Projectile point · Late Archaic
Pelican Lake
1500 BCE–200 CE, Plains Archaic
The Pelican Lake point is a Late Archaic corner-notched dart point of the Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies, about 1,500 BCE to 200 CE, named after a site in Saskatchewan. It is well made and often in Knife River flint. It precedes Besant in the Plains sequence.
| Object | Projectile point |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1500 BCE–200 CE |
| Period | Late Archaic |
| Cultures | Plains Archaic |
| Regions | North America — Great Plains |
Diagnostic traits
Corner-notched with sharp barbs, a narrow expanding stem and a straight base; fine workmanship.
Identification
Pelican Lake has sharp barbs, a narrow expanding stem and a straight base with deep corner notches, unlike Besant, which is side-notched with a wide base, and Oxbow, which is eared. The workmanship is finer than most Plains Archaic points. Size is medium.
Reproductions and fakes
Knife River flint reproductions exist; look for the light chalky patina on genuine flint and for use wear on the barbs. Fakes have crisp barbs and glossy surfaces.
Cite this article
Stratum Study. "Pelican Lake" (Artifact type). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/study/types/pelican-lake. Accessed 2026-09-21.
@misc{stratum-pelican-lake,
title = {Pelican Lake},
author = {{Stratum Study}},
howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/types/pelican-lake}},
year = {2026},
note = {Artifact type article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, commons. 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.