Projectile point · Late Prehistoric
Cottonwood Triangular
1300–1850 CE, Fremont, Ancestral Puebloan, Mogollon
The Cottonwood Triangular point is the plain triangular arrowpoint of the Great Basin, Southwest and California, about 1,300 to 1,850 CE, often considered a preform for Desert Side-notched. It was used into the Historic period. Most are obsidian.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1300–1850 CE |
| Period | Late Prehistoric |
| Cultures | Fremont, Ancestral Puebloan, Mogollon |
| Regions | North America — Great Basin & Plateau, North America — Southwest, North America — Pacific Coast |
Diagnostic traits
Small, thin, unnotched triangle with a straight or concave base; often obsidian.
Identification
Cottonwood is a small, thin unnotched triangle with a straight or concave base, unlike Desert Side-notched, which is notched, and Fresno, which is a Plains type. Leaf-shaped variants exist. Size is very small.
Reproductions and fakes
Trivial to knap and reproduced in bulk. Genuine pieces show hydration and edge dulling.
Elsewhere
- Wikidata: Q138712270
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Cottonwood Triangular" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/cottonwood-triangular. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-cottonwood-triangular,
title = {Cottonwood Triangular},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/cottonwood-triangular}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, wikidata. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
} Citations carry the pack version and the article's as-of date so they resolve to the same text later. The facts themselves belong to the sources listed below; cite those for the science.