Fox Valley, LeCroy/Lake Erie, Kanawha

Description: This “cluster” of point types are most easily defined by their small size and bifurcated, or notched base. Thin and well-made, these diminutive points are often serrated with triangular blade shapes, except in the case of Fox Valley points which exhibit incurvate lateral edges and upturned shoulders or “wings” or barbs. LeCroy abd Kanawha points are similar in shape and size, and are most easily distinguished from each other by the depth of the basal notch, with LeCroy having a deeper notch and more prominent ears.

Distribution: Bifurcated base points have a strong correlation with the major drainages of the region including the Illinois, Rock, Fox, Des Plaines, and Kankakee rivers. They are often found in and around large former wetland areas, leading some researchers to think these point types may be associated with the hunting of waterfowl. Kanawha and LeCroy points have a wide geographic distribution been found across the eastern Woodlands. Fox Valley points are a more localized regional type, identified and named after their strong correlation with the Fox River valley. Fox Valley points have been suggested to represent the “epitome of place” and may reflect the persistent use of particular landscapes by a well defined ethnic social group.

Age: These point types have yet to be dated by radiocarbon assay in Illinois, although are well dated stratigraphically and by radiocarbon at other sites to the 8,500-8,000 BP time range. At the Koster site in downstate Illinois, LeCroy points were recovered from the Horizon 11 deposits which have been dated to the 7950 BP time frame.