Prehistory, especially in the Americas, is a complex labyrinth of discoveries. These people left behind no written record and therefore we must use archaeological evidence in order to try to understand and honor them. It is not enough to just know the classifications of the projectile points, we must ask ourselves what the points tell us about the lives of the people who made, used, and discarded these projectiles. Rice County has been populated since the end of the last Ice Age, and most of the county's history belongs to these people who have been buried by others through force. There is little left of these people, but even the broken pieces of projectiles can tell us a great deal about the people who wielded them in the first place. ;xNLx;;xNLx;This timeline utilizes the Irwin Smith and Dale Hamilton collections of projectile points. Irwin Smith donated two collections in 1974, which together have 375 projectile points in them. Dale Hamilton donated his collection in 2011, and it contains 200 projectile points. These points were then catalogued by Mervin G. Floodman, who categorized and chronicled the points based on typology. These approximated dates and identifications are the ones utilized in the creation of this timeline. The pictures used are meant to show samples of what these kinds of points look like and are not of the points in exhibit at the Rice County Historical Society.;xNLx;;xNLx;This timeline hardly scratches the surface of the 13,000 years of prehistory the varying groups of Rice County lived in. Prehistory is an ever-growing, ever-evolving field of study and informs us of the present as much as the news we hear today. ;xNLx;;xNLx;Key concepts and terms:;xNLx;Prehistory – the period of time before written records ;xNLx;Circa – "about" in Latin and is used here to show approximate dating;xNLx;Projectile point – object hafted to a weapon or tool which is able to thrown or projected;xNLx;Hafting – the process of connecting a projectile point to a handle or shaft with string, adhesive, or other means;xNLx;Flake – also called a flute; the pattern left behind when a piece of stone is removed, usually with another stone;xNLx;Cluster – a group of related projectile points ;xNLx;Distribution – where points are found in North America;xNLx;Trade – the transfer of goods, services, innovations, etc. between different peoples;xNLx;Migration – the movement, emergence, and divergence of different peoples;xNLx;Nomadic – characteristic of people who followed wild food sources;xNLx;Sedentary – characteristic of people who settled in one place and developed farming
Rice County has 12 Sonota points from the Irwin Smith collection. They are from the Middle Woodland period (circa 100 BCE – 500 CE). They are from the Plains Large Corner Notch cluster. These are often associated with the southern portions of the Besant culture in Western Minnesota.
Rice County has 45 Okoboji points, 23 from the Irwin Smith collection and 22 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Middle Woodland era (circa 100–600 CE). Okoboji points are from the Scallorn cluster. These are found mainly in Southern Minnesota, Northern Iowa, and Southwestern Wisconsin.
Rice County has 51 Besant points, 27 from the Irwin Smith collection and 24 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Middle Woodland era (circa 100–500 CE). Besant points are from the Plains Large Corner Notch cluster. These are commonly found in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and into Montana, North Dakota, and Western Minnesota.
Rice County has 7 total Avonlea Carmichael points, 5 from the Irwin Smith collection and 2 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Middle Woodland era all the way to the Early Late Prehistoric era (circa 200–1100 CE). They are from the Plains Small Side Notch cluster. These are found mostly in Alberta and Saskatchewan, but extend across the northern Midwest as well.
Rice County has 16 Avonlea Timber Ridge points from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Middle Woodland, all the way to the Early Late Prehistoric era (circa 200–1100 CE). They are from the Plains Small Side Notch cluster. These points are found in the same region as other Avonlea projectiles.
Rice County has 1 Avonlea Gulf Lake point from the Dale Hamilton collection. It is from the Middle Woodland era all the way into the Early Late Prehistoric era (circa 200–1100 CE). They are from the Plains Small Side Notch cluster. These are found in the same region as other Avonlea projectiles.
