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.
Central States Archaeological Societies January 2008 Journal
Over the last twenty-five years I have made at least fifty trips to Missouri, Arkansas and Texas to go artifact hunting with my friends. Each trip was marked with some exciting find or interesting event. I’ve made many friends throughout the years, and the memories of each and every hunt are priceless. On one trip, I was lucky enough to go out with Greg Perino.
I spent hours asking him question upon question. One time he pointed out to me, “Boy, if you can’t read the soil, you never will be an archaeologist.” He had a knack for reading the soil that I never mastered. But, on one such trip, while hunting in Northeast Texas with “Sonnie” Roy Hutchinson and Ken Cullipper, I was lucky enough to find my one and only cache of points; fifteen wonderful Maud points. These are Caddoan points from the Fulton Period, 1450 to 1700 A.D.
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
Entire lithic assemblage from the Kiowa County Folsom site in eastern Colorado, including Folsom point fragments, preforms, and tools made from multiple Plains lithic materials.
The 1950’s were a time of mild winters, little precipitation, and hard winds in eastern Colorado. During that time, literally hundreds of thousands of prehistoric artifacts were recovered by a number of collectors. Many of these collectors have since passed on, and much of the information that accompanied the stones they assembled has been lost as well. This report is written to provide as much information as possible about a Folsom site in Kiowa County, Colorado, near the town of Brandon on the south side of the Big Sandy River. This assemblage was collected by Jerry Chubbuck, a well-known artifact enthusiast over a period of several years in the early 1950’s. The eroded field was put back into the soil conservation bank and no additional artifacts were recovered on the site.
A total of 60 point fragments and preforms were found on this small site. A multi-component site, several cultures are represented, including: Clovis (n=8); Goshen (n=6); Midland (n=3); and Folsom (n=43). In the Folsom component there are 11 pieces which appear to be preforms which were broken in manufacturing, a channel flake that was utilized as a bi-pointed graver, a scraper and 30 Folsom point fragments.
Lithic materials would suggest that the people who inhabited this campsite came from the south (or had well-developed trade) as Alibates dolomite (n=16) and Edwards Plateau chert (n=28) dominate the assemblage. Additional materials include quartz crystal (n=2), Narbona Pass chert (n=2), Tecovas jasper (n=1), Trout Creek jasper (n=3), Black Forest wood (n=5), Flattop chalcedony (n=1) and Smoky Hills jasper (n=2).
According to Jerry Chubbuck, this site was on the south side of the Big Sandy River and was a discrete campsite that contained only the material shown here. Other sites nearby included later components, but the “Folsom site” as Jerry called it, was a relatively small area, not much more than three acres. (Chubbuck, personal correspondence, 2000-2014).
Two images showing the distinctive straight-edge reworking along the distal break of several Folsom point bases, suggesting reuse of broken points for specialized tools.
One of the most interesting features of this assemblage is the Folsom fragments (proximal portions/bases). Each of these pieces has been reworked along the distal break in a straight line, suggesting that these pieces were used subsequent to their initial break for some specialized purpose. Although Folsom “scrapers” made from salvaged points have been found in Folsom campsites, these pieces really don’t appear to be used in that manner. A number of “Plains archaeologists” have been consulted and as of this writing, no one has been able to identify this particular tool nor have similar tools shown up in other assemblages.
Another interesting piece in this assemblage is a salvaged channel flake. This channel flake is 27.1 mm in length, 3.5 mm in width and .051 mm thick. It has been flaked into a bi-pointed tool of some type, most likely a graver.
Channel flake of Alibates chert worked into a bi-pointed graver tool.
It is highly likely that additional Folsom material exists on the Kiowa County Folsom site.
References
Chubbuck, Jerry 2000–2014 Personal correspondence.
October 2015 Central States Archaeological Journal
The finds from Day One laid out in 1996. The long blade in the center measures 8 inches in length.
Keith Bailey holding a large prehistoric flint blade immediately after uncovering it from the Turkey Tail blade cache discovered in a freshly plowed field near the Salt River in Spencer County Kentucky in 1996.
