UC Merced Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology Title A Fluted Point from the Mendocino County Coast, California Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2vp2c5qh Journal Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 7(2) ISSN 0191-3557 Authors Simons, Dwight D Layton, Thomas N Knudson, Ruthann Publication Date 1985-07-01 Peer reviewed eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California 260 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY REFERENCES struction is then offered of the probable Robarcheck, Clayton A. Mendocino coastal habitat that could have 1974 Ground Stone Artifacts. In: Perris Reservoir been exploited by hunter-gatherers 11,000 Archeology: Late Prehistoric Demographic years ago. Change in Southeastern Cahfornia. James F. O'Connell, Philip J. Wilke, Thomas F. King, THE SITE and Carol L. Mix. eds., pp. 111-120. Sacra­ Since 1980, the Albion Archaeological mento: Department of Parks and Recrea­ tion. Archeological Report No. 14. Project of San Jose State University has been an ongoing research program of archaeological True, D. L. survey and excavation focusing on the north­ 1974 Unpublished field notes in possession of the author. ern coast of California in central Mendocino County. The work is being conducted with the approval and support of the Mendocino County Archaeological Commission. In Au­ gust 1983, during investigation of a shell A Fluted Point from the midden (CA-MEN-1918) near Caspar, a fluted projectile point was discovered lying on the Mendocino County Coast, sub-midden surface of a recently bulldozed California cut running through the northern edge of the site. In the area where the fluted point was DWIGHT D. SIMONS found, the about 20 m.-wide cut extended THOMAS N. LAYTON approximately 30 m. along an east-west axis RUTHANN KNUDSON and was roughly a meter deep. The main concentration of overlying sheh midden had a Recent discovery of a fluted, crypto- depth of about one meter and covered an area crystahine projecthe point near Caspar, Men­ approximately 1,600 m.^ in extent. Given the docino County, California, completes docu­ generally good condition of its shell, which is mentation of the coast-to-coast distribution contained in an acidic soil matrix, the midden of this artifact form. Fluting, a highly refined is suspected to be no older than 1,000 years. stoneworking technological innovation having The midden rests atop the wave-battered face a limited temporal duration (late Pleistocene/ of a receding coastal bluff, about 9.2 m. early Holocene), is known in numerous North above a narrow rocky beach. An unnamed, American localities — from the Debert site on seasonal stream is located just north of the the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia (MacDonald midden. 1968) to, now, within ten meters of the The bluff forms part of the coastward side Pacific Ocean at Caspar, an east-west distance of Terrace 1, lowermost in a series of five of 4,788 km. (2,975 mi.). marine terraces recognized in this region of In this report the depositional context coastal Cahfornia. A generalized east-west and formal attributes of the Caspar fluted geological and vegetational transect of the point are described and discussed. A recon- Caspar area is presented in Figure 1. The bottom of the bulldozer cut from which the Dwight D. Simons, Anthropological Studies Center, Sonoma State Univ., Rohnert Park, CA 94928; Thomas N. Layton, fluted point was recovered penetrates slightly Dept. of Anthropology, San Jose State Univ., San Jose, CA a sub-midden deposit composed of consoli­ 95192; Ruthann Knudson, Woodward-Clyde Consultants, 1 dated, yellowish, beach alluvium estimated to Walnut Creek Center, 100 Pringle Ave., Walnut Creek, CA 94596. be of late Pleistocene age based on geo- FLUTED POINT 261 WEST OTij 2 X ^ KO QUI 111 UI»-> »- Obl^ UIZ© §12 a.S — LOCATION OF FLUTED PROJECTILE POINT WAVE CUT PLATFORMS PACIFIC OCEAN w APPROXIMATELY B kllanwlar* PLEISTOCENE-HOLOCENE SAND DUNES GEOLOGICAL AND VEGETATIONAL z;^ PLEISTOCENE BEACH DEPOSITS TRANSECT IN THE CASPAR AREA, HARDPAN MENDOCINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA II II I JURASSIC (FRANCISCAN FORMATION) *^^ 6RAYWACKC SANDSTONE (AFTtW JENNY. ARKLEY ond 8CHULT2 I969i fi< FOX 1976) Fig. 1. Generalized east-west geological and vegetational transect of the Caspar area, central Mendocino County coast, California, showing the relative locations of the fluted-point site and the projected 11,000 B.P. shorehne (after Fox 1976; Jenny, Arkley, and Schultz 1969). morphological analyses of marine terraces yellowish color tenaciously adhering to the along the central Mendocino County coast surface of the artifact. Hence, it seems un­ (Barry and Schlinger 1977; Gardiner 1967; likely that the fluted point is an heirloom Jenny, Arkely, and Schultz 1969; Sholars piece attributable to the hunter-gatherers 1982). A generalized geological section