ABOUT HOLE-IN-THE-WALL-YELLOW AGATE

ABOUT HOLE-IN-THE-Wall YELLOW AGATE  In all my 50 years of knapping I have found Hole-in-the-wall yellow agate to be the most mystical of all the raw materials I have worked. When the sun shines through a newly finished point it is pure magic! So, I had to put points made from it into a category all their own! Though exploited from Paleo times to the Late Prehistoric, and found in artifacts as far away as Washington State, and Indiana, the source of this unique, translucent, yellow agate was unknown until its recent rediscovery by intrepid individuals. It was found in a desolate place in northern Nevada aptly named “Hole-in-the-wall” for a nearby cut through the mountains. For those involved collecting this material is a risky business. It is at the end of a long trip through the desert high country, over a hundred miles from the nearest town, and a good bit of it on dirt roads barely traversable by modern four-wheel vehicles. Because I did the workability analysis I have access to a limited amount of this material and can say it is very tough in the raw, and even after cooking it can be difficult. See my written contribution in “Hole-in-the-wall: Archeological Discovery of a Major Lithic Source in North-Central Nevada,” Gramly et al, in the Central States Archeological Journal Volume. 68, Number 1, January 2021. And most recently, in the Central States Archeological Journal Volume 70, Number 2, April 2023 is the last article on the site by Gramly, “Report of the Beutell Expedition to Hole-in-the-wall, Churchill County, North Central, Nevada.” Since this material is limited, and so special, I go to the trouble of working every scrap and odd shaped piece. No matter the size, if I see a point in it I will go for it. Therefore, the smaller points I make from it may take twice as long to finish as ones in Burlington three times their size! When looking at the price one must take into account its rarity, the time and effort involved in collecting it, and then processing this unique, and beautiful material.