Cotaco Creek

This variant has been referred to as Cotaco Wright points

This is a medium to large, straight-stemmed point with rounded shoulders and straight blade edges. Nine examples taken from one site range and length from between 83 and 47 mm with an average of 64 mm. The cross-section is usually flattened but maybe rhomboid. Shoulders may be straight or inversely tapered with week barbs and are usually rounded. The blade is usually straight, but may be excurvate, finally serrated and, sometimes, bevel on the right side of one or both faces. One example is smoothed, as from use, on the edges adjacent to the distal end. The distal end is usually apiculate or obtuse; rarely acute. The stem is usually straight; rarely, expanded with straight edges. The basal edge may be straight or excavate. Most of basal edges are thinned. About half of the examples are ground on the basal edge. Occasionally, the side edges of the stem are ground. This type displays well-controlled, broad, shallow, random flaking. Edge retouch consisting of the removal of fine, short, regular flakes from alternate face edges appear as fine serrations. Sometimes longer, more even flakes were removed in beveling one edge of each face. Some examples were beveled and then serrated. Points were made from Fort Payne chert, Bangor nodular flint, jasper or other local materials. Some examples made of Fort Payne chert show considerable patination.

The type was named for Cotaco Creek in Morgan County, Alabama, where many examples have been recovered. Some examples were recovered from the Stone Pipe site in Limestone County, Alabama. At this Stanfield-Worley bluff shelter 10 examples were recovered from level II, four from level III, two from level IV, two from level V, four from level VI, two from level VII, one from level IX and one from level X. These levels-all in zone a – are Woodland and Archaic. At the University of Alabama site (MS201) in Marshall County, Alabama, one example was recovered from level III (Woodland). The Flint Creek Rock shelter produced one example from stratum I (Woodland) and five examples from middle and upper stratum two (Archaic). The Flint River mound, University of Alabama site MA48 produced three examples from zones A and B (Woodland) and 18 examples from the upper part of zone C and D (Archaic). This evidence suggests a strongly Archaic occurrence on the Tennessee River and continued use in Woodland times, especially at Stanfield-Worley Bluff Shelter. The variation of the type call to Cotaco Creek Variant differs from Cotaco Creek in that it is usually smaller, cruder, often narrower and has an acute distal end. The blade of the variant is more apt to be excavate.

Information for this article was derived from James W. Cambron and David C. Hulse, Handbook of Alabama Archaeology, Alabama Archaeological Society