Day One: Monday April 29th
In late April 1996 a friend of mine invited me to go with him to the mountains of eastern Kentucky. It was an annual event for him to spend the weekend before the Kentucky Derby, camping at a rock shelter and digging for Indian artifacts. I was so excited to go that I could hardly sleep that night. I had never dug for artifacts before. Ever since I was a young boy, I had only walked and surface hunted plowed fields. We spent the weekend in a large rock shelter that could have easily held fifty people. It had been dug many times over the years. I did not know much about digging but I could tell that this site had been pretty much cleaned out. There was no other choice but to get at it, so we set up camp and started digging and sifting dirt. After three days of back-breaking work we were rewarded with a couple of small triangle points and a few broken points.
I returned home Sunday evening worn out and disappointed. I could have found more in a few hours walking one of my favorite fields. As I dozed off to sleep that night, little did I know that the next three days were going to be the fulfillment of every arrowhead hunter’s dreams.
I awoke early Monday morning to the crash of thunder and the flash of lightning. Violent thunderstorms had rolled through the area that night and they lasted into the early morning. I grabbed my pack and headed out the door determined to find a few nice points to make up for the lack of success of the weekend. I drove out to the Salt River and began surveying fields to decide which one would be the most promising. As I rounded the curve it came into view, a field I had always wanted to hunt but it had never been plowed before now. It was perfect, with a small tributary creek at one end, along with a high terrace that ran parallel to the river. Not only was it freshly plowed, but for that year’s tobacco crop it had been deep plowed.
Due to flash flooding of the creek, I had to park about a half mile from the field because crossing the creek was not an option. There was still a light rain falling as I started my hike to the field. About a quarter of the way there I came to a small stream that was now flowing out of its banks. It looked to be only a few feet deep and nothing was going to keep me from being the first one to hunt this field! So I started across the stream and quickly found myself chest deep in a cold rushing current. I began to second guess my decision knowing I would have to recross it on the way back, but my passion overrode my good sense. I kept myself going by repeating “no risk no reward” as I was almost swept away by the current. After reaching the other bank and a grueling walk I finally approached the field, muddy, soaking wet and cold.
As I began to slowly and methodically search it, I forgot about everything I had gone through to get here. Flint chips littered the ground and were glistening from the rain. But after about an hour of hunting all I had found was a few broken points. How could this be? I had such high hopes and the field conditions were perfect. After all the hard work and danger and now I had practically nothing to show for it. I guess that’s why it is called arrowhead hunting and not arrowhead finding.
At the time I was attending college and had four papers as well as four finals to take that week. So I decided to walk the high terrace before I gave up and went home. The further I got from the end of the field where the creek was, the less I saw flint chips, but I continued on. About halfway down the high terrace I saw something big and black lying ahead of me. At first I thought it was a piece of plastic the river had washed up. It was only until I got within a few feet of it that I realized it was a perfect nearly nine inch long Turkey Tail blade.
I bent down to pick it up and that’s when I noticed two more blades a couple of feet away, one being an eight inch blade broken in half! At that moment I knew there was a cache of blades buried somewhere under my feet. I got out my knife and began to probe the ground. After only a few minutes I heard the sound of steel striking flint. “CHING.” The knife was left stuck in the ground to mark the exact spot and I began to dig with my bare hands. The edge of the first blade came into view. As I continued to remove dirt the whole cache was exposed. The blades were lying edgeways, as the plow had lifted them up and turned the whole pocket sideways scattering three of the blades onto the surface.
I could not believe my eyes as I was looking at a cache of perfect paper-thin Turkey Tail blades made from a beautiful material. After digging them all out I remained on my knees for a few moments and gave thanks to the “Spirits of the Woods” for guiding me to this spot and made an offering of tobacco. With the spot marked I began searching the area for more.
My diligence paid off. A few yards away I found a stripped Motley point. Then I walked all the way to the end of the terrace but did not find anything else. Satisfied that everything was found I wrapped up the points, put them in my pack and headed across the field.
