bottoms area suggested a large Native American population, it has been proposed that this area could be associated with Tanico.
In the last two decades there has been a renewal of scientific interest in the archaeological evidence of Native Americans in the Carden Bottoms, focused on the lifeways of these ancient people. Test excavation in 1993 and more work in 2009 have confirmed that some of the trash deposits there contain the full range of Native American artifacts, as well as glass and brass beads and iron objects that could only have come from encounters with Europeans. The artifacts and other data from the pit document the climax of the Mississippian culture and the beginnings of the contact period.
The pottery vessels of the late prehistoric occupation that made the Carden Bottoms famous date as early as the 1870s, though most prominently in the 1920s and 1930s. It was during this time that this incredibly delicate and beautiful Caddoan quartz crystal Talco point was found, still lying on top of the bed of red ochre upon which it had been placed centuries before. The prominent collector, G. E. Pilquist of Dardanelle, Arkansas most likely obtained the point sometime around 1935. Charlie Shewey of Kansas City, Missouri purchased it from him in 1937 or 1938. It remained in his collection for a little over 40 years, when he sold it to Dr. Kent Westbrook of Little Rock, Arkansas in 1979. On August 10, 1982, Dr. Westbrook graciously agreed to allow me to acquire this fabulous artifact from him.
Bell’s Guide to the Identification of Certain American Indian Projectile Points describes the Talco point as follows:
“This type is a finely made triangular arrow point characterized by a curved blade and a slightly concave base. Suhm and Krieger (1954) describe the Talco point as follows: Slender triangular points with edges occasionally almost straight but usually with constriction approximately in middle. Bases almost always concave. Workmanship extremely fine, blades thin and flat. Edges commonly minutely serrated, tips often slanted down to a needle-like point.”
In size, this type ranges from about 0.75 to 2 inches in length with many specimens averaging about 1.5 inches.
This type is found in the Caddoan area, particularly the northern parts of East Texas, extending northward into southeastern Oklahoma, and eastward into Arkansas. The estimated age for the Talco point is 800 to 500 B.P. It is associated with the Fulton Aspect in the Caddoan Area and occurs as a common type in the Titus Focus of Texas.
References
Arkansas Quartz Crystals – J. Michael Howard, Arkansas Geological Survey, 2008 Guide to the Identification of Certain American Projectile Points – Bell, 1958 The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture – Leslie C. Stewart-Abernathy, Arkansas Archaeological Survey, 2010
January 2017 Central States Archaeological Journal
The axe found near Muscatine, Iowa. 28 lb. 11 ½ oz. It measures 13 inches long by 7 ½ inches wide.
This monstrosity is a 28 lb. 11 ½ oz. axe that I discovered in 2002 (Fig. 1). In July when I was returning home from an artifact hunt in Louisa County, Iowa I noticed a large front-end loader moving dirt while passing a known site on the Muscatine Highway 61 bypass. I did a U-turn to investigate.
Left, dwarf axe found by author; right, dwarf axe found by Arlo Williams. Collection of the Author.
Upon hiking out to the machine, I discovered the operator spoke a different language than I, but he pointed to the adjacent buildings of a relatively new logging business that had sprung up along the bypass a few years prior. I hiked to the buildings to quiz whomever I could find about what was going on. There I met Pat Mealy, the proprietor, who told me he had purchased eight acres from the neighboring farmer and was going to level the low-lying hill and pour 25,000 square feet of concrete to stack lumber on.
His intent was to complete this project in two weeks. I asked if he would mind if I dug on the site before he leveled it and he said, “Go ahead and dig all you want.”
The author holding the Giant axe.
All the machine operator was doing that particular day was removing the brushy fence row between Mr. Mealy’s lumber mill and his new property. The operator nearly had his task completed so I hiked back to search the dirt he had disturbed.
Like most collectors I move almost every rock I see, but when I kicked a big rock it didn’t move. So I got down on my knees and began to dig low and behold it wasn’t long before I felt a groove and pulled out the behemoth axe pictured in Figure 1. I had kicked the emerging poll end and the bit was pointed straight down.
This axe cannot be wielded by any one person that I know so what was it used for? There is more than one line of thought here.
One theory is that this enormous axe was the tool department of the prehistoric Walmart. It hung on the “GET YOUR AXES HERE” sign and was made by the guy that made all the axes for the clan. The guy that made all the axes for the clan made this one for fun in his spare time from making ones that could actually be used for something.
This multicultural occupation site is a low-lying ridge less than a mile from the edge of what was in ancient times a several-thousand-acre marshland. These ancient folks lived on the site year-round and in the winter time this behemoth axe may have been mounted on a pole and fulcrum and hauled around to break through the ice in the wetlands.
It may also have been mounted stationary to something—possibly a log—and whatever needed cracking open was struck against it. Not to mention that it would be easier on the thumbs of the cracker!
