Kallam Collection

1890-1895: James Loren Kallam Collection: 700 stone tools from Tama County, Iowa

Kallam Collection

The J. L. Kallam Collection consists of more than 700 stone tools collected in Tama County, Iowa, between 1890–1895. Most of the material dates from the Archaic period: 8,500–800 BCE. The collection is unique in offering archaeologists a broad range of stone tools from a relatively small geographical area. Through such an index collection, archaeologists may trace the evolution of a culture through time, how different cultures adapt to the same environmental conditions, and how stone points are modified through resharpening and repairs to make other tools. Kallam enrolled in the University of Iowa in 1893, graduating in March 1895 with a Ph.D. in Pharmacy. The Kallam Collection includes tools uncovered by early settlers with horse-drawn plows. Modern tractors typically nick and gouge large points and axes. The Kallam material is pristine.

Researchers, faculty, instructors, students, and others needing assistance with digital or in-person access, object/specimen loans, other special arrangements, or more detailed information on our research collections may contact our research collections team.

University of Iowa Museum of Natural History

Kallam Collection

1890-1895: James Loren Kallam Collection: 700 stone tools from Tama County, Iowa

Kallam Collection

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Researchers, faculty, instructors, students, and others needing assistance with digital or in-person access, object/specimen loans, other special arrangements, or more detailed information on our research collections may contact our research collections team.