by Franklin Scott Crawfordwww.ArrowheadCollectingOnTheWeb.com

www.StoneBreaker-FSC.net

CLOVISThe First Americans?

Arro

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A Special Edition

Does The Evident Mastery Of All Knapping ResourcesNot Imply An Earlier Cultural Presence Than Clovis?

Does The Evident Mastery Of All Knapping ResourcesNot Imply An Earlier Cultural Presence Than Clovis?

Over 13,000 years ago ... those ancientpeoples in North America at the end ofthe Ice Age were already using almostevery source of good knapping stonewhich we know about today.

How could the “Clovis” culture possi-bly be the first people on this continent?

“Looking for ... ” stone “ ... in all the right places ... ”Traveling, hunting and exploring all of

this vast land on foot ... discovering andmaking extensive use of virtually everyknown stone resource in every corner ofthe continent ... all in a period of just 300or 400 years?

How was it possible for a small, pio-neering population to

discover everything, everywhere, with nolocal inhabitants to guide their travels anddiscoveries, even as they spread theirunique flint knapping technology fromcoast to coast in as few as 10 or 15 genera-tions?

It just does not make practical sense toclaim that no one else was here exploring

before the “Clovis” culture arrived. Thatany single pioneering group almost im-mediately would be able to and actuallywould discover all of the existing lithicresources stretches credulity to the break-ing point.

That’s the heart and core of my theoryand I’m sticking to it.

Here’s a tantalizing hint: “Haskett” points, of which this is the best known example, found in eastern Oregon,have been proven to be older than Clovis points found in the region. This 8” dacite Haskett was found by ErnieCowles in the 1930’s on the “OO” ranch. Photograph by Randall McNeice.

Here’s another tantalizing hint: an un-classified Paleo Indian blade type, of which this is the finestexample, is made in a different style from the Haskett points. With its extraordinary pressure flak-ing finish and re-sharpening work, it is quite different from western style Clovis points found in theregion. Most western style Clovis points are made with percussion and trimmed and sharpened witha relatively small amount of pressure flaking. This 7-1/2” obsidian blade was found by Ernie Cowlesin the 1930’s on the “OO” ranch. Photograph by Randall McNeice.

A “Windust” point very similar to thiswas found under a burial discovered bya gravel quarrying operation near Buhl,in Twin Falls County, Idaho in 1989.The burial was carbon-14 dated to10,675 +/- 95 radio carbon years B.P.This corresponds to about 11,875 calen-dar years B.P., about 1000 years afterthe Clovis period of 13,200 to 12,900calendar years B.P.

“Alder Complex”points also date tothe Paleo Indianperiod in the RockyMountains and westto the Great Basinand Northwest. Thisexample was foundin eastern Oregon inthe early 1950’s byVernon Immel, in theCatlow Valley.

Exploring the southern view from high up on Glass Buttes in eastern Oregon’s Lake County in 2005A.D. Right: Large Clovis knives from a cache (agate) and a surface find (obsidian) near Wenatchee,Washington. Photographs by the author of casts (from www.LithicCastingLab.com).

“I went to the desert on a horse with no name ... ”

Here’s another way to think about theeffectiveness of the ancient geologic sur-vey of North America that is evidenced bythe wide variety of stone used by the“Clovis” culture: It has taken the U.S.Geological Survey 200 years to survey,

discover, catalog and inform us of thevarious rock and mineral resources avail-able across the continent.

With modern transportation some fewof us today are actually able to travel toand see and sometimes use the same

resources that the “Clovis” culture’s in-trepid explorers discovered, on foot, over13,000 years ago, in just a few generations.

Science tells us that their time periodlasted only 300 to 500 years or so.

It boggles the mind to consider thatthey found almost every resource in allthe remote corners of this land by them-selves, while pursuing big and smallgame to feed their family groups ... andthat there was supposedly no one elsealready here, discovering and spreadingknowledge about the land’s resources asthese things were found.

There is yet much to be learned aboutthe earliest inhabitants of this continent,who they were, where they came fromand when they got here ... everywhere.

Obsidian Clovis spear pointfrom eastern Oregon, foundin the 1930’s between FortRock Cave and the town of

Fort Rock, Oregon. Photo byRandall McNeice.

Clovis spear point fromArizona. Photo by BBC.

