Dr.Tones
Sr. Member
I found this at a site on an 1880's map along a very historic river made famous by the early fur trappers of the northwest. This stretch of the river is about 40 miles or so away from old Fort Boise (previously Hudson's Bay Co. Erected in 1834 but the area was in use since about 1813). The map showed a small cluster of cabins and also showed the last name of the homesteader. I traced the last name back to a fellow that was born in Missouri in 1804 and it also showed a marriage and homestead certificate of his son in Malheur County, OR circa 1860. Then it showed the birth certificates of his 7 children who occupied the property up until the late 20's before heading to California. The majority of the finds were definitely circa 1910-1925 but every now and then we popped an older trinket. I initially pocketed the item of question, realizing that it was hand made/engraved. When I got home I noticed that it could quite possibly be made of a less than pure silver. So I gave it a little baking soda rub and it immediately cleaned right up and showed that it was most definitely made of silver. I have a few scenarios that I keep pondering. 1: It was a Native American silver trade piece lost by fur trappers (or natives) long before the homesteaders occupied the location. 2: It's a Native American trade piece that was brought west by the original homesteader. 3: It's a random silver trinket that would have adorned some piece of turn of the century wardrobe and nothing more. The back is smooth with no indication of a fastener. If I had found it anywhere else, I would lean towards non-trade silver but because of where it was found, I'm hopeful it is indeed a rare piece of American history. Opinions are welcome. Thanks and happy hunting!
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WTG.... Always interesting.. so cool