Near the other edge of the field I began to find flint chips scattered all over. I searched over and was rewarded with a perfect three-and-a-half inch serrated Kirk point.
That night I sat at my table writing my papers for school, but concentrating on my work was almost impossible. Especially with all of the points washed clean and laid out in front of me. Somehow I managed to complete my work which was not easy with thoughts of what had been my most successful day of arrowhead hunting swirling in my head along with thinking about what I might find tomorrow.
Day Two: Tuesday April 30th
Second Turkey Tail blade cache from the Bailey Site in Spencer County Kentucky discovered April 30, 1996, showing numerous large flint blades arranged on the floor after excavation.
With all the school work I didn’t get much sleep and morning came too early. But I was too excited to be tired, so I gathered my supplies and tools for the day which included a pack, a knife and a steel rod to use as a probe.
I finally arrived and parked at the same spot as the day before and was relieved to see that the flood waters had receded so there were no worries about drowning today. The sun was shining with not a cloud in the bright blue sky. The trees were starting to bud and the birds were singing — essentially a beautiful Kentucky spring day.
I made my way straight to the spot I had marked the day before and began to try my hand at probing with a steel rod. After about ten minutes I heard that now familiar sound of steel hitting flint and could also feel the vibration traveling up the rod and into my hands. I left the rod in place as a guide and started digging with my knife and bare hands.
When I got a little below the plow zone (about fifteen inches deep) I saw gray flint. I quickly opened up the narrow hole and cleared as much dirt away as I could. I saw three Turkey Tail points lying flat side by side. Their tips were pointing due east and their tails pointing west. I pulled them out and stabbed them into the ground. I began removing some more dirt and there was another layer of points. These were pointed tips north and tails south.
Arrowhead hunter Keith Bailey kneeling beside the excavation area where multiple prehistoric Turkey Tail blade caches were uncovered in Spencer County Kentucky in 1996.
Excavated area in the plowed field where the caches were discovered.
As I repeated the process I uncovered layer after layer alternating in axis until I reached the bottom. When I was satisfied that the hole was cleaned completely out I stood up and looked down. I counted seventeen blades sticking in the ground in a circle around the hole.
Obviously I had found another cache, only this time they were still buried and undisturbed in the original post hole that the toolmaker had buried them in so many centuries ago. It was a sight I will never forget as long as I live — that ring of blades in the dirt.
There are three broken blades and all were in one layer together in the middle of the cache. My best guess is they were ceremonially “killed” or broken by the maker.
When I returned home that evening I took both days finds over to my friend’s house to show him what he had missed by not going with me on Monday morning. The look on his face was priceless. He suggested that I take a shovel with me the next time I dig the area out. That was some good advice that would pay off on Wednesday.
Day Three: Wednesday May 1st
I set out this morning to give the field one more try and to make sure that I had not missed anything. Could lightning really strike three times in a row? I was about to find out.
Remembering my friend’s advice from the night before I headed back to my personal “Field of Dreams” with my usual tools plus a shovel.
I arrived at the site and laid it out in a grid and began methodically probing the area. The dirt was now dry so I could easily see all the little probe holes in the ground that I had searched. About half of the area was now thoroughly covered with little holes, but I kept working hoping that luck would be with me once again.
Now for the third time I heard that familiar and unmistakable sound of flint and steel. I dug down and found another cache of four Turkey Tail blades. I was three for three — what a great feeling. I continued probing until the entire area was covered but found no more.
It was time to change strategies. I got out my shovel and began to cut a trench through the center of the area. It was not long before my efforts paid off again. Everyone who hunts arrowheads has found a broken point, and from the color of the flint you can tell if it’s freshly broken or if it happened prehistorically.
Usually the other half is there somewhere but hardly ever is. But on this rare occasion I found the other half of the largest blade I found on Day One. That find really got the adrenaline flowing and the dirt began to fly.
