Think I found a camp/work site.

[Owsley]

So the title says it all. I believe I might of found a camp/work site. Don’t think I found anything too good,but I truly think I might be on to somthing. The majority is just flakes and chips ,maybe a core. but a few appear to have a little more work done to them. One even looks like maybe a broken drill?
As I’ve said in previous posts I’m very new to this, I’m still trying to find my first point, So I’m mainly just looking for conformation that I’m not just picking up “rocks” so I can stop second guessing myself. but also curious as to opinion on the few I think could be more than flake.
All this came from 15 mins of looking(was in a hurry just driving past) on the side of a gravel road. It was everywhere! Could hardly walk without stepping on flakes. Which is why I believe this to be a work shop type camp, but it also caused my skepticism. I just couldn’t believe I was standing in a field of flake.. was like being a kid in a candy store to a noob like me!
First pic is everything found, the rest are the couple I’m thinking might be more. Possible broken knife/scraper? And what I’m thinking could be a broken drill missing tip? Thanks in advance for any info!!!!

[Kentucky point]

Some of them look like plain pieces of chert, but a few definitely look like cores or flakes. Keep searching!

[Broken Arrow]

Looks like a good haul of flakes to me. This spot you've found looks promising and imo you've found a site of some sort. I'm not seeing a drill but i do see a core a couple possible scrapers and maybe a graver or two. You need to hit that area hard, there is bound to be some good stuff there. It always brings a smile to my face when I step into a field and see flakes littering the ground. Good luck, you're definitely onto something that looks very promising.

[Owsley]

This is the one I thought could be some type of drill, I imagined the tip extending up like so.. but I’m very likely being just that... imaginative
I apologize for the horrible photo edit, but you get the jist haha.

[Owsley]

Any other opinions? Won’t be able to get back to this spot till next weekend.

[pkfrey]

Did Owsley mention where he's finding all this? Maybe I missed it. State and county would be good. Or at least state. Then maybe we can help identify the material. A lot looks like jasper, maybe even some Moss jasper mixed in.

[Owsley]

Hey pkfrey, sorry no I never did give a location. They were found in eastern Wyoming, The “ Spanish digging” are 50ish miles away as the crow flies,
my main concern was if they are indeed flakes/debatage/maybe artifacts.
I find I learn best when I get reassurance in these early years of hunting.
But yes plz any info including on material is greatly appreciated!!

[pkfrey]

I kind of thought you were out west some where. I thought maybe Co., because some of your material is Moss Agate. And some of the larger pieces around the outside in your photo look like porcellanite, a lithic that occurs in both Wyo. and Mont., and used for artifacts. It looks like you do have a pile of debitage, and waste flakes from thinning out chunks of the lithic material, what ever that might be. But, you should be finding either finished points and tools, or at the least, definable preforms.

[Owsley]

Thanks! I’m definitely going back to poke around, only problem is the area is around 2 hrs away. So can’t just run out there like I want.
On finding finished points and preforms.
This was just an opportunistic pit stop on the way home from vacation last week, for 15 mins total. Need to put in a few hours minimum imo.
I thought maybe this one could possibly be a small broken preform or scraper,and then the “drill” that i posted above. I’m likely wrong on the drill tho. Opinions?
After doing a ton of research on the area over the last week I’m finding a lack of finished points in the area. The few studys suggest that it’s from the close proximity to the quarry’s. Ton of scrapers and biface performs but very few points. So I’m not holding my breath that this will be where my first point comes from. But I still get excited just to see the flake! Thanks again for the info!!

[pkfrey]

Sorry, Owsley, but I don't think that's a drill form. The closest it would be is a " paddle " drill, but the base isn't finished at all. The base would have fine thinning flakes, and the edge would be retouched and then ground with a nice, rolled grinding with polish. It's probably just a random debitage flake and coincidental that it has that drill tip shape. If your truly in a quarry context, then your chances of finding a finished point are very slim. You might get lucky and find one or two, but this is a scenario where the natives were breaking open cobbles and chunks of the different cherts, and making smaller preforms to take back to the camp/village site to finish the points and tools. Keep expanding your search area and you will eventually find where the main camp was, and that's where you will find the finished tools. Look for natural springs that might flow into a small pond or even a medium size lake, and hunt the shorelines. I've hunted artifacts in your area, they are there. Look for elevated areas, like small hilltops that have an expanded area on top. I found a lot of small sites after a short climb to the top of smaller hills that had springs flowing into nothing more than a trickle of a creek. Just keep looking!

[Owsley]

Thanks!! I thought it was a stretch. I plan on heading back to the area next weekend and spend a bit more time, I’ll def post an update if anything cool found.

[Owsley]

Well we finally made it back out to this spot,had the hunt cut short by bad weather but managed to fill the pockets with flake. Was honestly just picking up everything. Still nothing to brag about that I’m seeing. But did find a few that appear to have little extra work put into them, not sure if the bigger ones are just spalls or would classify as a biface. But mostly just waste flake.

[Broken Arrow]

Got ya a couple cores in there. Nice haul of flakes. Possibly some tools in there. The piece on the left in the next to last pic has a little spur to it, maybe a graver.. Stick with that spot it has alot of potential!

[Tam]

Those look more promising .Paul did an excellent job on dicribing where you are at . The last photo looks like there is flaking around the edges .Posting to see if he gets back on . Looks like a couple of thumb nail scrappers in there maybe a flake knife . If you see really good secondary flaking on that last pic your on to somthing .

[pkfrey]

Owsley, I'm not quite sure what to make of what your finding. The two in the last photo look like finished tools made on a flakeaken off a core. A possible scraper and flake knife that Tam pointed out. ( Getting better Tam!! ). And maybe a graver spur on the piece BA pointed out. But, this would be characteristic of very old tools, suggesting Paleo period. But I don't see the " aged " weathered surface appearance on these pieces. Especially if these are surface finds. In order to put all these cores, preforms, flakes and chips into perspective, you need to find some finished points that can be typed. I think your in a work shop/small quarry area possibly, and this may even all be from a historic site. The Natives made and used stone points far out of the prehistoric era, and into the 16th - 18th century. Some of those larger pieces your holding, simply look to fresh to be prehistoric. Especially in the second photo, the jasper ( Niobrara? ) piece on the left doesn't exhibit any wind or erosional polish. So, GO FIND A COMPLETE ARROW POINT, so we can decide what's going on out there!!!