The author, F.Scott Crawford,

examines a largechunk of

Bullseye Jasperfrom near the

old mining townof Goldfield,in Esmeralda

County, westernNevada, in May,

2009 A.D.

“Elko CornerNotched” knife,Late ArchaicPeriod, found byClifford Carneyin White PineCounty, north-ern Nevada, in2000 A.D.

On this month’scover:

Several “Clovis”points of differentsizes and styles,from all regions ofNorth America.Photo by theauthor, of castswhich were madefrom the originalartifacts by theLithic Casting Lab.

“the eyes of Texas are upon you, all the live long day ... ”

Clovis points found in Williamson and Bell Counties in central Texas.The point on the right was found by Cecil Harris on his farm nearBartlett in Williamson County in 1952. From the L.M. Abbott Collec-tion, now held at the Doss Heritage and Cultural Center in Weatherford.

A spall of Edwards Plateau flint lies exposed to the elements at theGault Site north of Austin in Williamson County, Texas. Gault wascontinuously occupied, ever since the time that a major Clovis camp andtool making site was based here for several centuries.

Clovis points found in Williamson County in central Texas. These wererecovered during archaeological excavations by the University of Texasat Austin, at the Gault Site in the 1990’s.

Broken nodules of Edwards Plateau flint arevisible in dug out cracks in the limestone wallof a creek valley at the Gault Site north ofAustin in Williamson County, Texas. Flint hasbeen quarried at this site by every culturewhich has lived in Texas, up to and even afterthe time of the first Spanish settlements.

“Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam ... ”

This is a cast (by Lithic Casting Lab) of the largestClovis knife or lance point in the “Fenn Cache” ... agroup of 56 Clovis points, preforms and other toolsfound by Forrest Fenn somewhere in the regionwhere Utah, Wyoming and Idaho meet. Photos bythe author.

This blade is made from agate from Utah. Thoughnot entirely finished, it is a beautiful example of theknapper’s percussion work, discipline and crafts-manship. It measures 8-1/4” long by 2-1/8” wide.

Other implements in the Fenn Cache were madefrom agate from east-central Utah, obsidian fromsoutheastern Idaho, smoky quartz crystal, variouscolors of Green River Formation cherts from south-western Wyoming and red jasper from northernWyoming.

This cast (by LithicCasting Lab) shows whatmany archaeologists andflint knappers consider tobe the finest knownexample of the classic“outre passe” or overshot,edge to edge percussionknapping techniquewhich is a unique signa-ture of this Paleo Indiancultural group.

This Clovis knife or lancepoint was also part of the“Fenn Cache”.

This blade is knappedfrom red Jasper from theBighorn Mountains innorthern Wyoming. Theconsistent, diagonal flakescars are a beautiful andoutstanding example of aparticular knapper’shighly skilled percussionwork. It measures 6”long by 1-13/16” wide.

According to GeorgeFrison and Bruce Brad-

ley, in their book “THEFENN CACHE CLOVISWEAPONS ANDTOOLS”, “The materialis so good that prehistoricpeoples may have gone tosome effort to get it... Onecomplication is that itoccurs at such a highaltitude that, for much ofthe year, it is inaccessiblebecause of snow. Thatmay have been even moreof a problem at the end ofthe Ice Age, when Clovispeople were in the area,because it is likely thatsome years it wasn’tpossible to get to it atall.”

“If ... mostly huntinglarge game animals, suchas bison and mammoths,what were they doinghigh in the snow-coveredBig Horn Mountains?How did they find all ofthe rare, out-of-the-waystone sources?”

A herd of American bison or buffalo, only partially“fenced in” along the highway south of Grand TetonNational Park in northwestern Wyoming’s RockyMountains. Photographed by the author’s stepdaughter, Li Ting Kong, in May 2009.

Knife River Flint quarries shape this North Dakota farm.

This cast shows a late-stage preform of aFolsom point which was cut in half by thesecond flute removal ... which dove throughthe middle of the blade rather than continuingfor the intended length of the flute.

The removal of the fluting blades took place bystriking a small platform prepared at the baseend of the planned projectile point, either bypercussion or indirect percussion. The rem-nant of the prepared platform remains visible.

The two pieces were found four years apart atthe shoreline of Sakakewa Lake in MontrailCounty, North Dakota, just west of NewTown.

It is made from Knife River flint, which issilicified lignite. Shown here at actual size,with the two pieces joined together when thecast was produced by Lithic Casting Lab.

