This lithic CAST was done as part of a teaching collection representing the Great Basin Western Stemmed Tradition archaeological finds. It is an excellent representation of a Cougar Mountain point type of the Western Stemmed Culture of the Great Basin.The unique ecology of the Great Basin Desert encompasses an area of northern Nevada and Utah, between the boundaries of the Sierra Nevadas and the Rocky Mountain ranges. Researchers Bruce Kaiser and Richard Shipley provided a collection of projectile points and knives in order to create this collection. This artifact (ISOFS-2527) was made in basalt from the Flat Hills/Dugway/Old River Bed site, area in Utah, and measures 4 and 7/16th inches long.
 
Research done by the Far Western Anthropological Research Group/Daron Duke has pushed the time of the Western Stemmed Tradition back further into the Paleoindian period, with dating as far back as 12,000 years ago. One of the points in the study from Utah's Great Salt Lake region tested showed elephant/probiscidean blood residue, showing use for large thrusting and throwing spears. This artifact is one of the best examples known, and is a complete and undamaged example of the regional type.   (cast copyright Occpaleo 2020)