There's been quite a write up about this subject in the past, but I think it's time for an update. There's an opportunity to view some of the arrowheads, so read on and find out how.
Clovis Point arrowheads were found in East Wenatchee, Douglas County, in 1987 by some apple orchard workers digging an irrigation canal near the East Wenatchee airport. Orchard managers called in a local amateur archaeologist. He notified Robert Mierendorf, an expert with North Cascades National Park of the orchard find. The orchard, owned then by Dr. Mack and Susan Richey of Bellevue, soon became world news in the archaeological community.
The quartz Clovis points initially found at the East Wenatchee Clovis Cache were tentatively dated at around 11,000 years old and are the largest Clovis points ever found to date. They were in perfect shape when found. Peter Mehringer of Washington State University found more points, including the largest at 9 inches long, in a three-day study at the site. No human remains were found.
Archaeologist Michael Gramly of the Buffalo Museum of Science in New York came to do a more extensive study at the orchard owners' request. More than 68 artifacts were unearthed and the pieces were replaced with copper replicas when removed to preserve the site. The pieces represent prime examples of lithic technology.
It wasn't long, though, until the Colville Indian Tribe got involved and the second study was stopped dead in its tracks. The Colvilles believe the Clovis people of East Wenatchee are their ancestors and they staged a peaceful protest hoping to shut the dig down. (They also now claim the Kennewick Man, found after this significant find, is also their ancestor.) They proclaimed a public hearing on the dig did not give them enough time to study the matter.
In a quote from an article by Hill Williams of the Seattle Times, October 23, 1990, Moses George, an elder of the tribe, said a prayer for their ancestors at that protest. He prayed, requesting archaeologists to quit digging at the site, "...leave them alone," he said. "They are keeping company with eternity and with Mother Earth," referring to the tribe's ancestors.
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