2001 FEBRUARY
THE EXTRAORDINARY
"Z FLAKED"  & "RED BUD" SLOAN DALTONS
PETTIS COUNTY, MISSOURI & RANDOLPH COUNTY, ILLINOIS

    Dalton points were being made during the Late Paleo and Early Archaic period for well over a thousand years. They have been found in association with extinct bison on the Meserve site in Hall County, Nebraska and throughout the eastern United Sates. During this time these people produced a wide variety of different styles of concave based spear, knife and burial points. They also became extremely skilled with pressure flaking and left behind some of the most skillfully made points ever found in North America. Some of which have never been duplicated in modern times. A few of the largest and most skillfully made points have been found in caches.

THE "Z FLAKED" DALTON
PETTIS COUNTY., MISSOURI
BILL WHELESS COLLECTION

   Approximately 20 years ago this large Dalton point was discovered in a cultivated field just north of Sedalia, Missouri in Pettis County. This "Z Flaked" Dalton has been hidden away in a private collection for the last 15 years and only resurfaced a few weeks ago. Over the years, flintknappers and collectors in this area have talked about this points' superior pressure flaking and have almost turned it into a legend of sorts.
   The most significant trait, other than it is undamaged and its large size, is the very peculiar curved flaking that some people have termed "Z" flaking, although hardly any of the flakes make a true Z shape. But many of the flakes do curve in a way that is atypical to Dalton flaking. These "zigzagging" pressure flakes are very uniform and parallel. No one seems to understand how it was done and so far have not been able to duplicate this technique.
   It has been speculated that Dalton people may have used some type of pressure flaking device to drive off either "hollow ground" or "Z" pressure flakes. Most Dalton points would have been made with either a copper or antler pressure flaker that was held in the hand.
   Many people seem to agree that this "Z" Flaked Dalton may be one of the most skillfully made Dalton points to have surfaced in many years. It's made of white Burlington chert and measures 8 1/2 inches long.
   One other Dalton  point that would have measured 4 inches long was also found in the same field as this large Dalton. It was made with fairly good flaking but it has a damaged base and the point is missing. Additional searching in the field did not turn up any more Dalton points.

CLICK HERE TO SEE SLOAN SITE DALTONS
THE 
"RED BUD" SLOAN DALTON
RANDOLPH COUNTY, ILLINOIS
FLOYD RITTER COLLECTION

   Dalton points that exceed 10 inches in length are rare. This example measures 10 1/4 inches long and represents only a handful that have been recorded of this size. About two years ago it was discovered by an antique dealer in an old barn in Randolph County, Illinois. It most probably was found by a member of the farming family that once lived there.
   Just like the "Z" flaked Dalton this is another of those very skillfully made points that no one at the moment is able to duplicate. No one is currently skilled enough in this manufacturing technique to make one just like it.
   This type of flaking is called "hollow ground" flaking which is a manufacturing technique unique to the Dalton Culture in the United States. The edges are very thin but the center is thick and "rounded". The flakes travel in to the thick center where they smoothly curl up and around with no step fracturing.
   Minor restoration was done to three areas on the base.
   Sloan Daltons were named by Dan Morse after the Sloan site located in Arkansas where an Early Archaic Dalton cemetery revealed caches of various tools and 146 Dalton points. None of the Dalton points found on the Sloan site were ten inches long.

THE "Z FLAKED" DALTON
PETTIS COUNTY, MISSOURI
BILL WHELESS COLLECTION

   This is one of the most skillfully pressure flaked Dalton points ever found in North America.

CLOSE-UP OF THE ZIGZAGGING PARALLEL PRESSURE FLAKING

"CLICK ON PICTURE FOR LARGER IMAGE"
THE "Z" FLAKED DALTON
PETTIS COUNTY, MISSOURI
BILL WHELESS COLLECTION

   This picture shows a triple exposure of the locally famous "Z" flaked Dalton point. Comments made by several modern day flintknappers with a high level of flintknapping skills are saying they know of no one that can duplicate the type of pressure flaking on this point. This point measures 8 1/2 inches long. 

THE "RED BUD" SLOAN DALTON
RANDOLPH COUNTY, ILLINOIS
FLOYD RITTER COLLECTION

   This picture shows a triple exposure of the "Red Bud" Sloan Dalton. Notice the thin edges all the way around with a very thick "rounded" center. 

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