Steuben: Rice County has 16 Stueben points, 14 from the Irwin Smith collection and 2 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Middle Woodland era (circa 300–600 CE). They are the main point in the Steuben cluster. These are most commonly found in Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Indiana. Samatha: Rice County has 24 Samantha points, 13 from the Irwin Smith collection and 11 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Middle Woodland era all the way to the end of the Late Prehistoric era (circa 300–1500 CE). Samantha points are from the Plains Large Corner Notch cluster. These points are commonly found in places where the Besant people were, and likely replaced those points.
In about 500 BCE, people began to live more sedentary lifestyles, which is seen by an uptake in pottery and burial grounds. Agriculture intensified in most of Minnesota in this time, as well. Halfway through this period is when the bow and arrow gained popularity in Minnesota and thus projectiles got considerably smaller. This period is marked by innovation in technologies and religion. Like the Archaic period, the distinctions between the Early, Middle, and Late Woodland period are best seen in Southeastern Minnesota. However, other categorizations of this period in Rice County would be La Moille, Howard Lake, Sorg, and Effigy Mound; these are differentiated by the types of pottery found at different sites. Here in Rice County, people had access to a wide range of foods from the forests, river valleys, and grasslands. They also cultivated small gardens with varieties of squash, beans, and some corn.
Rice County has 8 Koster points from the Irwin Smith collection. They are from the Early to Middle Woodland era (circa 500 BCE – 500 CE). Koster points are from the Late Woodland Stemmed/Corner Notch Cluster. These are mostly found in the Upper Mississippi River Valley.
Rice County has 3 Snyder points from the Irwin Smith collection. They are from the Early to Middle Woodland period (circa 500 BCE – 500 CE). They are the main points from the Snyders cluster. These are common in the Great Lakes area and in the Upper Mississippi River Valley.
Rice County has 29 Reed points, 15 from the Irwin Smith collection and 14 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Middle Woodland era all the way to the end of the Late Prehistoric era (circa 500–1500 CE). These are early points from the Cahokia Cluster. These are found from Northern Texas to Southern Minnesota.
Rice County has 6 Klunk points, 4 from the Irwin Smith collection and 2 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Middle Woodland to Early Late Prehistoric era (circa 500–1000 CE). Klunk points belong in the Late Woodland Stemmed/Corner Notch Cluster. These points are found in the Upper Mississippi River Valley.
Rice County has 22 Cahokia points, 11 from the Irwin Smith collection and 11 from the Dale Hamilton collection. These are from the Early to Upper (Late) Late Prehistoric era (circa 900–1400 CE). This is the main point from the Cahokia cluster. These points are mainly associated with the Cahokia peoples in Illinois and Missouri, but the University of Minnesota reports these points in Southeastern Minnesota, Eastern Iowa, and Southern Wisconsin.
Rice County has 30 Last Island points from the Irwin Smith Collection. They are from the Early to Middle Woodland period (circa 1,000 BCE – 500 CE). These points are likely from the Dickson Contracting Stem cluster. These points are thought to be a local variant of the Adena projectile point and are found mainly in Southeastern Minnesota, Southwestern Wisconsin, and Northwestern Illinois.
Rice County has 27 Plains Side Notch points from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Late Woodland era all the way to the end of the Late Prehistoric era (circa 1000–1500 CE). They are from the Plains Small Side Notch Cluster. The Plains Side Notch points are associated with nomadic bison hunters. The highest concentration of these points are found in the southern region of the plains and suggests a significant cultural influence from Mississippian peoples.
Rice County has 5 Huffaker points from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Early to Upper Late Prehistoric era (circa 1000–1500 CE). They are from the Cahokia cluster. These are commonly found in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas, but have been recovered in regions north of that, including Southern Minnesota.
Rice County has 2 fragmented pieces of Clovis points in the Irwin Smith Collection. These two points are from the Early (sometimes referred to as Lower) Paleoindian period (circa 11,200–10,500 BCE). They are the main point of the Clovis cluster. Clovis people are thought to be the first people to populate the Americas and tracking their particular projectile point style allows us to see what places were populated first.
