FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex, but may be plano-convex. Blade edges are excurvate. Distal ends are acute. The hafting area is parallel pointed, with deeply incurvate, steeply flaked basal edge. Some examples are fluted, and an occasional example is ground along the entire blade and hafting area edges.
FLAKING: Shallow, random flaking was used to shape the faces of the blade and hafting area. Fairly broad flakes were removed in shaping the blade edges, followed by very fine secondary retouching along the edges. Large flakes were often removed in forming the basal concavity, and several short narrow flakes were removed to form a steeply flaked basal edge. Local materials were used, especially Ft. Payne chert.
COMMENTS: The type was named from points found on the Stone Pipe Site (Cambron, 1955a) in the Wheeler Basin of the Tennessee River, Limestone County, Alabama. The illustrated example is from this site (Cambron, 1956). A fluted example is illustrated by T. M. N. Lewis (1960b) in Editor's Notes, page 45, left side of Fig. 3. An example was recovered from Stratum III in association with transitional Paleo-Indian materials at the Quad Site (Cambron and Hulse, 1960a). The type is similar to the McKean point, but appears to be older and, unlike McKean points, the basal edge is steeply beveled. This type appears with Wheeler Recurvate and Wheeler Triangular points on pre-shellmound sites in North Alabama. Evidence indicates a transitional Paleo-Indian association. A reworked Wheeler point was recovered from Level 11 at the University of Alabama Site Ms 201 in Marshall County, Alabama. This also indicates an early provenience for Wheeler points.
WHEELER RECURVATE, Cambron (Cambron, 1955a and 1957): A-86
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is a small to medium sized auriculate point with incurvate base, steeply worked basal edge, and recurvate side edges.
MEASUREMENTS: Nine points from six sites in the Tennessee River Valley provided the following measurements: length—maximum, 68 mm.; minimum, 27 mm.; average, 55 mm.: width—average, 19 mm.: thickness—average, 7 mm. The illustrated example provided the following measurements: length, 45 mm.; width of blade, 20 mm.; width at base, 13 mm.; thickness, 5 mm.; depth of basal concavity, 4 mm.
FORM: The cross-section is usually biconvex, but may be plano-convex. Blade edges are excurvate above the hafting area. Distal ends are acute. The hafting area is expanded pointed, with deeply incurvate, steeply flaked basal edge.