Projectile point · Early Woodland
Dickson
500 BCE–200 CE, Woodland (Eastern)
Dickson is the Early to Middle Woodland contracting-stem point of Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin, named for the Dickson Mounds area in Fulton County, Illinois. Most are made from Burlington chert, often heat-treated, and the broad-blade variety can be large and very thin. It is closely related to Waubesa and the two names are often used interchangeably across the state line.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 500 BCE–200 CE |
| Period | Early Woodland |
| Cultures | Woodland (Eastern) |
| Regions | North America — Eastern Woodlands |
Diagnostic traits
Medium to large, thin point with a broad triangular blade, sharp horizontal or barbed shoulders and a contracting stem with a pointed to narrowly rounded base.
Identification
Dickson has sharper, straighter shoulders than Waubesa, which has weak sloping shoulders and a more rounded stem; Gary of the South is thicker and cruder. Adena Stemmed has a rounded, not pointed, base and Cresap a longer stem with a rounded base.
Reproductions and fakes
Thin broad-blade Dicksons are reproduced in heat-treated Burlington; genuine ones show differential patina on the two faces and slight edge dulling.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Dickson" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/dickson. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-dickson,
title = {Dickson},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/dickson}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum. 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.