A freshman found a tiny stone on a Seattle campus, and what looked like an ordinary rock, uncovered ancient Native American history from thousands of years ago

What started out to be just another regular day at the University of Washington became something completely different when freshman Ellen Van Wyk found a small stone point close to the UW Botany Greenhouse in 2009. In itself, the object was unremarkable. However, after some investigation by archaeologists from the Burke Museum, the find proved to be evidence of human habitation in Seattle thousands of years prior to the construction of the university.

This incredible discovery happened because the artifact did not go unnoticed. Specialists documented the object, dug up the soil around it, and related it to a much longer history of Native Americans being present in the Pacific Northwest.

A tiny artifact resulted in a larger search


The University of Washington claims that Van Wyk discovered the projectile point while working in the area of the greenhouse in late October of 2009. Following the discovery, the specialists from the Burke Museum performed some excavations in the form of small test pits and unearthed more stone tool fragments. This step was important for archaeologists who were not just making guesses about the artifact. The object was carefully analyzed together with the territory where it was discovered.

It was also mentioned by researchers that this was the first such discovery on campus in nearly 90 years. There was something unusual in the place of discovery. This was no remote archaeological expedition or excavation in the distant wilderness. The discovery happened close to a campus greenhouse from which students and staff would frequently walk by.

As specialists say, this is exactly how archaeology starts. One day, an object turns up unexpected, leading to discovering its much more significant story that lies underneath regular land.

The Burke Museum specialists described the artifact

They said that the object was not a simple arrowhead, but a projectile point. It measured three inches long and about 1.5 inches wide. Based on analysis, the object was estimated as being between 4,000 and 6,700 years old. This discovery changed from being an object related to recent history to the clear evidence of people using the lands thousands of years ago.

Burke Museum was crucial due to the fact that archaeology and studies of Native American cultures were vital for its mission. People at the museum had all the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to assess the artifact. Archaeologists frequently state that the significance of such small objects lies in their context and documentation. Indeed, a tiny thing becomes historical in significance if it is documented, studied, and preserved.

Stone tools can reflect human behavior

One thing that makes stone artifacts especially interesting for archaeologists is the fact that they usually survive through many years and provide data about human behavior. Experts who study prehistoric tools claim that their shape, wear, and composition may tell something about human hunting or moving practices.

Modern peer-reviewed studies show how valuable the stone tools are for research that preserve behavioral data even as most other artifacts disappear over centuries. Yet another significant exampleprovided by the Manis archaeological site located in Washington state. At that excavation, specialists discovered a stone projectile-point fragment inside a mastodon bone.

Such discovery became proof of early human settlement in North America

This UW campus artifact may be much newer than the Manis discovery, but according to archeologists, this principle stays the same. Sometimes, a very small stone item can represent incredible historical value. The finding shed light on the much deeper Native American history. The finding also brought a reminder for most people about the deep Native history that lies under any modern city or campus.

The university campus was not built from scratch. In this area, various indigenous tribes have been living, traveling and working for several thousand years before the university was founded. In later assessment studies performed by UW Facilities, this finding was mentioned, and it was confirmed that the record related to this finding is stored at the Burke Museum.

This fact is crucial since it means that this finding became part of the archaeological archive instead of becoming just another news story.

Why does this story matter today?

Most of the times, students, workers, hikers, and homeowners become people who discover the artifacts. In this situation, one young student’s finding brought about a professional investigation, more discoveries, and documentation of the ancient presence of human beings on the university campus.

This discovery was insignificant in terms of size yet great in significance. The finding proved the fact that the marks of past centuries could be hiding in plain sight under our feet. Students pass by the lawns of the university buildings every day. However, very few give them much thought. Back in 2009, one student found time to do so and made an important discovery.