Tick Creek Cave (23PH145) was
excavated by Ralph Roberts (a member of the Missouri Geological Survey) and
Jack Scrivner during 1960 to 1963. They were able to isolate 6 distinct
occupation levels in the cave. The deepest deposits belong to the
Early Archaic Period (ca. 7000 to 6000 BC). Ralph Roberts gave slides of
the cave and artifacts to Michael Fuller during the 1977.
Photograph of Tick Creek Cave in the Gasconade
River drainage.
Ralph Roberts classed these concave base - side notched
points as Graham Cave points though the smaller samples share more in common with the Big Sandy point type.
Several of these
were illustrated by Roberts in a figure of artifacts from the deepest layer of the cave - level 6.
Rice Lobed points from Tick Creek Cave. Several of these
were illustrated by Roberts in a figure of artifacts from the deepest layer of the cave - level 6.
A variety of hafted and unhafted drills
from Tick Creek Cave. This photograph is a mixture of artifacts from Levels 3, 4, 5, and 6.
see Roberts (1965: Figures 15, 16, and 17).
Contracting stemmed points (top row) that Roberts (1965:14)
identified as Gary points
and Afton Points (bottom row except for the far right) from Tick Creek Cave. Several of these
were illustrated by Roberts and belong to the Woodland and Late Archaic Periods. This
photograph is a mixture of artifacts illustrated in Roberts (1965) figures 9 and 10.
Bone artifacts (including fish hooks), a modified
columnella from a conch shell, and several animal teeth
(bear, bobcat, dog, and elk) used a pendants from Tick Creek Cave. What looks like a
bear tooth is really a pendant cut from the tine of a deer (found in level 5). Most of
these belong to the Woodland and Mississippian strata at the site. Several of these artifacts
appear in Roberts (1965:Figure 22).
Late Woodland and Mississippian arrowpoints from the upper strata of Tick
Creek Cave.
Bone artifacts from Tick Creek Cave including
two mat/hair pens and several needle-like tools. These compare with the black and white
illustrations in Roberts (1965: Figures 21 and 22).
Artifacts from Tick Creek Cave made from the antlers
and long bones of the white tailed deer. The black-and-white illustration of these artifacts
appear in Roberts (1965: Figure 21).
Late Woodland Period pottery sherds from Tick Creek Cave. These
artifacts were neither described nor illustrated in Roberts (1965).
Pottery sherds from Tick Creek Cave. These
artifacts were neither described nor illustrated in Roberts (1965).
Spindle whorls manufactured from Late Woodland Period
pottery sherds, Tick Creek Cave. These
artifacts were neither described nor illustrated in Roberts (1965).
Roberts, Ralph G.
1965 Tick Creek Cave: An Archaic Site in the Gasconade River Valley of Missouri.
Missouri Archaeologist 27(2).
Webpage about Spindle Whorls
Webpage Updated 18 August 2008 by Professor Michael Fuller, St. Louis Community College