I found this rock by a river behind my folks house when I was a kid, been using it as a door stop since.anyone think it might have been used to sharpen things,we do know the Indians traveled this area.

I think it may have been used to sharpen things.

I know nothing about artifacts.

I’ve got a multitude of stones like this. Would like to know myself.

Apache pig castrator but you’ll need the other half

Might have been dragged around the field by
a farm implement such as disc-ing equipment
to gouge those striations into the rock.

Or maybe it really is an actual stone age
tool of some such ?

Likely they're glacier tracks, what a glacier left behind after dragging itself across the continent.

I always hesitate to give my opinion of a potential artifact from a picture, but it does have the hallmarks of an abrader used when knapping chert. After every pass of flakes (with the exception of small sharpening flakes or notching flakes) the edge of the chert has to be dulled - commonly known as “abrading”. This makes the edge strong so that the pressure flaker or billet does not crush the sharp and weak edge, but rather builds pressure or shock force until the intended flake propagates. If it is a “gritty” rock like sandstone, that makes it more likely that it was used as an abrader. That said, “gritty” just makes the most efficient abrader, other types of rocks can be used, just takes more rubbing to dull the edge.

My old knapping kit has several abraders that look a lot like that.

One other tidbit that suggests an abrader is the angle of the grooves across the rock. When you hold the abrader, there is a natural tendency to angle the chert blade just across it just like those are angled across that one. Hard to describe, just the ergonomic way it works out. If I were working on a phase one CRM survey or an archaeological dig, that would be given a number and taken to the curation facility. Thats how obviously it looks like an abrader. Very little doubt if I am jyst going by looks. Occasionally when doing the microwear analysis, that initial assessment will be shown to be wrong, but that is a dead ringer for an abrader used in some styles of knapping.

thank you very much!ive always wondered about it and this is THEE place for information

Arrow straightener.

Spike you missed your calling. You should have been an archaeologist. And you might consider it - I have worked alongside a lot of them, and you are definitely qualified.