Kirk Whaley’s Huron/Iroquois Pipes	by Timothy J. Tuttle
Central States Archaeological Societies 2020 April Journal	Corning, New York

The five Kirk Whaley pipes together in one frame.

The pipes pictured with this article were originally recovered by Kirk Whaley, an avid artifact collector from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kirk and his wife, Dorothy had relatives in Ontario, Canada. During the 1940s and well into the early 1950s they would travel to Ontario visiting family and spend a good deal of time searching for Indian relics in the surrounding countryside. At some point, while vacationing with their relatives, they met people from across the Saint Lawrence River from Jefferson County, New York and expanded their artifact hunting into the Empire State. This area of New York State is well known for the number of prehistoric Indian pipes recovered in that area.

Upon Kirk’s death the pipes (Figs 1-6) passed to Jack and Patsy Kistler, who over the years and attending many of the same artifact shows had become extremely close friends of the Whaleys. Jack and Patsy admired and cared for the pipes for more than thirty years, reminding them of their friendship with Kirk and Dorothy. In November of 2018, at the Kentucky Dam Show, I was given the opportunity to acquire the five pipes and bring them back to the Northeast, where they had originated from. The Kistlers graciously passed the pipes on to me, Patsy stating that the pipes had been some of her favorite pieces in their collection.

Discussing the pipes with Jack, he mentioned that Kirk had told him that he had hunted and found relics in both Ontario and New York and was certain that they had come from one of the two locations. As things happen, I had a chance meeting with Steve Fuller at the Manchester, Ohio, show in July of 2019. When Steve saw the pipes I had on display he mentioned that he had known Mr. Whaley and may have additional information regarding the pipes. A few weeks later I ....

Read the complete "Kirk Whaley’s Huron/Iroquois Pipes" column in the Central States Archaeological Societies 2020 April Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2021