Why did they choose this spot?

[Mr Bojangles]

I've been finding artifacts on my property in Kansas. The land is surrounded by cropland. The land I've been finding stuff on is my pasture that sets on on a hill. The top of the hill is very flat for about 5 acres. It's a pretty sight when standing on top of the hill looking at the landscape. It's definitely a good vantage point. On the flat part there are flakes all over. There appears to be a fire pit area where I've found most of my artifacts. The nearest water source is about a mile away, a spring fed creek. I'm just curious what they were doing there? My brother thinks it was a scouting point. I've wondered if it was just a place to stop occasionally while on a hunting trip. Any ideas why they would have chosen that location to occupy? I'm always wondering about it while I'm looking for arrowheads.

[Hal Gorges]

Hi Bo, post some pics.of the site and surrounding areas, I’ve never been to Kansas...How spread out is the flake area?..Pic of fire pit would help, might’ve been from a burned out tree, I really can’t visualize that site yet...From what you found so far,these were not N/A’s riding horses hunting Buffalo, and the landscape probably looked much different 3-4 thousand years ago during the Archaic period, look up Archaic period in Kansas, that will help you think like they did,,that’s a start, you’ve found some nice artifacts., Anyway, the more you find and think about it all, after a while you’ll have some pretty good theories about your site, don’t know if I’m making any sense, it’s too early in the morning, at 8:00 I might hate this post but for now it’s all I got.. lol.

[Jethro355]

Hal, from a high point in Kansas, you can see the rest of Kansas.

😮😇

Honestly, I’ve heard people say Kansas is ugly and un-scenic, but I’ve been there many times and I love it. I like the fact that you can see until your eyes get tired of looking...and the rolling hills are very soothing to me.

I too would be interested in knowing where Mr. bojangles is from. It’s a big ole state.

(Now I’ve got that song in my head)🤷🏿♂️

[gregszybala]

Good visibility, well drained soil and probably at some time in the past a spring close by. Would like to see what types of points you are finding, that will give some idea of when and how long the site was used. If you do take pictures and posts them remember to turn off gps on photos before taking.

[Hal Gorges]

Bo’s got one posted in “first arrowhead ever”.

[Mr Bojangles]

If the weather dries up a little I can go back and shoot some photos. The flakes seem to be spread over the flat area with high concentrations here and there and barely anything in other places. The flat area is a limestone rock layer with a thin layer of dirt. There is a ravine just off the hill that leads into a spring fed creek (the creek is about a mile away) I wonder if they traveled the ravine to the hill from time to time. I plan to be looking in that ravine soon for artifacts.

[Uncle Trav]

It’s interesting to think of how the land may have changed over time in the area of your local artifact hunting sites. What also interests me is how long some of these sites were used. The small seasonal camp area I am hunting was occupied through historical times but I have found evidence of Paleo activity on the same spot. Obviously the spot was well situated and remembered as a good camp spot for a very long time. Depending on the location water features like river and stream courses can change by miles. Water sources can come and go or disappear entirely. Climate swings over thousands of years can effect game populations and crops as well so people had to adjust to those changes. Some campsites had an ebb and flow of occupation over thousands of years and some were often a one shot deal. Of course this is just my opinion and I’m not an expert on anything. For me understanding a site in it’s entirety is a big part of the fun of this hobby. Sorry for rambling on.