A Lithic Collection from 14CT312
Date: 1-1000 CE
These three chipped stone tools were collected from an Early Ceramic period archeological site in Chautauqua County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1976. Shown from left to right is an alternately beveled knife, a scraper, and a large corner-notched dart point fragment. Repeated sharpening on the knife's alternate sides created the bevels. Scrapers, such as this one would have been hafted onto a handle and used to scrape hides. The scraper would have required periodic resharpening. The dart point and the alternately beveled knife were heat treated, a method to improve the knapping qualities of a chert which results in the pinkish color. Dart points would be mounted to the dart foreshaft, which would in turn be connected to the dart shaft. The assembled dart would then be thrown with an atlatl (spearthrower).

Archaic Projectile Point from 14GR324
Date: 8000 BCE - 1 CE
This Archaic period dart point was recovered from 14GR324, a Native American site in Greenwood County. The pinkish color of the chert is a result of the flintknapper heat treating the material to improve the chert's knapping qualities. Dart points would be mounted to the dart foreshaft, which would in turn be connected to the dart shaft. The assembled dart would then be thrown with an atlatl (spearthrower).

Arrow Point from 14AT327
Date: 1-1000 CE
This arrow point was collected from an Early Ceramic period site in Atchison County and donated in 2018 to the Kansas Historical Society. The side-notched point made of Permian chert, is nearly complete. The site had been heavily collected and highly disturbed in the past.

Arrow Point from 14DP315
Date: 1-1000 CE
This arrow point was recovered from an Early Ceramic period archeology site in Doniphan County. The nearly triangular arrow point has very slight side notches. The notches aided in hafting the point to the arrow shaft.

Arrow Point from 14MY302
Date: 1000-1500 CE
This small side notched arrow point was recovered from the surface of 14MY302. The site was a multicomponent camp site in Montgomery County excavated in 1978 by Kansas Historical Society archeologists. Archeologists believe that side notched arrow points are typical of the Middle Ceramic period. The pinkish color of the projectile point indicates the arrow point was heat treated to improve the chert's knapping quality.

Arrow Point from the Ehmke Site, 14LA311
Date: 1000-1500 CE
This arrow point was recovered from a camp and kill site in Lane County during excavation by Kansas Historical Society Archeologists. The site seems to have had multiple occupations from the Paleoindian period through the Late Ceramic period. The feature this arrow point was recovered in was believed to be associated with an Upper Republican occupation. The side-notched point is possibly made of Alibates flint, a silicified or agatized dolomite from the Canadian River valley in the Texas panhandle.

Arrow Points from 14CF416
Date: 1-1800 CE
This assortment of five arrow points was recovered from site 14CF416, in Coffey County, and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2015. The two corner notched points on the left date to the Early Ceramic Period (1-1000 CE). The two side notched points in the middle date to the Middle Ceramic Period (1000-1500 CE) and the Fresno point of the far right dates to the Late Ceramic Period (1500-1800 CE). The pinkish color of two of the points indicates they have been heat treated to improve their knapping qualities.

Arrow Points from 14CK306
Date: 1-1000 CE
These arrow points were collected from a archeological site in Clark County. One arrow point has a corner-notched base, while the other is stemmed. Both would have been hafted to an arrow shaft and shot with a bow.

Arrow Points from 14CS355
Date: 1695-1745 CE
These two arrow points were recovered from 14CS355, a multicomponent (multiple occupations) Native American site in Chase County. Two radiocarbon dates are associated with the site: a hearth that was dated to 500 - 1055 CE and some charcoal dated to 1695 - 1745 CE. The pinkish color of the arrow points is a result of the flintknapper heat treating the material to improve the chert's knapping qualities.

Arrow Points from 14MY312
Date: 1-1000 CE
These two arrow points were collected from an Early Ceramic period site in Montgomery County and, in 1963, donated to the Kansas Historical Society. Both of the arrow points may have been heat treated prior to knapping to improve their knapping qualities. Both corner-notched arrow points were manufactured on Permian chert.

Arrow Points from 14SA402
Date: 1000-1500 CE
These four arrow points recovered in 1963 from the surface of a Saline County site and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2017. All are side notched arrow points, two of which are complete. Two are missing their tips and both have a concave base.

Arrow Points from 14SA416
Date: 1000-1500 CE
These three arrow points recovered in 1971 from the surface of a Saline County site and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2017. The camp site was occupied during the Middle Ceramic period by Smoky Hill phase peoples. Shown are two side notched arrow points and a single triangular arrow point. One of the side notched points has multiple notches.

Arrow Points from 14SA424
Date: 1 CE-1500 CE
Shown are six of the many arrow points collected from a multicomponent (multiple occupations) camp site in Saline County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2017. Five of the arrow points are corner notched, typically used during the Early Ceramic period. The last arrow point is side notched, more typical of the Middle Ceramic period. The pink color of four of the arrow points is the result of having been heat-treated prior to their completion in order to make a better knappable chert.