The Paleoindian period began with the end of the Pleistocene Age, also known as the Ice Age. It began an interglacial period called the Holocene which we live in today. It lasted from about 12,000 BCE to 8,000 BCE. These people came into America over the Beringia, or the Bering Land Bridge, which once connected Northeast Asia (modern day Siberia) to Northwest North America (modern day Alaska). Even in this age, much of Minnesota was covered by glaciers. In Rice County, places east of Faribault were uncovered. The people here lived among megafauna such as mammoths, mastodons, giant beavers, and Bison antiquus. These bison and mammoths, in particular, were incredibly important to the people who settled in Rice County. They used stones fashioned in projectile points to spear and cut these animals for food, clothing, and other materials.
Rice County has 26 Madison points, 13 from the Irwin Smith collection and 13 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Middle to Upper Late Prehistoric era (circa 1200–1600 CE). They are from the Late Woodland to Early Mississippian Triangle Cluster. This point has an extremely large distribution – it is found from the Mississippi River to the eastern seaboard and extends into Southern Ontario and possibly further into Canada.
Rice County has 2 Washita points, 1 from the Irwin Smith collection and 1 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Middle to Upper Late Prehistoric era (circa 1200–1600 CE). They belong to the Cahokia Cluster. These points are found mainly in the central and southern plains region and in Albert, Canada.
This period begins around 1,000 CE in Southern Minnesota, but many of the innovations do not reach Northern Minnesota until after European contact. This period is marked by a divergence into distinct cultures as populations grew split more firmly off from one another. This period is also referred to as the Mississippian period because it is marked by the spread of dominant cultures, many of which originated along the Mississippi River, especially in the Southeast. These people continued mound building and began to also create more elaborate, shaped mounds also found in the Late Woodland period in Southeastern Minnesota. As in the Woodland period, agriculture intensified and people began to lead more sedentary lifestyles, though there is still evidence of nomadic lifestyles especially those dictated to bison hunting.
Rice County has 2 Motley points from the Irwin Smith collection. These are from the Late Archaic to Early Woodland era and even into the Middle Woodland period (circa 1,300–200 BCE). This is the main point from the Motley cluster. The Motley points are found all along the Mississippi River.
Rice County has 26 total Tipton points, 25 from the Irwin Smith collection and 1 from the Dale Hamilton collection. These are from the Late Archaic to Early Woodland era (circa 1,500–500 BCE). They are a part of the Motley cluster. These points have a very small regional range that could be indicative of their specialized use.
Rice County has a total of 43 Pelican Lake points, 28 from the Irwin Smith collection and 15 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Late Archaic to Early Woodland era (circa 1,500–500 BCE). They are from the Plains Large Corner Notch cluster. These are most commonly found in areas similar to the Oxbow and thus are outside of the known region in Rice County.
Rice County has 1 Madison Side Notch point from the Dale Hamilton collection. These are from the Late Archaic to Early Woodland era and even into the Middle Woodland period (circa 1,500–200 BCE). They are from the Large Side Notch cluster. These are thick points with slight curves for hafting.
Rice County has 73 total Table Rock points, 49 from the Irwin Smith collection and 24 from the Dale Hamilton collection. These are from the Late Archaic period (circa 2,000–1,000 BCE). They are the main point from the Table Rock cluster. These are thin points with small bases which likely made them best for darts.
Rice County has 21 total Hemphill points, 20 from the Irwin Smith collection and 1 from the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Late Archaic era (circa 3,000–1,500 BCE). They are from the Large Side Notch Cluster. Rice County is well outside the known region for these projectiles and likely denotes trade along the Mississippi River where the projectiles are heavily concentrated.
Rice County has 4 Raddatz points in the Irwin Smith Collection. These are from the Late Archaic period (circa 3,000–1,500 BCE). They are from the Large Side Notch cluster. These points are found mainly in the Upper Mississippi River Valley and support the idea of trade along the river and in the Great Lakes region.
