Enjoying our natural history, one point at a time

Cutline-File Credit:Submitted photo

Ever since I found my first arrowhead by accident four years ago, looking for prehistoric artifacts has become somewhat of an addiction. And with every piece I find that is new to me I learn just a bit more about our region’s past, and it’s that discovery, that anticipation of something different, that feeds my habit. Well, that and finding cool things.

One evening early last month I took a walk through a recently disked field. There was leaf duff and tree bark littering the ground, but to my surprise I found my smallest “bird point” to date. I guess my eyes are getting trained to find such tiny things.

Because this piece was new to me, I sent a few images of it to an archaeologist who confirmed it was a Madison point and derives its name from the county in Illinois just east of St. Louis.

My piece, possibly made from translucent quartz, measures 1 inch long by 5/8 inch wide. If held up to the light, one could easily see the brown speckles and translucent edges.

It would likely be impossible to determine what local American Indian tribe would have used the point, but we can at least tell that it was from the Late Woodland or Mississippian periods, roughly 1,100 to 300 years ago.

The Madison points are more of a traditional arrowhead than the 4-inch-long sugar quartz piece I found four years ago, and they could have taken game such as squirrels, rabbits, pigeons and possibly deer.

I have found a variety of points the last couple years, mostly broken but some intact, including Godars, Daltons, Graham Caves and a variety of blades. Point hunting has become for me a way to enjoy our natural history and helps me learn who inhabited nearby hills over the centuries.