On a recent project in western Nebraska, archeologists from the Nebraska State Historical Society’s (NSHS) State Archeology Office (SAO) made an unexpected discovery. While testing a Native American archeological site dating to the 1600s, a partial Clovis point was discovered in a shovel test excavation ahead of planned construction. The point was found about 15 centimeters (5.9 inches) below the ground surface, mixed with artifacts from much later in time.
Clovis spear points are representative of the oldest well-dated cultural complex in North America. These distinctive fluted points have been found across much of the U.S. and Canada, as well as south into Mexico, dating between 13,000 and 12,000 years ago. In the Nebraska Cultural Resources Geographic Information System (NCRGIS) managed by the SAO and containing details on all recorded archeological sites in Nebraska, only six out of nearly 12,000 documented site locations contain a Clovis component. Two of those sites have been inspected by professional archeologists, while the other four are based only on information supplied by landowners. All six of the finds have been located on the surface, in gravel deposits in streams, or pumped out of gravel pits. While we know there are additional Clovis points in private collections collected from across Nebraska, they have not been formally entered into the NCRGIS at this time.
This recent find represents the first subsurface Clovis site documented by the SAO. The point is made out of White River Group chalcedony which outcrops and was used locally in southwestern South Dakota, western Nebraska, and northeastern Colorado. It has a bending break at the hafting point and was broken when it was thrown and hit something hard, such as bone or the ground itself. The broken point was later removed from the haft by the hunter and discarded, only to be found 12,000 years later mixed with refuse left behind 400 years ago. SAO staff will conduct additional analysis on the point base, including portable X-ray fluorescence testing to better define the stone’s source location, and additional testing to attempt to locate additional Clovis artifacts will be conducted in the near future.
(Published September 20, 2024)