Before long I was standing in an excavated area roughly twelve by twelve feet and two feet deep. I cleaned the hole out and probed it to make sure there were no more caches buried off to the side. While I did find two small Woodland period stem points, they were random finds and not associated with any of the caches.
The Kentucky Archaeological Site Survey form showing the Spencer County site number (15SP) and the naming of the Bailey Site after the finder. Ribbon awarded for “Find of the Year” at the 1996 Elizabethtown Show.
The author holding the largest blade from the cache at the Elizabethtown Show in May 2015.
Everyone dreams of finding a cache of blades and after many years of hunting that dream finally came true for me in the spring of 1996. But to find three of them, three days in a row, is almost unbelievable to me even to this day.
As a Kentuckian, which is the land of thoroughbred horse racing, the best analogy would be like owning a race horse that did the almost impossible feat of winning the Triple Crown — the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.
My advice for anyone is if you find a large blade or preform blank, you had better mark the spot and come back with a probe. And maybe you will get lucky like me and find your own Field of Dreams.
Five blades from the cache. The center blade (broken) measures 8 inches in length.
Epilogue
At the time I was working for the University of Louisville in the archaeology department. When I came to work that Thursday afternoon I told the staff archaeologist about my discovery. He suggested that I bring them all in and document them. We filled out the site survey form and filed a copy with the Office of Kentucky State Archaeology.
He told me it was customary to name the site and after careful deliberation I decided to name it after myself so it will always be known as the Bailey Site.
We also discussed how and why the caches were buried there and in such close proximity to each other. We decided it was one of two possibilities.
It was a burial site. However, no human remains were found which was possibly due to the site being in a floodplain where bones would deteriorate over time.
The area was the floor of the toolmaker’s hut. The blades were made somewhere nearby and buried for future use. If the hut washed away in a flood the maker may never have returned to retrieve them.
Both of us agreed the second explanation seemed the most plausible.
A couple of weeks later when the Elizabethtown Kentucky show was approaching I called to reserve a table so I could display them. I told the Chapter President the whole story and he made sure I had a table.
That year was the first time they ever awarded a ribbon for “Find of the Year” at the show.
January 2016 Central States Archaeological Journal
Both faces of a finely fluted Folsom projectile point discovered by Rodney Farr near Canton, Missouri on Christmas Day, 1985.
In the fall of the year I used to run a small trap line. No matter what the weather, traps need to be checked every day. On Christmas Day, 1985, I went to check my traps early in the morning so I could be home for our annual family dinner. The weather was warm for December and the ground was muddy, so I had to park my car a long way from my traps.
On the way back to my car, I took a short cut across a farm field where I normally hunt for arrowheads. As I stepped across a little washout area in the field I looked down and saw this beautiful point lying fully exposed on the ground. It was a Folsom (Fig. 1).
The Folsom is a small to medium size, very thin, high quality fluted point with well contracted pointed auricles and a concave base. The fluting usually extends the entire length of each face. The blade flaking is extremely fine and the hafting area is ground. This is a very rare type, even in the area of highest incidence. They have been found in association with extinct bison remains 9000 B.C. to 8000 B.C.
The first of October 2015, I was at a farm auction in northern Lewis County, Missouri. I purchased a box that contained thirty Central States Archaeological Journals from 1956 to 1964. I’ve been a member of GSLAS for years and I have been buying up the old journals because they are a great source of information.
On the back cover “table of contents” of the first one I opened, I noticed “Fluted Points” by Paul V. Sellers of Lewistown, Missouri. Paul’s article talked of fluted points found along the Mississippi River near LaGrange and up to Canton.
A few years ago Dr. Julie Morrow from Arkansas State University met me in Hannibal and recorded my point in the “Paleo Point Data Base” for the Missouri Archaeological Society.
Measurements of the point:
Total length: 47.8 mm Flute length side A: 37.2 mm Flute length side B: 38.0 mm Max thickness: 3.3 mm Max inter-flute thickness: 2.7 mm
I’m not sure which is more amazing to me; that this point survived for thousands of years or that because of a little mud, I had the best Christmas ever.
