Pipestone and Red Shale Artifacts

During the summer and fall of 1938 the writer made several trips into Arizona and while there visited various museums in the central and northern part of the state. In each of these he encountered numerous artifacts made of a red shale material which varies in color from a light pink to a dull red. This is often referred to locally as pipestone. On more than one occasion the writer was asked if these rock samples were catlinite and was astonished to find that he could not answer this query, nor, indeed could he define or properly describe catlinite. It was quite apparent, moreover, that much confusion prevailed concerning many of the red-stone artifacts incorporated in the museum collections and that some few people were drawing far-reaching conclusions1 as to the extent of commerce and trade indulged in by our North American predecessors. Regrettable as this tendency is, it is not entirely unexpected since research with pipestone has been neglected.