Fragments of a whetstone found at a Fort McCoy archaeological site are shown. Whetsones were used to sharpen knives and other tools. Photo contributed by the Colorado State University Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands

Archaeologists with Colorado State University’s Center for the Environmental Management of Military Lands working in collaboration with the Natural Resources Branch of Fort McCoy recovered whetstone fragments from an archaeological site at Fort McCoy.

These days, people have artificial stones manufactured specifically to hone edge tools and knives as effectively as possible, but the first American settlers didn’t have the same luxuries.

For them, sharpening required a technology that dates back to at least the Roman Empire.

The word “whet” is not in common use these days, but 100 years ago, mines around the world were devoted specifically to obtaining high-quality stone to be used as whetstones.

Some whetstones have two sides: a course face for establishing a bevel or edge and a fine face for honing it. Whetstones are commonly lubricated with oil or water. Older alternatives to whetstones used a steel plate coated with diamond grit, and more recent alternatives are composed of silicon carbide or aluminum oxide.

The site of the whetstone fragments, located among the runways of the Sparta/Fort McCoy Airport, was not attributed to a specific family or settler through historical documents, but many interesting items were recovered there, including a complete cat skeleton.

All archaeological work conducted at Fort McCoy was coordinated by the Directorate of Public Works Environmental Division Natural Resources Branch.

Visitors and employees are reminded they should not collect artifacts on Fort McCoy or other government lands and leave the digging to the professionals.

Anyone who excavates, removes, damages, or otherwise alters or defaces any historic or prehistoric site, artifact, or object of antiquity on Fort McCoy is in violation of federal law.