This fluted Knife River Flint spear point showsthe typical inclusions (white colored bits offossilized plant material remaining from theoriginal lignite) which we see in the semi-trans-lucent KRF material. Very nicely made, andappears glossy with age patina. Ex C. Shewey.

This “Scottsbluff” spear point is made fromKnife River Flint. It shows the typical inclu-sions from the original lignite. Very nicelymade, and appears glossy with age patina.Dates to late Paleo/early Archaic period. Foundover much of the United States. 3-1/2” long.

These pieces ofKnife River Flintshow the typical“inclusions” (whitecolored bits offossilized plantremains) which wesee in semi-translu-cent KRF material.

The silicified lignitealso retains thelayered form of theoriginal coal mate-rial, so it tends tobreak in flat piecesalong those layers.You may be able tosee the lines alongthose layers in theside of the topchunk.

The background photograph shows a farmer’s field in North Dakota which is covered by ancientdugout pits where native craftsman quarried Knife River Flint from buried deposits of silicifiedlignite coal. At some ancient time these coal beds were covered by volcanic ash, from which, in eonsof time, the silica in the ash replaced the lignite in the layers beneath the volcanic ash.

Knife River Flint was prized for its excellent characteristics: sharp tools and relatively easy to workwith, requiring no heat treatment, etc. It was traded far and wide in the Great Plains and beyond.

Photographed for ACOTW by David McDonald.

Drifting across the High Plains of Nebraska in winter.

Here are two different Clovis points from northernNebraska, found by the Grandfather of a long-timereader of ACOTW. She remembers helping himlook for artifacts along the sand bars of the LoupRiver when she was a child. These are regionalagate. Shown actual size.

Several different Paleo Indian period projectile points. The large, stemmed spearpoint is an agate “Alberta”, a Paleo era predecessor to the “Scottsbluff” style pointsfrom the late Paleo/early Archaic period. These were also found by StephanieRoberts’ Grandfather many years ago in northern Nebraska. These are made ofvarious regional agates and cherts, shown here actual size.

In the overall scheme ofPaleo Indian points, the“Alberta” point is apredecessor to theScottsbluff, Eden, Codyand other square basedpoints with slight tostrong shoulders.The Alberta point waswider and more massivethan the succeedingstyles. This point isabout 3-1/2” long by1-1/2” wide.

“... that old man river ... he just keeps rollin’ along ...”

Both sides of a Chert Clovisfrom Linn County, Iowa, witha Perino Certificate of Authen-ticity.

Two views of a cast of an “Enterline” styleClovis point from Pike County, Illinois. Thisrefers to the dual guide flakes seen in the topphoto. These were made in preparation for thefinal flute removal. In this case, not performed.Burlington chert, measures 4-1/16” long.

A Flint Ridge“Cumberland”

point from AdamsCounty, Ohio, witha Perino Certificate

of Authenticity.

A ChertClovisfrom ButlerCounty inMissouri,known as a“St. Louis”style point,with a BenStermerCOA.

A Dover Chert “Redstone” dart point or knifeblade from southern Tennessee or northernAlabama, with a Ben Stermer Certificate ofAuthenticity.

A Clovis point from Bureau County, Illinois.This one was found in a mound built by anArchaic culture ... which means that it wasfound by someone from that time period andburied again ... only to be discovered once morein modern times.

A Coshoctin Flint Clovis from Coshoctin Co.,Ohio, with Ben Stermer and Tom Davis COAs.

A Plum Creek Chert Clovis from PickawasCounty, Ohio.

A Chert “Quad” fromBreckenridge County,Kentucky, with a BillJackson Certificate ofAuthenticity.

All of these Paleo Indian period projectilepoints are from the central region of the U.S.,along or near the confluence of the Ohio Riverand the Mississippi River. The backgroundimage shows the corners of Missouri, Kentuckyand Illinois in the immediate vicinity of thisriver junction. The region was rich in re-sources and had a long-time concentration ofPaleo Indian inhabitants.The inset photos, except for the “Enterline”style Clovis cast, are from Bruce Pailler.

“Way up north ... north to Alaska, the rush is on ... ”

An Arctic Paleo variety known as “Choris”,found in Cape Krusenstern, north of Kotzebue,Alaska. Blue green chert with red jasper colorand some dendritic patterns. Photo by WilliamSidmore.

