Mill Creek chert, Prehistoric stone quarry site in Mill Creek, Illinois.
Mill Creek chert is a stone material found in limestone formations of southern Illinois, ranging in color from light gray to brown with a coarse grain. It forms in large, flat nodules that split well, making it a practical raw material for shaping into tools.
Native American groups quarried this stone from around 800 to 1600 CE, developing specific techniques for extracting it from the limestone beds. The site remained in active use for several centuries, which points to how consistently it supplied communities across the region.
Mississippian peoples traded finished tools made from this stone across the Midwest and Southeast, not just the raw material itself. Archaeologists can trace those exchange networks today by identifying the stone at sites far from southern Illinois.
The site is in southern Illinois and is easiest to visit in the warmer months when paths through the area are dry and clear. Local museums in the region often display tools made from this material, which can add context to a visit to the quarry itself.
Hoes and axes made from this stone have been found nearly 300 miles (480 km) from the quarry, showing how far the material traveled. Some sites have yielded so many of these tools in one place that researchers think they may have been stored as a form of wealth rather than used for daily work.
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