Having had only good fortune on rainy days myself, this day would have been my empty-pocket day were it not for the framed words on the wall in good old Dad's radio room. They read like this:

PRESS ON

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

So this day I persisted: a few more rows in the field, down along the creek bed, a quick look again near the overhunted rock shelters. Nothing! Press on! I did. Neck crooked, back aching, legs sore from pushing my mud-laden boots, bending for every chip just hoping it would be something more. Then I saw it: black, shiny, strange! I thought, "It's just another chip."

I hadn't recovered anything with a shape even close to what I was looking for at from this site. Whatever it was must surely be broken or just a sinew stripper. A half-hearted tug gave more resistance than I had expected. It was mud-caked and I was still uncertain. A few wipes with my finger and shirttail brightened my outlook.

The object seemed to be unbroken yet puzzling. I had viewed pictures of bifurcated (having two branches; forked) points before, but had paid little attention to them. I researched my library at home with no success. However, photographs I had taken previously at Seton Hall University's Upper Delaware River Indian Artifact Display in South Orange, New Jersey, helped me a little. The photos showed six bifurcated projectiles called LeCroy. There were also several other points from the early and middle Archaic period. At least I had a clue. My persistence had paid off in finding this beauty, but I would need more to locate the information that would satisfy my curiosities about it.

Let me just say at this point that I underestimated the amount of persistence I would need to research LeCroy....

The descriptions of these types seem to be easily interchangeable. Differences, I believe, can be attributed to material quality, different artisans and slight experimental techniques graduating from MacCorkle to Kanawha, all types with similar bases and progressively wider shoulders or tangs (projecting point that fits into a handle). These points show no cultural variation and could possibly be a culture in themselves. The points were C-14 dated 7,370 b.c. to 6,110 b.c. on the outside, and 6,370 b.c. to 6,310 b.c. on the inside. No other projectile-type points were found in this era at the St. Albans Site.

Stratification caused by the seasonal flooding of the Kanawha River seems to be the only way of separating the four types being discussed.

Basal notching would support a point more securely to a wooden shaft to prevent loosening of the side notch hafting (fitting to a handle), loosening created by the thrashing action of a speared fish or frog in open water. The basal notches seem unnecessary for lancing large land animals that would be unlikely to disappear into the river depths. Exaggerated side tangs or shoulders appear on these points and would certainly enhance the probability of landing the speared, thrashing prey.

With the decline of the herd-hunting techniques of the Clovis era, dietary dependency for food may very well have turned to fish, aquatic animals and reptilia. Use of these points in a seemingly seasonal time may account in part for their scarcity and give evidence to their predominant recovery from the river banks and gravels. At this time, the glacial ice was melting, the great herd animals were quickly losing their habitat and, consequently, their existence. What staple does man use now? Dry areas become wet, creeks become rivers, basins become lakes.

It is proven that man at this time utilized whatever food was available to him, such as clams, mussels, oysters, berries, nuts, and various other vegetation. Agriculture may well have blossomed at this time were it not for the perpetual inundation of glacial waters. Fish live in water and this country probably had more water passing through it than mankind had to deal with ever! Inland species may have perished or prospered during these times, but it's almost certain that spawning migratorial types flourished: salmon, shad, sturgeon, herring and striped bass to name a few palatable varieties.

My bifurcate was found on an upper terrace of the Delaware River, Warren County, New Jersey in a plowed field about 100 yards or so from the river itself. Many Transitional and Archaic artifacts have been recovered from this area. Most likely LeCroy, this piece sports deep basal notching, medium side notching, one well-serrated edge slightly excurvated and a well-pointed tip, slightly off-center. The other side seems purposefully incurvated and lacking serations, but featuring a well-defined and delicate side tang. The point is made of high quality black flint with expert workmanship and evidence of pressure flaking on seration tips and base. The overall length is 35mm, the sides and base widths are 17mm, and the overall width of 22mm at the tang. The maximum thickness of 7mm. This ancient point is in perfect condition and most likely unused. Then again, fish flesh is soft and would not cause much wear.

Little is known about the culture that used these points in the Upper Delaware Valley and pretty much the rest of the country. It is probable, however, that the bifurcate was developed for fishing and that its users were a nomadic culture that became stationary at times. A culture not too far removed from the Clovis people in style or time, just adaptation.