Although the axe maker of the clan did not have a big demand for axes of this size, there have been others of this size found.
My cousin Arlo Williams found another tiny full-grooved (4/4) axe that is now in my collection (Fig. 4). Arlo found his dwarf in Mercer County, Missouri. Another coincidence—two dwarfs, one from Mercer County, Illinois, and the other from Mercer County, Missouri, were found by two cousins about 150 miles apart.
After a heavy rain my pal Hank and I went to walk a long stream in Louisa County, Iowa. This stream is a daylong hike for one guy, so I dropped him off at the bridge to hike up one and I hiked down a fence row into the middle to look at the upper end of the same stream while he was coming up. Later we would meet back in the middle and go home.
I hadn’t found anything but toward the upper end a short side tributary came into the stream from the south. Although up to that point I’d never found much in it, I always hiked up this tributary anyway. At its very head (upper) end, this small rill splits into two nothing more than two gullies. While wiggling up the left gully first, after only a few yards I found a nice gray and white atlatl dart. I thought—Good, I found one; a successful hunt.
The right gully is a little larger and goes a little further than at the beginning you don’t have to “wiggle” as much to navigate and I’d only gone a few yards again, always looking down. At first I thought—There’s a red bar of soap laying in the water; that’s odd. When I picked it up, sure enough it was slippery like a wet bar of soap, but before I had it out of the 2 inch deep water I knew I had something much better than a bar of soap. This red hematite celt is a wonderful artifact.
The iron in the stone was oozing a red precipitate of oxidation over its entire casing due to feel slick and this precipitate came off easily and made the palm of my hand all red. I stuck it in the front right pocket of my old jacket so as not to ding up the nice perfect point in my front left pocket and headed back down stream to meet up with Hank. When we got back together like always the—Did you find anything?—question was asked. I said, “Yeah, found a bar of soap” and handed it to him. It was still oozing red and the inside of my jacket pocket was totally red—we were both amazed. It has long ago quit oozing and turned into a beautiful, highly polished, award-winning red hematite celt.
Volume 70, Number 4, October 2023 Central States Archaeological Journal
Wisconsin has many natural and beautiful areas to discover. For those of you who have not had a chance to come here and explore our state, it’s a great opportunity to see and enjoy its many natural wonders. For now we will focus on some of the ancient prehistory of Wisconsin.
This fluted axe is 11.25″ long and has 12 flutes. It was found in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. It is shown as #674 in Gail Highsmith’s book, The Fluted Axe. Ex Claude U. Stone, Earl C. Townsend, Jr., Gene Hynek, Bruce Filbrandt, and Bill Wasemiller. Collection of the Author. Photography – Jason G. Harrison.
Fluted axes are one of the more unique types of relics from Wisconsin. Figure 1 is an excellent example. No one knows for sure what the purpose of the flutes was. My thoughts are that they were not for utilitarian uses, such as reducing the weight for the swing of the axe, or helping it slide into the wooden handle better when struck. Rather, I believe that with the incredible amount of time and skill that it took to peck, grind, and polish the flute channels, there had to be some ritual meaning; perhaps only to be used by the leader of the clan or group that that person belonged to.
Gale Highsmith, author of the book, The Fluted Axe, did an awesome job on the study of this style of axe. It is an excellent resource for information and find locations of many of Wisconsin’s artifacts. Most fluted axes show use-wear or even damage on the bit. Some will have been resharpened. That being said, some were certainly used as a chopping or cutting tool for wood, or possibly even ice. Some even showed use-wear from digging in the ground.
A second viable purpose would be that it was used as a clan symbol for religious ceremonies, only to be worn and used by the High Priest or Medicine Man of their clan.
A third possible use could have been as a wealth symbol or a trade item while interacting with other groups.
I firmly believe the people that first started making fluted axes were the Old Copper Culture Complex people, since their areas of discovery coincide generally with discoveries of the fluted spuds. Pictured on the inside back cover is arguably the finest fluted copper spud ever to be discovered. Below is one of the finest fluted axes in private hands. You can see that they were quite possibly made by the same group or clan.
Now we can move on to the Old Copper Culture of Wisconsin. This metal working technology may be the oldest in the world, starting approximately 8500–9000 years ago. The copper was heated in a fire and then cold hammered. This process would be done many times over until the desired tool was completed. This annealing process would make the tool or weapon more pliable and not brittle. This ingenious accomplishment of the Early Archaic people would have made their life easier with such fine tools. It would have certainly been preferred over the traditional stone tools of the time. A great book on the subject of copper is Patina by Paul Schanen.
There are many point types known to be found in Wisconsin. Some of the more popular would be Table Rock, Osceola, Raddatz, Fox Valley, Dalton, Midland, Folsom, Clovis, Snyders, Adena, and Turkey Tail.