Arrow Points from 14SA424
Date: 1-1500 CE
Shown are six arrow points collected from a multicomponent (multiple occupations) archeological site in Saline County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2017. Five of the arrow points are corner-notched, typically used during the Early Ceramic period. The last arrow point is side-notched, more typical of the Middle Ceramic period. The pink color of four of the arrow points is the result of having been heat-treated prior to their completion in order to make a better knappable chert.

Arrow Points from El Cuartelejo, 14SC1
Date: 1650-1750 CE
Shown are three of the many side notched arrow points that were recovered from the El Cuartelejo site in Scott County. The site, unique in Kansas, is the location of a seven room pueblo occupied by refugees from the Taos and Picuris pueblos in New Mexico in addition to Dismal River aspect groups (Apache). El Cuartelejo, also called the Scott County Pueblo, has been excavated and studied by many archeologists since 1898. These arrow points were recovered during the 1976 Kansas Archeology Training Program. The notches aided in hafting the point to the arrow shaft.

Arrow Points from Kearny County
Date: 1-1800 CE
These eleven arrow points collected from Kearny County were donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2016. They are made from assorted materials in different styles: triangular, side-notched, corner-notched, single corner-notched, and miniature. The dates for the different styles range from the Early Ceramic Period (corner notched points) to the Middle Ceramic Period (side notched points) to the Late Ceramic Period (triangular).

Arrow Points from Lyon County
Date: 1-1800 CE
These eight arrow points were found in Lyon County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1958. They are made from assorted materials in different styles: triangular, side-notched, corner-notched, and one single corner-notched or preform. The dates for the different styles range from the Early Ceramic Period (corner-notched points) to the Middle Ceramic Period (side-notched points) to the Late Ceramic Period (triangular).

Arrow Points from the Albert Bell Site, 14SD305
Date: 1220-1400 CE
These seven arrow points were excavated at a Middle Ceramic period site in Sheridan County, during the 1990 and the 2002 Kansas Archeology Training Program field schools with Kansas Historical Society archeologists and volunteers. All of the arrow points are side notched. Five are made of Smoky Hill silicified chalk, which outcrops near the site, and two are made of basalt. The Upper Republican earthlodge site had a single radiocarbon date of 1220 to 1400 CE.

Arrow Points from the Lindeman Site, 14SA412
Date: 1-1800 CE
These seven arrow points were just a few of those recovered from the surface of the Lindeman site in Saline County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 2017. The site was occupied periodically from the Early Ceramic period through the Late Ceramic period. During one of these occupations there may have been at least two houses on the site. All of the arrow points are manufactured on Permian chert. The pink color of one of the side-notched arrow points is the result of having been heat-treated prior to their completion in order to make a better knappable chert. Five of the arrow points are side-notched, one is corner-notched and last arrow point is stemmed. The notches and the stem aided in hafting the point to the arrow shaft.

Arrow Points from the Ryan/Disney Site, 14PO601
Date: 1000-1500 CE
These six arrow points were all recovered from the Ryan/Disney site and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1925. 14PO601 is a Middle Ceramic period site in Pottawatomie County. All of the arrow points were made on Permian cherts. The three on the top row are side-notched while the three on the bottom row are corner-notched.

Arrow Points from the Thompson Site, 14RC9
Date: 1500-1800 CE
These arrow points were among the many collected and excavated from the Thompson site in Rice County. The site, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was a Great Bend aspect village occupied by ancestral Wichita people. The arrow point on the top right was excavated during the 1986 Kansas Archeology Training Program field school. All others were donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1971. The arrow point on the left of the top row is side-notched. The others are triangular or Fresno arrow points. Archeologists identify Fresno arrow points as being unnotched with a triangular shape. Though small and thin, they would have been extremely effective on the hunt.

Arrowpoint from 14DP343
Date: 1-1000 CE
This small arrow point was collected from an Early Ceramic period site in Doniphan County. The arrow point is what archeologists call corner notched. The notches aided in hafting the point to the arrow shaft.

Artifact Collection from 14MY395
Date: 1-1900 CE
These three artifacts were collected from an archeological site in Montgomery County and donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1975. The site was listed as an Early Ceramic period site, but with the inclusion of the Historic pipe it shows that people were at the site long after that time period. Shown are a small scraper made on Permian chert, a corner notched dart point made on heat treated Permian chert, and a fragment of a molded ceramic pipe bowl.

Artifact Collection from 14RY1627
Date: Unknown
Shown is the complete collection of surface artifacts from 14RY1627 in Riley County. Other artifacts, not in the Kansas Historical Society's collection, indicate the site had multiple components or occupations including peoples of both the Kansas City Hopewell and Smoky Hill aspects. The spear point pictured here adds a late Paleolithic to early Archaic component. In addition to the projectile point fragment two bifaces and a mano (grinding stone) are shown.

Artifact Collection from Rock Creek in Pottawatomie County
Date: Unknown
These 16 lithic artifacts were donated to the Kansas Historical Society in 1964, sadly, with no further provenience than that they were collected in the 1930s from a site west of Louisville, Kansas, along Rock Creek. The collection includes hide scrapers, knives, and corner notched dart points. Two of the dart points were reworked into another tool, perhaps after breaking. Several of the artifacts show a pink color, an indication they were heat treated prior to their completion in order to make a better knappable chert.