ARCHEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN IvnSSOURI 195 



been intensively studied. My own investigations in 1939 on Salt 

 Creek in Lane County, Kans., revealed points of this type directly 

 associated with heavy gravel-tempered cord-impressed and embossed 

 pottery in a culture stratum underlying an Upper Kepublican village 

 site. Pending additional data, we may regard those points as a rela- 

 tively early type associated characteristically with a western Wood- 

 landlike pottery complex. 



Three-quarter-grooved axes of ground stone have been found re- 

 peatedly throughout the Great Plains, if we may accept the state- 

 ments of amateur collectors. The type is most plentiful, apparently, 

 in the eastern portion, diminishing in frequency with increasing 

 distance west of the Missouri. Most of the specimens are surface 

 finds, and the horizon to which they are assignable has remained 

 uncertain. I have been told that grooved axes were found in or on 

 Upper Republican sites on the Republican and South Loup Rivers 

 (Wedel, 1935, p. 199), but their general absence from excavated 

 stations of this horizon leads me to believe they were not character- 

 istically used by the Upper Republican peoples. 



Ground celts have been reported at Upper Republican sites in 

 Franklin and Sherman Counties, Nebr, ("Wedel, 1935, p. 199; 

 Champe, 1936, p. 265) ; at St. Helena (Cooper, 1936, p. 47) ; in Ne- 

 braska Culture sites (Strong, 1935, p. 260; Gilmore and Bell, 1936, 

 p. 324) ; at the Leary site (Hill and Wedel, 1936, p. 44) ; and at 

 certain Pawnee sites (Wedel, 1936, p. 78). That the Pawnee actually 

 made and used the ground celts said to have been found on some of 

 their village sites is still questionable, inasmuch as the occurrences 

 rest solely on the word of amateur collectors. The butt end of what 

 may have been a small celt was found at the Walker-Gilmore deep 

 site (Strong, 1935, p. 190, pi. 17, fig. 2, h) . This would carry the type 

 back to the earliest known ceramic horizon west of the Missouri. 

 Like the grooved ax, the celt decreases in importance farther to the 

 west, though it was unquestionably in use by Upper Republican and 

 contemporary groups. Its presence at Oneota sites extends the time 

 range up into the protohistoric period. 



Small eyed needles, though not common in Plains sites, do occur 

 occasionally in nearly all parts of the area. Much rarer are the large 

 flat needles made usually of split mammal rib and ranging in length 

 from 20 to 30 cm. Cooper (1936, p. 52 and pi. 20, figs. 4-8) figures 

 the pierced butts of several broken specimens reminiscent of the one 

 large needle from Renner. These are all from sites near St. Helena 

 in northeastern Nebraska, which exhibit strong Upper Republican 

 afiinities. Since none is complete, direct com.parison with the Renner 

 specimen is impossible. 