References
Overstreet, Robert 2001 The Overstreet Indian Arrowheads Identification and Price Guide, 7th Edition
Sellers, Paul V. 1956 Fluted Points, Central States Archaeological Journal Vol. 2, No. 3, Pages 112–113
January 2017 Central States Archaeological Journal
The last few months I have been thinking a good bit about what will happen to my and my boys’ relic collection when my ashes are spread on a Kentucky hilltop. Age, two heart attacks, six bypasses, and especially the loss of too many old buddies causes such ponderings. It has become real clear to me that we never really own these artifacts. We are just caretakers for a few years and then they pass on to the next generation.
The ideal answer is that my two boys will continue the collection and there are some indications they will follow that path. They each already own some great relics that still reside in the collection. I have told them if they want to collect, that is wonderful, but if they are just keeping this stuff because it was “Dad’s” that is the wrong answer. Relics need to be studied and enjoyed and are way too valuable to be stuck back in a box. So, if you’re not going to be a “collector,” sell them to those that are, and enjoy the proceeds. Then everybody wins. I have given them some direction on how to go about that dispersal.
I have had a number of folks visit my man cave and make comments like “This should be in a museum. It would really be a great memorial to you.” That is an interesting thought but experience and reality sets in. My old friend and mentor, Clem Caldwell, used to say “Museums are shuffling feet and unseeing eyes.” We used to call such bits of wisdom “Clemisms” and he was full of them. He had a point. Museum visitors often have no clue of what the display is really about. Even the best museums have most of their collections in storage and are seldom seen by visitors.
There is an urban legend around central Kentucky that is bothersome. Not all but a sizable portion of two old time collections, the Colbert Collection from Marion County and the Fox Collection from Clark County, were supposedly donated to the University of Kentucky. In both cases, family members later visited the U.K. museum and asked to see their relative’s collection. On both occasions the collections could not be found. The legend is, when the new office tower was constructed in the late 1960s, the old Museum of Anthropology was torn down to make room for the new construction. The archaeological collections excavated by Dr. Webb, Dr. Funkhauser, Dr. Snow, etc. were put into storage, including several thousand skeletons.
The donated collections, since they had no archaeological context, were viewed as worthless by the archaeologist. The archaeologists did not want to encourage collectors so the collections went into the foundation of the new office tower. Hopefully this is just a story, but it is nonetheless a story told around Lexington.
I do know about the fate of one great Kentucky collection that went to Eastern Kentucky University. Marion D. Kunkel operated a Standard Oil service station on the north side of my hometown, Richmond, Kentucky. Kunkel had a large display of relics in his service station and it was very much of a local landmark. When he passed in 1968, the collection went to E.K.U. to be part of the J.T. Doris Museum.
Tim Thompson and his father, Russ, did the appraisal for the donation. Dr. Doris was a noted local historian and professor. He accumulated a very nice collection of all sorts of historic artifacts which were displayed in the Old University Building on the E.K.U campus. One of my “bucket list” items is to write articles for this journal about the old time collectors. “Kunkel” was the person that started me collecting and I want to do an article about him.
The problem is I cannot obtain access to any of the Kunkel relics, in spite of repeated efforts, even involving a past president of E.K.U. In 1978, a new president saw no value in budgeting for the J.T. Doris Museum and the entire museum collection went into storage. I have not been able to even see what is in storage, hence the collection is virtually lost, as is Kunkel’s name.
Contrast such fate to relics that are in private collections. Collectors are becoming more and more meticulous about the history of artifacts which they acquire. Pedigrees are VERY important and add significantly to the value of the artifact. Ohio collectors go crazy if an artifact has a Dr. Gordon Meuser association; similarly a Copeland, Kramer, or Wehrle. How often do we hear about a piece being from Townsend, Caldwell, Dr. Young, and on and on.
So, the legacy for a collector is NOT in a museum but amongst the collector community. It has been said “A man dies twice. Once when his soul leaves his body and second when he is forgotten.” If one wants to keep his memory alive, pass your collection onto other collectors.
