Ancient Stone Point Discovered at Alderleaf

During a sunny July day, Alderleaf resident Phil Johnston made an exciting discovery on the property. He found an oddly shaped stone, that he soon realized was a stone point. The stone piece is exactly 4 inches long.



This “Cascade Point” was found in McCoy Creek near the eastern edge of the Alderleaf property in July 2010. It is likely from the Olcott Complex, a grouping of stone artifacts found in the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, and Skykomish drainages that date from 4,500 to 9,000 years ago! It is made from basalt, which is a type of igneous rock found here in western Washington. The size of the piece indicates that it was possibly used as an atlatl dart tip.



Take a close look at the straight edge of this stone point. This appears to be the work of a skilled flintknapper. This stone point may have been lost during hunting. It may have even been used several times to provide food for the people who once hunted here, before it was lost!



This incredible find adds a little bit of knowledge and history to the story of Alderleaf and the surrounding lands. Just imagine what it must have been like to be hunting a deer or an elk with a stone-tipped atlatl along the McCoy Creek drainage thousands of years ago!

On a related note, we offer a Stone Tools Workshop at Alderleaf, where we make similar implements including stones knives, arrowheads and more!