Pillsbury Dough Boy

I often find myself in the most interesting situations, mostly as a result of my interests and many of the people that I know.  About a month and a half ago, I had the unique and rather random opportunity to partake in an archaeological assessment of the property owned by the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

Ok, well, not the soft little baker guy that giggles when poked in the belly, but the man who voices the character.  His name is JoBe Cerny, and he's most famous for being the voice of Poppin' Fresh but has been active an both an actor and voice actor for many years.  JoBe had been doing some yard work recently when he discovered what he believed may have been chert - the byproduct of stone tool making by Native Americans.  Was it possible his yard was the site of a chipping station (Dan would refer to it as a "debitage site")?  What further evidence does he have that supports the idea that this material was worked by the hand of man, and not just forces of nature?

These were questions we wanted answers to.  Dan, Buzz Spreeman, and I were warmly welcomed to the home of Mr. Cerny on an overcast mid-August Sunday.  Following a brief tour of JoBe's home, and a helping of chocolate doughnuts (which I don't believe were Pillsbury...), we were shown where an ash tree had recently been removed and where the underlying soil had produced the stones in question.  It turns out there were pieces of flint and other similar rocks scattered about at or near the surface of his property.  Not long after we began to broaden our search, a reporter from the Chicago Tribune arrived to interview us about the process.  Dan was hesitant to conclude that there was anything other than a slight probability any of this was Native American in nature, to the disillusionment of the reporter.  What JoBe had on his property was very likely glacial rock, simply put.

However - JoBe had very good reason to believe this very well could have been Native American.  Just across the street, along someone's driveway, stands a very real, very alive Native American trail tree.  It isn't every day you see one of these, as obviously it has been a long time since Europeans chased all the natives out.  Seeing this tree was a sobering reminder that, in the big picture, it really hasn't been that long since Europeans have come and transformed the entire landscape.

Some of the rocks that were found by JoBe in and around a hole where an ash tree had been removed.

 From L to R: Tribune reporter, Dan, president of local historical society, and Mr. Cerny.

 Me next to a real Native American trail tree.

 With the Dough Boy himself!