taken whose subsistence activities produced the from the exposed bluff face, 20.2 m. south of overlying sheh midden. No other cultural the fluted point discovery site, is hlustrated in remains were discovered on the surface on Figure 2. Analysis of the section and the which the point was located, and no organic relationships among its component strata sug­ materials suitable for radiometric dating were gests to the authors that the original proveni­ found in the yehow beach ahuvium. ence of the fluted point was near the upper THE ARTIFACT surface of the stratum of yellow beach allu­ vium. This interpretation is reinforced by the The fluted projecthe point from CA-MEN- presence of beach alluvium of the same 1918, with morphological and reduction- 262 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY le-^ _3.5m. ^—v-'^^^ Ji><L. „^ ^'„ )^-„,>^ )^ Jk^ ^% ....W-,, i» . St? „,.W,ltf' ,,,Ht'l»^ 70m . Prairie Soil and Shell Midden Fluted Point O o <£) » £3 o o*.35m° Yellow Beach Alluvium ''^LVM":",*'T'^*''pebbles) o <^p o "C > O O a o O 0 = 00* «" {less ond sfnatl«rp«bbit») .9i5m Gray Beoch Alluvium 9r«oter sood content ttioo * a fy yellow alluvium obove) * «» * * , J' i;i,i"iy;—ry"'> T f > ' J J Graywacke Sandstone Bedrock 9.20 m Fig. 2. Generalized geological section at the Caspar fluted-point site (CA-MEN-1918). technology detahs noted, is illustrated in annealed or deliberately thermally altered. Figures 3 and 4. Facial and edge orientations No data indicating the original core or are identified in the accoinpanying captions. primary flake from which the Caspar point In its present fragmentary condition, the was made are available. However, the dorsal specimen is 75.0 mm. long, 38.8 mm. wide face of the artifact displays evidence of the and 10.3 mm. thick at a point 45.0 mm. nature of the facially worked preform, prob­ above its proximal edge, and weighs 41.2 g. ably a biface, which was shaped prior to When complete, it is estimated that the fluting. As shown in Figure 4, approximately artifact was about 115 millimeters in length 25% of the remaining dorsal face retains and weighed about 50 grams. The point is secondary flake reduction scars. The scars are made of a mottled, greenish-gray Franciscan wide and may have been produced by soft chert that is slightly lustrous, particularly at a antler bihet percussion, hammerstone percus­ proximal break on the right edge of the dorsal sion, or by a punch. If pressure flaked, the tip face where an internal, "cracked," break scar of the flaking tool may have been relatively is evident. A small, incipient pot-lid occurs on blunt. The secondary reduction scars indicate the ventral face. These two traits, along with generally good control of the material. the slightly reddish hue of portions of the Wide, longitudinally oriented thinning point, could indicate that the chert was flakes, or "flutes," have been removed froin FLUTED POINT 263 0 VE ^ L_ CM. Fig. 3. Fluted projectile point from CA-MEN-1918. The dorsal face is on the right, ventral face on the left. Dotted edges are ground. Shaded and numbered units (e.g., 1, 2) are tool employable units as described in the text. Proximal position is to the bottom, distal position to the top. both the dorsal and ventral faces of the als along the edges of the ventral face appear artifact. At least two flakes were removed on to have been made after the flute. the dorsal face; the first was an apparently Roughly 60% of each face retains evi­ smaller flake from the left side of the proxi­ dence of final tool edging. Flake scars gener­ mal edge, whhe the second was the major ally originate at or near the present edge, are flute. The nature of the smaller flake scar generally long, oval-to-slightly-expanding and suggests that it was one of a pair of flakes overlapping, and average six millimeters in detached on each side of the centerline to width between arrises. These appear to have create a platform for flute removal. This been removed in a skip-over-and-return se­ platform was removed during the fluting quence, thinning down high arrises while also process. The dorsal flute terminates in a thin regularizing the edge. They most frequently hinge at what is now the point of maximum terminate in a thin hinge, appear to have been artifact width and thickness. Four flakes, well controlled, and are likely to have been extending over the margin of the flute, were detached by pressure flaking despite the taken off the left edge of the dorsal face after width and flatness of the scars. There is no the flute was removed. evidence of a strong sequence of edge or face On the ventral face of the artifact there is progression. also evidence that smaller flakes were re­ The proximal edge of the point is shaped moved parallel to, but on either side of, the into a concave planview (retaining a straight longitudinal centerline before the central flute sideview) that, prior to corner breakage, is was struck off.