This rock was picked up at one of maybe 3 locations. Jess thought the flat face would be good for painting on. It wasn't until at least 8 months later did I even take a second look at this 'rock'. I was watching a PBS show on ancient tool makers, and then I thought about chip marks on that dark rock. It looks like an ancient ax head, or tool of some sort. It came from high up along a river bank along a Columbia river trib, or the North Fk Umpqua. Anybody have any ideas about this? Is the cold medicine making me hallucinate or is this some kind of artifact?

Notice the pen is pointing at what looks like regular marks left by the bindings.

The last pic is an example of what I do when I get bored with tying leaders, and what we had planned for this rock.


[img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r138/VHawk29/IMG_1099.jpg?t=1166757266[/img]
[img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r138/VHawk29/IMG_1115.jpg?t=1166757293[/img] [img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r138/VHawk29/IMG_1119.jpg?t=1166764508[/img]

Eroded chip-like marks along 3 borders can be seen here. But only on the side with the flat face.
[img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r138/VHawk29/IMG_1120.jpg?t=1166757325[/img] [img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r138/VHawk29/IMG_1121.jpg?t=1166757339[/img] [img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r138/VHawk29/IMG_1123.jpg?t=1166757356[/img] [img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r138/VHawk29/IMG_1127.jpg?t=1166764569[/img]

Looks like a hide scraper to me...

Keith

Vince ease up on the cold meds.

Looks an awful lot like a regular ol' rock to me...bet it'd work well for knockin' the heck out of a brat on the river bank, though!!

Fish on...

Todd

A mind is a terrible thing to lose

I found a pestle laying in a pile of regular looking rocks at a construction site down by Centralia once. The give away was the obvious scrape marks on the bottom. That and its obvious shape.

If in doubt, take it downtown to DNR and hand it to one of thier Archeologists. They confirmed mine for me.

Remember, sharp-edged tools tend to be made of obsidian, bone, or ivory.

Pretty sure it's an Indian mating stone.

Several have been found on Washingtons coast.

When I was guiding we have found a bunch of them.

fp

It looks like a tool of some sort, possibly a hand ax. I've never seen one that was "chipped" as flynt would be, usually hand tools like axes and grinders, weights were ground smooth from harder stones. Something I'm not seeing either is the petina that should be there from the hand use, it may be there, just can't tell in the pics. Here are a couple of pieces from my collection, one axe head and one weight, neither of these were really hand held tools, so there is no real petina, but the tooling to form the stones is pretty obvious.

http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/uploads/UP13624.jpg


http://www.piscatorialpursuits.com/uploads/UP13623.jpg


Seattle has dozens of people that can certify artifacts, who knows, you may have a piece of the past.

You have soft hands...palmolive?

Mating stones? Your killing me. And yes my hands are soft. I find that human blood keeps the skin very soft, much softer than palmolive.

I still remember the first time in a museum looking at stone age tools. "Duhh those look like plain old rocks." Lets see, I was maybe 8 years old. Bunch of funny guys.

The patina might be gone from the erosive effects of lying high up on a riverbank. So this rock looks like a piece of cheese a rat has gnawed away at on three sides. One edge is worn smooth. It fits very comfortably in my hand. I thought hide scraper also, but I'm not an archeologist. I just can't imagine how tumbling down a hill, or rolling around a riverbottom could ever replicate the marks on this rock.

Dammit, now I have developed a psychological complex about my hands.

Quit biting your nails.

Petrified Cheese?? Do you drink the blood, I thought you guys wore gloves when you worked on folks.

VHawk,
Looks like a tool of some sort to me.
Email these pics to one of these folks near where you found it.
Joe List of Archeologists in the state

I think you are right on Vince that does not look like any old rock. I'd bet it is a tool of some sort.

Rock. Maybe you need a poll on this?

Nice rock.

Vince,
You are definately not a hand model!!! Should have gave Mingo a call and had his wife model the rocks!!!

Just a small tip for ya !! No matter what it is on an internet board its just a rock..

FYI- picking that crap up is a federal crime these days. Surprized nobody has brought that up.

I know some folks with some pretty amazing collections that don't dare go look for it anymore because if caught with it out in the field, they risk losing all the stuff they already have pre-ban.

I know it sounds kinda dumb but there are people, who go out and seach for that stuff. They do it in the spring time out in the Owhyees and quite often get busted anymore. Believe it or not it happens.

Yes, VHawk, just a f**king rock.

fp