Indian artifact hunting

[Hkindiana]

Sounds like glass/flint creek in Harrison/Crawford forest....that whole creek bank is nothing but nodules of Indiana hornstone going up 30 plus feet with narrow trails to get you to them...it's a dry branch (that leads to the boat ramp on the river) and if you walked barefoot in it for 5 yards your feet would be in shreds.....if every flake is an artifact, and I am told they are, then Harrison/Crawford is the only state land where you can follow the designated trail to the dry branch on your hike and literally destroy artifacts with every step you take on your way down to the river and not get in any trouble....there must've been hundreds of people working it per day and taking nodules down to the river landing for trade.....

The difference between fossiliferous limestone/chert is that it forms in beds/layers in limestone, and hornstone which forms in nodules

 

[yetti462]

I do a little bit of knapping, when you shape one out it makes you appreciate the craftsmanship of the natives. I'll post up some of my obsidian points later.

 

[Hoosier Carry]

I do a little bit of knapping, when you shape one out it makes you appreciate the craftsmanship of the natives. I'll post up some of my obsidian points later.

Nice! I watched a couple videos of a guy shaping out a point. Looks fun.

So why did they use fire to the rock? Was this to harden it after the knapping process or did they do it during the shaping?

I know I could google it but then we couldnt talk about it.

 

[COOPADUP]

I have always been curious about this granite stone and what it might have been used for.
I found the point in my yard after digging a sidewalk.

 

[Hkindiana]

Many types of stone benefit from heat treating before knapping, by making it more smooth, “brittle”, and glasslike, and thus easier to knap. Other stones like obsidian and hornstone (Harrison county flint) do not benefit from heat treating because it is already glasslike, and perfect for knapping. Heat treating stone can also change the color of the stone giving it any color of the rainbow. Some stone simply cannot be knapped unless it is heat treated.

 

[Magyars]

I have always been curious about this granite stone and what it might have been used for.
I found the point in my yard after digging a sidewalk.

Stone might have been for a fire starting bow drill.

 

[COOPADUP]

Stone might have been for a fire starting bow drill.

That makes total sense. Thanks Magyars!

 

[Magyars]

That makes total sense. Thanks Magyars!
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Pretty cool find I might add!

 

[COOPADUP]

Pretty cool find I might add!

My father actually found it on his property about 25 years ago. Fortville area.
He gave me that piece and I’ve kept it ever since.
I kinda want to try to start a fire with it now.

 

[indiucky]

I have always been curious about this granite stone and what it might have been used for.
I found the point in my yard after digging a sidewalk.

Just my opinion....but if I needed to make a piece of deer antler or bone into an awl for sewing....I'd totally use that groove in the granite to sharpen it up....and if I wanted to round off the top of the awl or needle that's what I'd use that round divot for....

looks to me like that's a perfect stone for making awls or needles......imho..

 

[duff]

Walked fields in the 80s around Madison, Hamilton and Tipton Co. Mostly around Perkinsville. We would hit the hill tops where the top soil had washed off. Dad and I found some good artifacts. His mom's family was from Central KY, We visited one year and walked the tobacco fields and found some awesome points. Dad's cousin had 5 gallon buckets of points in his garage. I was in heaven sifting and sorting. He gave us some phenomenal pieces in the hornstone.

Occasionally find others in dry creek beds while out and about.

 

[1SG USA Ret]

I cannot over emphasize getting permission from the land owner. I know a lady who has a farm between Mathews and Muncie on old Wheeling Pike. She has caught people stealing arrowheads on her property and calls the Sheriff. She has them arrested and presses charges. Same for stealing walnuts. People think just because the walnuts have dropped from her trees, it is OK to take them. The "professional" arrowhead hunters are the worst. They know after a fresh rain, the water washes down her land into the Mississinewa River, uncovering arrowheads. Her neighbors also keep a lookout for her. Most of these farmers have nice collections and will let you hunt arrowheads as long as you offer to share what you find. Remember, they pay property taxes on their land and they hate trespassers!

 

[Piezak]

When I was a kid, my dad would be planting corn in North West Illinois. It was often that he would stop the ole John Deere 60, climb down and pick up another arrowhead. He just seemed to have an eye for seeing them.
I just didn't seem to have that gift.
When my sister was a preschooler, she reached down and picked up a dark grey tomahawk head that was laying on the bank of a small creek near the Rock River.

 

[yetti462]

Found this today, it's been worked but don't know what it is.

 

[Magyars]

Found this today, it's been worked but don't know what it is.

How thick is it? I'm only seeing some , maybe rudimentary knaping

 

[yetti462]

It's crude , guessing 3/8" thick

 

[Hkindiana]

If anything, it looks like it might be a hide scraper

 

[Magyars]

It's crude , guessing 3/8" thick

No clue, to be honest....and I'm no expert....I can't be certain it is an artifact

 

[yetti462]

No clue, to be honest....and I'm no expert....I can't be certain it is an artifact

Ill send a pic of it to an archeologist buddy of mine, see if he knows.
Update:
Buddy said it's a knife of sorts .

 

[tcecil88]

We used to find LOTS of stuff in the plowed fields around our house in Hancock Co. when I was little. We even found a pile of stone axe heads, all perfect condition. There were 6 or 7 if I recall and one was 8 inches long or so. The rest were between 5 and 6 inches. I have an ammo can full of arrow heads somewhere. There is a few spear points and one nice tomahawk head in there as well. I found a nice arrow head right off our porch in Perry county near Branchville a few years ago.