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The Franke collection consisted mostly of flaked and ground stone artifacts with only a couple exceptions of two bone awls and a bone arrow point plus one ceramic pot. A large percentage of the artifacts had no provenance (where they were found). But it is obvious that the majority of the artifacts in the collection probably came from Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri. |
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The Franke collection contained a few singular one-of-a-kind artifacts. There were many very good examples of various types of Archaic, Woodland and Mississippian artifacts, in the form of axes, discoidals, knives and projectile points. But a few of them stand out as particularly unique. One is a rectangular shaped Mississippian bird effigy "Mound Builder" pipe that was probably collected on a site in the area around Cahokia Mounds. (see picture). Another would be the large 18 1/2 inch (47 cm) long "Mississippian Sword" that is one of the longest flaked stone artifacts from this area (see picture). The large 10 pound hematite indented "Pocket" ax is also unique (see picture). Another rare item in the collection was a very well made double- notched serrated Cahokia point made of bone (see picture). |
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Some of the artifacts in the Franke collection were illustrated in at least four different publications. One Kaolin Ramey knife was illustrated in 1938 in "The Cahokia Mound Group" on page 27. Three indented "pocket" three-quarter grooved axes, including the large Hematite specimen, are illustrated on page 134 in the 1956 issue of "The Central States Archaeological Journal." Eight Early Archaic knives are pictured in 1958 in "The Central States Archaeological Journal" on pages 116, 118 & 119. Six of them are St. Charles "Dovetail" points. The other two are a Hardin Barbed point and a very large and wide corner notched knife. One hundred and six stone and hematite artifacts from the Franke collection appear in 1953 in "Prehistoric Art" on pages 36-43. |
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The majority of the artifacts in the Franke collection were probably found in cultivated fields or creek beds. In fact, many of the artifacts were probably discovered behind horse drawn plows, early in the twentieth century, as new fields were being plowed. Some of the items, like a Mississippian water bottle and some of the larger flaked stone artifacts like an 18 1/2 inch (47 cm) long "Mississippian Sword" may have come from graves. |
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The Franke collection did not contain many Paleo related artifacts. One small Clovis point and approximately eight Agate Basin points were sold in the auction. There was a Cumberland type point pictured in 1953 in "Prehistoric Art" that is attributed to the Franke collection but it did not appear in the auction. |
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CONTINUE ON TO PAGE THREE | |
"REFERENCES"
1938,
Titterington, P.F., "The Cahokia Mounds Group," p. 27. |
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