Last find of the year....

[Cskelton]

I pushed in and leveled the one hole we dug this summer. Yesterday it rained a little. Went over to the spot to see if anything showed up. This dandy flake knife was sitting right on top. Its much like the other uniface flake blades we find except it has very fine edge work on the edge that is usually unworked. Probably the last find of the year for us... we are forecasted to get 1 to 3 feet of snow starting tomorrow....middle of Montana.

[redrocks]

Man u are truly fotunate to find these cool artifacts ..always posting something cool...the snow forecast is crazyman....well you do have enough elk meat ...for sure good luck. With the storm man

[Josie]

You find the most awesome artifacts! If it makes you feel any warmer, forecast here in SC is middle to upper 90's this weekend😟

[Kentucky point]

Snow!? It's 90 here, with no sign of a cool down until the end of October! (I don't mind!)

That is a dandy flake knife, and the color makes it pop. Great find!

[Jethro355]

That’s a really nice little blade. Super sharp looking...

[Tam]

Really nice jasper ? With what looks to me your usual Paleo flaking you find. Just one heck of and example of a flake knife .
Lets hope those few inches get those kids out playing and another find

[Ron Kelley]

Hey Chad, The flake knife is one of my favorite artifacts and that's one of the best. Have you ever done any screen sifting? Make a good hand shaker and find many more artifacts.

This is a common type of shaker screen:

This is Dennis's (South Fork):

[Cskelton]

Nope. Ive always toyed with the idea. It just didnt seem that important when we started doing this. The kids just jumped in the piles of dirt and started digging and everyone had so much fun!

[pkfrey]

Hey Chad, OH YES!! My favorite Paleo tool, next to a fluted point that is. Nothing better than a sizable uniface flake knife. I usually play with one while my wife is watching TV. Once in a while I'll act like I'm enjoying the movie!! ( Forum members: Our little secret! ) She doesn't read this!! This is my favorite all time Paleo uniface knife, Pa. jasper, Bush Paleo Site, Pa. Amazing micro edge flaking. This is the one I get caught playing with!!!

[pkfrey]

Thx. Ron, What's kind of odd about this site, it produced only two Clovis points, but, it's only 5 miles as the crow flies, north of Pa. famous Shoop Site. So these two Paleo culture groups lived that close to each other, but I can venture an educated guess, they never met! The material used on the Bush Site is all Pa. jasper, while there is complete absence of this jasper at the Shoop. And not a single flake on Onondaga chert at the Bush. You would think if these two groups met they would have traded materials. And the fluted points are of a different nature than the Shoop. What this might mean, IDK, just an odd coincidence I guess.

[sailorjoe]

Yes, a dandy Paleo knife for sure. Regarding the difference in lithics at the two sites. My idea is that, although they are both Paleo, they could have been separated by a couple of hundred years more or less, Consequently, they may have been from groups that had access and used materials from different areas. Just thinking.

[pkfrey]

That's true. Just because we generalize the Paleo folks at around 10,000 B.C., it could have been as little as a week passed when they were at the Bush Site. And the Bush Site wasn't a habitation site. The whole site after many years of hunting only produced two fluted points, this knife, and seven jasper tools. What separates the two sites is the absence of tiny retouch flakes from constant resharpening tools. So the Paleo folks at the Bush Site simply were passing through, and had no reason to visit the next valley over where they would have encountered the Shoop people. Actually, my theory is, due to the lack of more tools and habitation debris, and in fact, all the tools were in original unresharpened condition, what I found could have been the entire tool kit of a single Paleo Indian who may have lost it while passing through, or on a hunting excursion. Bet he was mad when he moved on and realized he lost his survival gear!!!!.

[Artifascination]

Nice Find! I couldn’t imagine snow right now. Heck it doesn’t even snow in December down here.

[SurfaceHunter]

Hard to believe you are getting snow already it was 102 today here in NGA no rain got a sprinkle yesterday better than nothing I guess. Big like on that blade one of my favorite things to find

[Havenhunter]

That’s beautiful! If you’re lucky, this is just s freak early storm & it will melt.

[gregszybala]

Wow and Wow! To the find and the weather

[sailorjoe]

Hi Chad, that is a super dandy uniface knife. Congratulations.

[oldrocks2]

Super blade, would be a plus to any tool frame.

[Tam]

Chad Johnny is big on digging . He has a set up with screens and could probably tell you or give you ideas that work and have not for him . Very successful in his ventures just does not posts as much .
As you taught me about the pond I am going to make a pilgrimage out to his place for lessons one day .
we can al learn new tricks