Who Dun It? - Andersen or Jimmy Allen Point? - Part III

Figure One - In situ of projectile point tip in a dry streambed
on April 19, 2018, in northern Colorado.  

In parts one and two of my Who Dun It? series, I discussed Paleoindian projectile point typology, mentioning on more than one occasion that it can be more art than science. In Who Dun It? - Part III, I will provide another example of a Paleoindian/Early Archaic point that I surface recovered on my Shadows on the Trail prehistoric site on April 19, 2018. In my second most recent book titled CROW and the CAVE, I returned my readers to the valley where the Shadows on the Trail prehistoric site is located. In CROW and the CAVE, I called the site and the general area 'Skull Valley' or in the language of the Lakota Sioux, Páhu Ósmaka. I took the following text in blue from my book CROW and the CAVE. This passage describes Skull Valley or as I called it in the book, Páhu Ósmaka. For context, my main character Hoka just arrived in Skull Valley, alone, some 12,600 years ago.

Figure Two - CLICK for INFORMATION on this BOOK 

Páhu Ósmaka or Skull Valley brought back many memories to Hoka, many good, but a few bad. The Folsom People followed the seasonal migration of the bison herds so Hoka had never known any place as home. Wherever the Folsom People camped was home. But, Hoka had a special connection to Páhu Ósmaka…

…Hoka and the wolf dog reached the middle of the bowl-shaped valley as the sun hung above the sandstone bluffs to the west. Bluffs now surrounded the hunter and his wolf dog on three sides. As they rounded the last bend, Hoka spotted the landmarks that marked the location of wakan ya. The birthplace for the valley’s water lay between two scarred sandstone buttes, jutting up from the valley floor. Crossbedded sandstone from an ancient river system formed the resistant cap on both the buttes. Broken sandstone boulders littered the grassy aprons surrounding the buttes. Arroyos radiated outward from the bottom of the buttes like spider webs. At the top of the hump-backed butte on the south side were two rock shelters in a large mound of rock called Páhu Inyan or Skull Rock.

Figure Three - Projectile point uncovered. Is this the tip of a Jimmy Allen, Andersen, or Frederick point? Or are all three-point types variants of each other?

Today, Páhu Ósmaka is a mystical place. Anyone interested in Prehistoric America could not help but capture 'the prehistoric vibe' when they visit the valley. Hike through the valley and the spirits of prehistoric people practically call out to you. I once visited there in pitch-black darkness with only the stars above. I will readily admit that I was more than a little bit spooked. The presence of spirits is very strong in the valley. If only the land could talk. Páhu Ósmaka has been very good to me over the years. I have recovered and documented hundreds of artifacts from that valley ranging from Clovis to historical Indian tribes and everything in between. 

On April 11, 2018, the valley rewarded me with another artifact. I immediately knew when I spotted the projectile point tip sticking out of the sand in figure one that it was either Paleoindian or Early Archaic. Only the ancient ones possessed the skill and patience to create such masterpieces. I pulled it from the sand and my joy subsided just a tad. The point was broken. The proximal end or base of the projectile point was missing. I dug around in the sand looking for the missing piece, but to no avail. 

Anyone who knows a hoot about projectile point typology realizes that when a projectile point is found out of archaeological or geological context, the hafting base on the point is critical in determining the prehistoric culture. It makes a big difference in identification if the base is indented or thinned or fluted or squared up. In this case, the base of the projectile point was gone (figure three), making it impossible for me to identify the projectile point type with any certainty. Based on its workmanship and the oblique parallel flaking pattern, I am guessing the artifact was a Jimmy Allen or an Andersen, or even a Frederick projectile point type. I leaned toward Andersen at the time even though I have it in the same frame as my herd of Jimmy Allen artifacts.

So, what exactly is an Andersen point? 

Andersen points are one of those “locally named” projectile point types that I mentioned in a previous Who Dun It? article. In my opinion, an Andersen point is just a slimmer version of a Jimmy Allen projectile point. But, my objective here is not to argue the merits of whether there should be an Andersen projectile point type or not. The type exists, at least for some collectors, and that is just the way it is.   

Figure Four - Perry Andersen collecting artifacts in a large 

sand blowout in northeastern Colorado.
Note the deep level of soil deflation. 

Courtesy UNSM.  

How did the Andersen point come about? 

Back in the 1920s and 1930s, there was a farming and ranching family in Yuma County, Colorado by the name of Andersen. Perry, his wife Pauline, and their son Harold "Andy" Andersen started artifact hunting in the area around 1919. Artifact hunting was a passion for the family and they were situated at the right place at the right time. The family took advantage of the best artifact hunting that has ever occurred in eastern Colorado.

Why such good artifact hunting? 

Under the law at the time, the government required homesteaders in Yuma and other counties in eastern Colorado and elsewhere to turn the soil over and cultivate the land. A long, enduring drought came along in the 1930s, followed by strong winds, and the Dust Bowl years were born. The plowed soil in Yuma County ended up in neighboring states, exposing deeply buried layers of soil associated with the time of the Paleoindians. The Andersen family were great amateur archaeologists who meticulously documented their finds and kept in close contact with professional archaeologists about what they were finding. Perry and Harold Andersen systematically collected hundreds of Paleoindian and Early Archaic artifacts in sixty-four sand blowouts in Yuma and Washington Counties in Colorado. 

 

Figure Five - Example of the meticulous note-taking by Perry Andersen.
The upper point is Scottsbluff and the lower point is Folsom. Note 
Mr. Andersen's projectile point typologies. 
Courtesy of  UNSM. 

At that time, most Paleoindian projectile points were classified into a broad category called Yuma points, named after the county of their origin. Over time, archaeologists reclassified the Yuma County projectile points into types reflecting where they were first documented in archaeological sites. For example, at one time Scottsbluff, Eden, Jimmy Allen, Frederick, Midland, Hell Gap, Plainview, Goshen, Plainview, etc. were all classified as Yuma points.  

One unique type of point found by the Andersen family ended up being named after them. Andersen points are slim, triangular, and mostly diagonally flaked. As stated earlier, I personally believe that Andersen points are variants of Jimmy Allen points.

 

Figure Six - Some points from the Andersen Collection, bottom row,

right are examples of Andersen points. Courtesy of UNSM. 

I am not alone in my assessment. Not everyone has accepted Andersen as an 'official' projectile point type. As a test, I randomly selected five well-known, high plains archaeology books out of my library and checked whether the authors (archaeologists in this case) listed Andersen points in the indexes of their books. I found nary a mention of the Andersen projectile point type in any of these well-known books. I understand why. I am certainly not convinced that Andersen points need their own projectile point type name. I see them fitting quite well within the framework of the Jimmy Allen or the Frederick projectile point types. To take my opinion further, I see the Frederick projectile point type also fitting within the Jimmy Allen projectile point type. 

On a positive note, it is nice to see amateur archaeologists like the Andersen family recognized for their contribution to 

high plains archaeology.

Figure Seven - the cream de la cream of points. The original 'Slim Arrow' and the  

type point used for the Andersen projectile point type. The notch on the base
was thought to be intentionally burinated for hafting purposes. Courtesy UNSM.  

I am still calling the point I found on April 19, 2018, an Andersen point, although I should know better and just call it a Jimmy Allen point. My decision to name it that is just more evidence that projectile point typology is much more art than science.    

 

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