National Historic Landmark

Lynch Quarry Site

Redacted, Dunn County, North Dakota
Listed
July 12, 2011
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
11000629

About this property

The Lynch Quarry Site, also known as the Lynch Knife River Flint Quarry, and designated by the Smithsonian trinomial 32DU526, is a historic pre-Columbian flint quarry located near Dunn Center, North Dakota, United States. The site was a major source of flint found at archaeological sites across North America, and it has been estimated that the material was mined there from 11,000 B.C. to A.D. 1600. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2011. Knife River flint was a prized toolmaking material among North America's prehistoric population, as it is particularly easy to work into projectile points, knives, and scraping tools. Materials from Knife River quarries have been found at prehistoric archaeological sites in Northern Canada, New York, and New Mexico, and would have been traded by area tribes for other materials such as shell, obsidian, cloth, and (in the early European contact period) metal weapons. The Lynch site, whose known extent is at least 690 acres (280 ha) has an estimated 20,000 pits from which flint was quarried. The pits range in depth from 3 to 10 feet (0.91 to 3.05 m), and are accompanied by spoil piles. It is located on the banks of Spring Creek, a tributary of the Knife River. The site is remarkably well preserved, despite agricultural activity over parts of it, and the digging of shafts for coal mining in some areas. At the time of the site's nomination as a National Historic Landmark, detailed examination of the site for specific work areas had not taken place; the entire site is covered with chipped and flaked stone.

Location

Redacted, Dunn County, North Dakota

Categories

PREHISTORIC
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Finds & Access
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Questions about this property

When was Lynch Quarry Site listed on the National Register?

Lynch Quarry Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 12, 2011.

What type of historic resource is Lynch Quarry Site?

Lynch Quarry Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Lynch Quarry Site a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Lynch Quarry Site has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Lynch Quarry Site?

The period of significance for Lynch Quarry Site is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Lynch Quarry Site?

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