MIDDLE BORDER BULLETIN
VOL. VIII NO. 3
FRIENDS OF THE MIDDLE BORDER,
MITCHELL, SOUTH DAKOTA
WINTER, 1948
Chipped Stone Proves Ancient 'Folsom Man' Lived In
Black Hills
First authenticated evidence that man lived in the Black Hills perhaps
10,000 years ago has been found near Hot Springs, South Dakota, by Arthur
Bruce, rancher, amateur archaeologist and geologist, and member of Friends
of the Middle Border.
It is a fragment of a spearhead made from brown quartzite, a flint-like stone. Measuring 1½ inches long, it probably was two inches in length before it was broken. Flat grooving or fluting on either side and the scalloped base have definitively established it as a "Folsom" point, the first ever reported from the Black Hills in the western part of South Dakota.
"Only an informed person with intellectual curiosity would have suspected its true archeological interest," says Dr. James A. Van Kirk, supervising director of Friends of the Middle Border. "Most persons finding it would have discarded it as a very unprepossessing and imperfect arrowhead. All who are interested in the history of ancient man, especially in the Middle Border region, are indebted to Mr. Bruce for this find of major importance."
Mr. Bruce discovered the point in 1936 in a plowed field on his ranch.
Instantly realizing it was "different" and that it resembled Folsom points,
of which he had seen pictures, he preserved it in his collection. He referred
it to Friends of the Middle Border, upon becoming a member, and immediately
steps were taken to determine whether it is an authentic artifact left
by ancient man. Photographs were submitted to leading authorities.
Professor Paul MacClelland, of Princeton University, was especially interested, not alone because of the possibility of this bit of this bit of quartzite being an ancient artifact, but because he has vacationed at Palmer Gulch Lodge, operated by Troy Parker, near Hill City not many miles from the discovery site.
To be entirely certain that the Bruce point is a Folsom, he wrote, it would be necessary to have the complete artifact "with the axial depression going the length of the point." He added, however, "I think you may rest assured that this is a real Folsom."
Dr. Frank C. Hibben, of the University of New Mexico, identified the artifact as "undoubtedly a Folsom point." He noted that but few others had been reported from the region and expressed appreciation for the report of the Black Hills discovery "for it adds to our slowly increasing knowledge of the distribution of Folsom points."
Dr. Fay-Cooper Cole, recently retired head of the department of anthropology of the University of Chicago, characterized the artifact as "a rather crude 'Folsom-like' point."
"Folsom points associated with extinct animals," he wrote, "have been found at several points in Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado. One such point associated with the scapula of a mammoth was unearthed near Hastings, Nebraska, and another of apparent antiquity at Signal Butte in the same state.
"Fluted points (Folsom-like) have been found over a considerable portion of the Middle West and on into Texas. One of these found on the campus of Beloit College, Wisconsin, is as fine a specimen as we know ... Coming to your specific question, I do not know of any specimen having been reported from the Black Hills, but I would expect such discoveries there. The fact that a point is fluted does not prove that it is of the same age as those found in association with extinct animals. The presumption of such age is greater in the West where such associations are fairly frequent."
Upon Dr. Cole's suggestion, a photograph of Mr. Bruce's point was submitted
for precise identification to Dr. Frank Roberts, associate chief of the
Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington,
D.C. His report follows:
"I believe the specimen ... is a portion of an unfinished Folsom point. The stone probably was broken in the process of manufacture and the pieces were thrown away. That would account for the fact that it has a rather crude appearance.These reports make it evident that Mr. Bruce has made an archeological discovery in the Black Hills of major importance. While it points to ancient man being in that region, actual dating of his presence will await further discoveries of Folsom artifacts in association with remains of extinct animals buried under geological deposits which can be chronologically identified. The date usually assigned to Folsom man, however, is some 10,000 years ago."Because of the difficulty of removing the channel flakes, many points are broken before completion, and the pieces from such objects do not exhibit the fine workmanship usually apparent on those which are completed.
"It is difficult to tell from a photograph but it appears that this specimen may have been made from a piece of quartzite. This type of material does not work as well as other kinds, and part of the rough appearnace may be due to that fact.
"Folsom points have been found in various parts of South Dakota and there in no reason why examples should not occur in the Black Hills. Possibly, if your friend visits the same area again and continues to look for specimens, he may find other and better examples."
