Filling the Gap: New Evidence of Paleoindian Life in Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa with Dr. Thomas Loebel and John Lambert - Plains 44

Jun 24

In this episode of the Great Plains Archaeology Podcast, Carlton is joined by John M. Lambert and Thomas J. Loebel to discuss their recent article with Dr. David Easterla, “Addressing a Gap in the Late Pleistocene Record of the Midwest: Fluted Points in Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa.” The conversation explores why this region has long been underrepresented in Paleoindian research and how the documentation of 235 fluted projectile points, including dozens of previously unreported specimens, helps illuminate the lives of some of North America's earliest inhabitants. Lambert and Loebel discuss the challenges and value of integrating museum collections, private collections, and published records, as well as what Clovis and Folsom projectile points reveal about technology, mobility, and land use across the Midcontinent and Great Plains. The episode highlights how overlooked collections and regional documentation projects continue to reshape our understanding of Paleoindian settlement, movement, and adaptation during the late Pleistocene.

Article Citation: Lambert, J. M., Loebel, T. J., & Easterla, D. A. (2025). Addressing a gap in the late Pleistocene record of the Midwest: fluted points in Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa. Plains Anthropologist, 70(273), 40–63 .