The East Terrace Site - Life History of a Spear Point

The East Terrace Site
Life History of a Spear Point

Just as individual organisms are born, live, and die, stone tools are made, used, worn out, and discarded or recycled. This is the story of the life of an Alberta spear point found in the southeast corner of the site.

drawing

The story begins at a stone quarry in east-central Wisconsin, near the city of Eau Claire. One possible scenario is that a chunk of quartzite from the quarry was traded from group to group until it reached the occupants of East Terrace, who made it into a spear point. A more likely scenario is that a small group of people, who later camped at the site, went to the quarry and made the point there, for Paleoindians traveled great distances in their yearly rounds.

The point may have been twice its present length when it was made. Someone attached it to a wooden spear shaft by slipping it into a slot at the end of the shaft and binding it with sinew and pitch. Over seasons or years of use the tip was resharpened many times until it shrank to its present length. Eventually the point struck bone or some other hard object and the tip broke off.

Although the wasted tool could have been thrown away, it was not. The point was attached to a shorter shaft and used as a knife until it became even smaller and was finally lost or discarded. Evidence of its use as a knife is visible in the pattern of wear polish on its edges.

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