Stone Axes from Adel

Last fall (1924) while a workman at the plant of the Adel Clay Products Company was digging a trench at the south edge of the shale pit he uncovered three stone objects having the general shape of so-called Indian axes. During the following winter Mr. H. R. Straight of the Company while in Washington, D.C., took the two smaller stones to the Smithsonian Institution and submitted them to inspection by Drs. J. W. Fewkes and Neil M. Judd. They pronounced them to be genuine artifacts and requested Dr. J. W. Gidley of the National Museum to go to Adel and examine the locality at which the artifacts had been found. Doctor Gidley asked the writer to accompany him, a courtesy with which he was glad to comply. The visit to Adel was made on April 4, 1925, and at that time Mr. Straight showed us the three objects and took us for an inspection of the shale pit. The writer also visited the pit on May 2 and made a further study of the deposits