An Iowa Keokuk Axe from Van Buren County	by Paul Herrick
Central States Archaeological Societies 2020 October Journal	Indiana

 

This excerpt from "An Iowa Keokuk Axe from Van Buren County" published in the 2020 Central States Archaeological Societies 2020 October Journal Read the complete column in the Central States Archaeological Societies 2020 October Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2021

An Iowa Keokuk Axe from Van Buren County

I have been fortunate to be able to deer hunt in Hancock County, Illinois, which borders part of the Mississippi River in western Illinois, for the last 15 years. I’ve got to know a lot of the locals and they all know of my interest in Native American artifacts. One friend had a single uncle who collected and would attend local auctions. He lived in Hamilton, Illinois, which is directly across the river from Keokuk, Iowa. After his Uncle’s passing, Garret asked me if I knew who to contact about dispersing his Uncle’s collection. I had a card from an artifact show for a gentleman who bought and sold artifacts and after contacting him, set up a time we could meet and look things over.

I learned a lot that day as he showed me about the rechipping of artifacts, faking patina and the regrinding of axes. He purchased some artifacts, and the rest ended up at an auction house. When we were setting things up so he could view them I noticed several Keokuk axes in the collection. That is a type of axe that I didn’t have so I asked Garret about purchasing one. He said he appreciated my help and told me to pick one out and he would give it to me for helping.

The one I picked out (Figs 1-3) came ....

 

 

Read the complete column in the Central States Archaeological Societies 2020 October Journal which can be purchased on-line after March 2021

Figure 2. Reverse face of the axe.