Rice County has 12 total Oxbow points, 9 from the Irwin Smith collection and 3 from the Dale Hamilton collection. These are from the Middle Archaic period (circa 3,500–3,000 BCE). This type is the main point from the Oxbow cluster. The Oxbow have a defined cultural area in Southern Canada and Northern America.
The move from the Paleoindian period into the Archaic period was a gradual one. Across the US, it is thought to have begun in circa 8,000 BCE, but it did not find its way to Minnesota until about a thousand years later in 7,000 BCE, and even later in Northern parts of the state. This time period is characterized by an uptake in trade and a wider variety of uses for stone tools. The wide range of projectile points which were left behind also indicate a change in hunting materials. Instead of spear points, these points were fashioned onto atlatl darts – thus they were smaller, and often have divots or notches towards the bottom to ease the process of hafting (connecting the point with a handle or other kind of haft). Other innovations of the time include ground stone tools (e.g. axes or hoes), the domestication of small mammals (especially dogs), and the beginnings of farming. This was also a time of warmer temperatures and the spreading of prairies into Southern Minnesota. Because of this, lakes were generally smaller and so aquatic animal populations declined while grassland animal populations – such as the Bison antiquus – thrived. Here, in the Southeastern part of Minnesota, is where the distinction between the Early, Middle, and Late Archaic period is seen best.
Rice County has 7 Turin points in the Irwin Smith collection from the Middle Archaic period (circa 6,000–5,500 BCE). They are likely from the Large Side Notch cluster. They are often combined with Simonsen points.
Rice County has 2 total Little Sioux projectile points 1 from the Irwin Smith collection and 1 form the Dale Hamilton collection. These are from the Middle Archaic period (circa 6,000–4,000 BCE). They are likely from the Large Side Notch cluster. They are primarily in the Little Sioux River Basin of Iowa and are commonly referenced in larger groups and longer sequences.
Rice County has 13 total Hixton points, 11 in the Irwin Smith collection and 2 in the Dale Hamilton collection. They are from the Early to Middle Archaic period (circa 7,700–5,000 BCE). They are likely a part of the Table Rock cluster. They're found largely in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Rice County has 3 Angostura points from the Irwin Smith collection, which are often identified with Agate Basin points. They are dated to the intersection of the Late Paleoindian period and the Early Archaic period and can be found in a time period two thousand years long (circa 8,000–6,000 BCE). They are from the Plano Lanceolate cluster. They're widespread in North America.
Rice County has 4 Agate Basin points in the Irwin Smith collection. They are a part of the Later (sometimes called Upper) Paleoindian period into the Early Archaic Period (circa 8,500–7,500 BCE). These points are closely related to the Angostura points, and are usually characterized together.
Rice County has 3 total Midland points, 2 from the Irwin Smith collection and 1 from the Dale Hamilton collection. These are the beginnings of the lanceolate points common in the Middle to Late Paleoindian period in SE Minnesota (circa 8,800–8,200 BCE). They are from the Plano Lanceolate cluster.
Rice County has 4 Holcombe points in the Irwin Smith Collection. They are dated in the Middle Paleoindian era and persist into the Late Paleoindian period (circa 9,000–8,000 BCE). These points belong to the Clovis cluster and thus are variants of the Clovis points. They appear in the later Paleoindian period and have a larger concentration in the northern parts of the state. They are found in fluted and unfluted variants.
Rice County has 1 fragmented piece of a Folsom point in the Irwin Smith Collection. This point also comes from the Early to Middle Paleoindian period (circa 9,900–8,800 BCE). They are the main point in the Folsom cluster. The Folsom point is very similar to the Clovis point but has a flute (or channel flake) that runs over halfway down the length of the projectile. These points are rare in the Upper Mississippi River Valley and tend to be named after regional variants of the Folsom points, such as Gainey points.
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