An Arctic Paleo “Clovis”, a surface find on ahigh bluff overlooking the valley of the Ameri-can River, on the Seward Peninsula, Alaska.Blue green chert, 3-1/4” long. Photo by WilliamSidmore.

An Alaskan Arctic shoreline scene along theSeward Peninsula, with piles of drift wood andwhale vertebrae. Photo by William Sidmore.

“Way down upon the S’wanee River, far, far away ... ”

A base flutedChert “Clovis”point fromFlorida, withslight damageto one auricle(ear) at thebase.

An agate or perhaps agatized, fossilcoral “Suwanee” style spear pointfrom Florida.

Actually, this alligator was photographed bythe author along the upper reaches of the St.Johns River between Orlando and CapeCanaveral in Florida, in May 2011.

All of the inset photographs of Florida “Clovis”and “Suwanee” style Paleo Indian spear pointsare from the Paleo Indian Data Base, Universityof Kentucky. http://pidba.utk.edu

A “Suwanee” style spear point fromFlorida, perhaps made from a colorfulpiece of agatized fossil coral.

An agate or flint“Suwanee” stylespear point fromFlorida. The“Suwanee” stylehas a noticeable“fish tail” form,with the basenarrowed, andflaring ears, withbasal thinningflakes but usuallyit is not “fluted”.

A very colorful,fluted Chert“Clovis” pointfrom Florida.

A base fluted Chert or Jasper“Clovis” point from Florida.

After the storms of 2011 stirred up the Chesapeake Bay ...

Ohio Lanceolate (Transitional Paleo/Early Archaic -- 10,500 - 8000 B.P.)Rhyolite. Found by Mike Lundmarkalong the Potomac River in 2010.

Ohio Lanceolate (Transitional Paleo/Early Archaic -- 10,500 - 8000 B.P.)Milky Quartz. Found by MikeLundmark along the Potomac Riverin 2010.

Quartz Savannah River point (Late Archaic Period) half buried in an assembly of oyster shells and sand pol-ished quartz chunks. The quartz pieces were an excellent resource around the Chesapeake Bay and on thePotomac River for generation after generation of native peoples. Inset, actual size. Found by Mike Lundmarkin August 2011.

LeCroy dart point from Virginia/North Carolina area on the eastern

seaboard (Early Archaic -- 9000 -5000 B.P.). Quartz crystal. Shown

here actual size.

Above: A selection of Clovis pointsfrom North Carolina. Right: Quartzcrystal Clovis points from NorthCarolina; shown actual size.

“from sea to shining sea ... ” with every knapping stone.

www.ArrowheadCollectingOnTheWeb.comwww.StoneBreaker-FSC.net

© 2012. All rights reserved. Franklin Scott Crawford, Carrollton, Texas.

Arrow

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On The W

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Volume IV, N

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May 2012

“Fluted Points 13,000 B.P.”“This map encompasses allClovis and Clovis variants,

plus all untyped fluted formsthat have not yet been un-

equivocally assigned to a latertype like Folsom, Barnes,

Cumberland, etc., in the data-base.” -- Paleo Indian Data Base,

University of Kentucky.http://pidba.utk.edu

If there was this wide distri-bution of the Clovis technologyacross North America in 13,000B.P., what did the distributionlook like in 15,000 B.P.? Whatpeople were here then, whowould eventually adopt andspread the apparently success-ful fluting style projectile pointmanufacturing process we seeso widely in use all across thecontinent. Pages 22-23 showthe wide variety of stone in use... representing almost everylithic resource ever used overthe last 13,000 years in NorthAmerica.

When we consider the distri-bution of known fluted pointsin the Clovis tradition, notthose of later date such asFolsom, Barnes, Cumberland,Redstone and others flutedwith newer, indirect percussionmethods, it certainly appears

that an extensive and wideranging population existed atthat point in time.

And it definitely looks as ifthe major population wasestablished in the easternportion of the continent, fromthe Mississippi valley east.

The West looks explored andpopulated in regions whereresources were available, waterwas reliable and game wasplentiful.

The so-called “Ice FreeCorridor” looks like a zone ofexploration and pioneeringextension which pushed northas the glaciers retreated.

If anything, this snapshot ofClovis distribution at 13,000B.P. looks like an expansionfrom East to West, with re-sources either widely discov-ered during the explorations orperhaps pointed out by alreadyknowledgeable indigenous orpredecessor populations.

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