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On the face of it, red pipestone, no matter where it people. Even so, since five of the pipestone items
comes from, appears similar. In fact depending on probably came from sources in Kansas, and one
its source, pipestone has a unique mineral composi- piece of pipestone scrap from a Glenwood site possi-
tion or fingerprint. Using a portable infrared mineral bly came from Wisconsin, we know that their owners
analyzer (PIMA), geologists and archaeologists were traveled or traded in other directions as well.
able to determine the original source of 76 pipestone
artifacts from Mill Creek and Glenwood sites. All but
six were made of catlinite, derived from the famous
deposits at Pipestone, Minnesota, which are still
quarried today by descendant peoples.

The PIMA analysis shows us how important the Min-
nesota pipestone was to Mill Creek and Glenwood

Re-analysis of all available radiocarbon dates from George Catlin’s 1836 sketch of the pipestone quarries in southwestern Minnesota.
Glenwood and related sites on the Plains, also part
of the Loess Hills study, supports conclusions about
the age of Glenwood as suggested by the pottery
cross-dating. Glenwood culture apparently spanned
a period of A.D. 1200–1400 in southwestern Iowa,
beginning later and lasting longer than Mill Creek.

More Connections: Pipestone

Figuring out the source of materials used by ancient
people tells us where and how far they had to travel
to acquire desirable raw material or with whom they
might have traded. Among the artifacts found in earth
lodge sites throughout the Loess Hills are pipes, pen-
dants, and small animal-shaped objects fashioned
from red pipestone. As part of the recent study, many
of the pipestone items from Mill Creek and Glen-
wood collections were subjected to a specialized
analysis to determine the source of this raw material.

University of Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist 23