California Mission Period Gizmo

[Rowdy Yates]

This is from the Mission San Jose area in Fremont, CA. The mission was destroyed in an earthquake in 1868, and the rubble was removed and strewn about all over the area. Anyway, I've been hunting off and on in an area where the rubble was redeposited, and a few months back I found a Phoenix Button.

Well, I went back to the site where I found my Phoenix Button today... more trenches had been dug and a lot of dirt had been moved. There were lots of broken tejas (roof tiles), ladrillos (floor tiles), and hand-wrought nails and spikes (not american cut nails) strewn about. Did a little detecting and came up with this. Any ideas as to what it is??

It's 7 1/2 " long and definitely made of copper.

Before a little cleaning:

After cleaning:

Looks like hammered copper to me:

Fits well in the hand:

Thicker towards the "handle":

Thinner towards the "blade":

Any ideas as to what this may be I'm thinkin' maybe a tallow vat scraper, or a soap knife. Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Rick

 

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[dasabighole]

Rowdy, I believe that piece is native American ,as no Spanish or English or American ever used copper for knives. Should you find another I would be greatly interested in purchasing it. If the patina has not been scrubed off of it.

 

[TreasureTales]

Wow Rowdy, nice find. I don't know what it is, but anything having to do with California history is of interest to this native Californian. Have you got time to go to a museum to look for a similar item? Or take a photo of it and show the curator the photo, without telling him/her that it's something in your possession. Maybe an email (with the photo) can be sent to another California mission for identity? It definitely appears to have been hand-hammered, but I don't know what they would have done with anything copper in that particular shape and size. Native Americans were frequently put to work building and maintaining the missions during the early mission days, so perhaps it is Native American of some type. Copper was commercially mined in various locations throughout California, so it's certainly conceivable that California Indians used the metal for their own purposes as well. Please let us know whatever you find out.

 

[EDDE]

http://www.copperculture.homestead.com/ 8)

 

[Rowdy Yates]

Hi Baron....

Thanks for the link....I have to agree, my knife looks pretty close (if not identical) to some of the artifacts shown on that site.

Anyone care to venture a guess as to how a prehistoric copper culture artifact from the Great Lakes area ended up at a California Mission period site dating from the 1790s to the 1840s??

Rick