OBTAINING FLINT TO MAKE IMPLEMENTS AND TOOLS
It is a well known fact that before the coming of the white man
to this country, the Indian artifacts, both those of war and of
agriculture, were composed almost entirely of stone. Stone, for
this purpose, must be hard enough to maintain a cutting edge, and
brittle enough that it may be chipped or shaped with comparative
ease. Flint was the most common material used by American Indians,
although in many places, obsidian, quartzite, jasper, and agate
were also used.
The greatest part of the Indian arrow-heads and other implements
found on the Great Plains have been made from one of the rocks
mentioned above, flint usually being the most common. This is the
reason that on the Plains, deposits of flint are found more
abundantly than any of the other rocks named above.
There are three general regions on the Great Plains where flint
occurs in great quantities; namely (1) in the region of the outcrop
of the Boone Chert, of Mississippian age, on the outer rim of the
Ozark Mountains, (2) in the Pennsylvanian-Permian Flint Hills of
Kansas and northern Oklahoma, (3) in the Pennsylvanian area of
north-central Texas.
The Flint Hills of Kansas and Oklahoma were a prolific source of
material for implements. The Flint Hills, which stand out as a
prominent escarpment, 200 to 300 feet above the level of the plains
to the east extend northward from Osage County, Oklahoma, across
east-central Kansas, nearly as far as the Nebraska State line. The
summit of the Flint Hills is made up of several heavy ledges of
limestone, containing vast amounts of flint in the form of nodules
or concretions. The geologist has named the three most prominent
ledges, the Wreford, the Fort Riley-Florence, and the Winfield
limestones. As the limestone that made up these hills has been
dissolved and eroded by the action of water, the flint being less
soluble, has remained behind; and weathering out on the surface for
tens of thousands of squared miles of country hence the name of
Flint Hins.
The flint usually lies just below the surface at ridge level in
a layer up to six feet thick. Unweathered flint was obtained by
digging by hand or with sticks or bone tools. The indians of this
area quarried the flint for tools and as trade goods.
On to the cache
In this location the cache container is a tan painted tin can.
It blends very well on its surroundings but it should not be hard
to find. The objective of this cache is for you to have a
first-hand experience with the flint rock. Be careful while looking
for the cache because flint rock is loosy and can easily break.
That is the reason why Indians used it largely to make utensils and
tools like knives, arrow and spear heads, rudimentary axes and
tomahawks.
You can take some samples from the area and even try to make
your own utensils. Flint rocks is a very malleable rock which on
the hands of a dexterous handy artisan may turn into useful tools
or beautiful art.
Please use the parking coordinates to park your vehicle. Do not
park on the ramp's shoulder/right-of-way. It is a short stroll to
the cache from the parking area. Also be careful and stay attentive
to the traffic on K-177 and on the incoming traffic in and out of
the interstate.