Mr. John Ferguson resides in Virginia today but in his childhood his
home was in Chicago. During the summer months he would spend time in the
country at his aunt and uncle’s farm, Jack and Agnes Clinton. On one visit
John found an axe in his uncle’s cornfield –and his uncle Jack kept it
until John was older, then turned it over to him. This ancient Indian axe,
which is so special to John, recently caused him to search the internet
for information concerning Indian artifacts so he
could learn more about this precious item that he had found around
1949. While searching the internet Mr. Ferguson came across the Dirtbrothers
site and, as he put it, “was shocked to find so much information and so
much collecting of stone age artifacts from a place very few people have
ever heard of – Peotone, Illinois”. The reason that he was so shocked is
quite simple.....he found this artifact on the Clinton farm............right
here in Peotone, Illinois!
John immediately contacted Margo Hupe, forwarding scans of the axe and
after receiving permission from John the artifact is now here for all to
see. From hundreds of miles away, over untold years since his childhood,
the origins of this fine axe and it’s contributions of knowledge to the
prehistory of the Peotone region are brought to light. Since the Clinton
farm still remains with the family we will check into any possible
remaining artifacts that can be documented.
The axe itself is made from a light, speckled granite, three-quarter
grooved, well-made and very little worn or resharpened. The axe likely
dates to between 2000 and 1000 B.C. and is representative of axes from
the region. John even remembers the general area where he found this artifact
and it will be documented.
We thank John for sharing this artifact for all to see and several of
us will always wonder how he must have felt when he came upon the Dirtbrothers
site and saw
“Peotone” on that screen....what a small world it truly is.
Margo & Stone
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