Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1900-03-22
MEDINA FARMERS UNIQUE AND
PROFITABLE INDUSTRY.
DEVELOPED AVERY HIGH ART
Lewis Erickson Makes Over Good as
New Indian Weapons and lmple-
mentS ami His Workmanship Pene-
rates into Smithsonian Institution
Interesting Investigation Made.
Maids n. March II


government bureau Of ethnolagy, and
engaged in studying the economical
life Of the Indians, has made y distov-
cry that will cause suspicion and cha
grin among collectors of Indian relics
throughout the country 1t is nothing
less than that OF the manufacture of
spurious relies, the most perfect goods
OF the kind found in this country
However, the discovery had been pre-
vously made by Madison parties.
Lewis Erickson, young Norwegian
farmer living in the town Of Medina,
fifteen miles west Of here, has been en-
gagged in their manufacture tor the
past nine years, nearly. His method
is extremely simple though his York
is Of the highest perfection lie acct
dentally discovered that he could
make relies" while he was ill.,
Flint has the property of frac-
tNring into roneoidal takes when
struck a sharp blow Erickson s
covered that he could chip Indian
relics with his teeth and the next step
to their manufacture was easy. He
took an ordinary pair of tOrCeps and
by filing their jaws into the shape of
4 beak of Il bird of prey had all the
apparatus required lie became Won
derfully deft and could make an ordi-
nary spear or arrow point in from
three to FIFTEEN minutes, He carried
ON quite a business by selling aud
| trading Indian relies, and in manufac-
! turing the same, His specimens We're
usually made from other Indian imp,e-
monts and remains and an eXamina-
ton Of 100 pieces Of his workmanship
shows that all of them could have been
made from original leaf-shaped stone
! implements So common in most sec.
! tons where Indians had anything to
do with chopped stone. He made
| hooks, axes, serratcd arrow heads, etc,
| by modifying the edges of lcaf-shaped
| Indian remains but did not modify the
| faces of the specimens.
The large number of scrratcd arrow
heads and fantastic knives, but more
principally stone tishhooks that appear
to have come from this see
| ton led to suspicion on the
part OF scientific collectors. as
/ there are no stone tishhouks re-.
ported to be found among Indian
relics in North America Had it not
been for this fact Erickson might have
gone ON with his work much Longer as
collectors with whom he dealt would
not reveal To one another where they
obtained specimens as each wanted 10
get all that Erickson had
Erickson received as much as s. i
specimen and said that all that he had
to do To get his price Was to ST Elk to it.
! Dr. jerks sent several of his spel
1 mems To the Smithsonian institution
with which nc IS connected and wa- r..
| quested To examine into Erickson 4
has thus been done among collects ns
would be difficult 10 estimate. As Erick-
sons works have penetrated the coun
Try as far as New York city, and some
have found Their way INFO the smith
sonIan Institution mnsu
Ordinarily the stone h,hhoOk, fantas-
tie knives ana s,rraud arrow heads
found in collections in this vicinity
may be suspected 10 have come from
his workshop Erickson seldom
claimed that the relics were genuine.
except that they were real Indian ~
mains He ha+ refunded the money 10
several collectors that purchased goods
from him and says he viii ply his art
no longer.
Dr. jerks says II is commonly sup
/ posed that the making Of nnt imp,e-
ments as the Indians made them i }
! lost art He says, however, that IL Is
! no ana that the method il a simple
! one IN" Indians, he says. would
/ quarry their rock and, breaking Il up,
would se,ert The leaf-shaped spec mems
for heir purpose The manufacturing
/ process is dis The stone would be
Httl ~ me pam OF the hand. which
was probably protected by piece Of
backskin The edges would then ~
chlppcd by striking sharp quick
| bio" With piece VI bone. the tip OF
an autler or a hard tooth. This would
Dflhs about the desired cOnco,dal
fracture, while dull, heavy blow
would break ne flint across. 1t usu-
a.lf reqn5rcdtwo persons in the m tnu-
fdtture Of one specimen When one
side had seen Clipped the same process
would !" repeated with the other and
"A second chipping nearer the edge
made 81" finished workmanship. For
the large weapons, a. spear-helds. a
shaped stick several feet IN
length Oh which the weight of he
boly could be applied. i IS thought
might bays been used
When Columbus discovered Amer.
ia. the continent vas In the stone
age. and Dr jerks says indian roles
found aD0ut apre may nor IL nee. qEa