Minnesota Calvary Fort

[Ekim14]

After two years of research and two days of swinging a coil, my metal detecting partner called to say he had found an unsearched Minnesota Fort site. This one had been a sod Calvary Fort that was only operational in 1862 and 63. In the middle of a giant cornfield over a mile from even the nearest dirt road he had found a hill filled with square nails and three ring mini balls. The owner could give us just one day to hunt before the field goes under the plow. Three of us hunted 8 hours and recovered over 100 bullets. Mostly 58 cal. three ringers. 8 eagle buttons 2 pewter buttons, a few horseshoes, pottery shards, clay pipe stems and even a couple of percussion caps. Ten bullets had been carved into fishing sinkers and laying in plain sight my partner also found an arrowhead. So far, no coins or buckles have been found but we will be back in the fall.

 

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[Nathan W]

That research can be grueling at times but it pays off great job

 

[plehbah2]

Hello there Ekim14,

It's driving me crazy so I signed up again after what seems like 20 years, because there is a tidbit in one of your photos which is part of an important artifact, and it has so far gone unidentified. In your fourth picture ( close up of artifacts) on the bottom row is a small silver piece with a ring attached. That is a piece of a fur trade era Cross of Lorraine. If the remainder of that relic is still in the field, it is worth going to some effort to recover. It could be 10 inches down and tilted so dig every peep in the vicinity, and if it were me I would even try different frequencies and a larger coil in the vicinity.

The .58 caliber minie balls are more suggestive to me of an infantry presence, as the cavalry more often used carbines because of the shorter barrel length. You have found a historic spot out there in the hinterlands, and if I had to guess I would think related to the Dakota Uprising of 1862. There may be a village in the vicinity, the US troops may have had prisoners or scouts with them, or the cross may have been lost during an earlier time.

I am attaching a picture of a complete example recovered by a forum member not too long ago.

I will eagerly await your updates.

 

[Digger RJ]

After two years of research and two days of swinging a coil, my metal detecting partner called to say he had found an unsearched Minnesota Fort site. This one had been a sod Calvary Fort that was only operational in 1862 and 63. In the middle of a giant cornfield over a mile from even the nearest dirt road he had found a hill filled with square nails and three ring mini balls. The owner could give us just one day to hunt before the field goes under the plow. Three of us hunted 8 hours and recovered over 100 bullets. Mostly 58 cal. three ringers. 8 eagle buttons 2 pewter buttons, a few horseshoes, pottery shards, clay pipe stems and even a couple of percussion caps. Ten bullets had been carved into fishing sinkers and laying in plain sight my partner also found an arrowhead. So far, no coins or buckles have been found but we will be back in the fall.
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Very Cool!!! Congrats!!!

 

[oldmxrat]

Good going, congrats!
I also noticed the cross piece right away, sure hope you can find the rest of it in the future.

 

[cudamark]

I think you mean cavalry, not calvary. Two completely different animals.

 

[Ekim14]

Hello there Ekim14,

It's driving me crazy so I signed up again after what seems like 20 years, because there is a tidbit in one of your photos which is part of an important artifact, and it has so far gone unidentified. In your fourth picture ( close up of artifacts) on the bottom row is a small silver piece with a ring attached. That is a piece of a fur trade era Cross of Lorraine. If the remainder of that relic is still in the field, it is worth going to some effort to recover. It could be 10 inches down and tilted so dig every peep in the vicinity, and if it were me I would even try different frequencies and a larger coil in the vicinity.

The .58 caliber minie balls are more suggestive to me of an infantry presence, as the cavalry more often used carbines because of the shorter barrel length. You have found a historic spot out there in the hinterlands, and if I had to guess I would think related to the Dakota Uprising of 1862. There may be a village in the vicinity, the US troops may have had prisoners or scouts with them, or the cross may have been lost during an earlier time.

I am attaching a picture of a complete example recovered by a forum member not too long ago.

I will eagerly await your updates.

The Fort site dates to the Dakota Wars in Minnesota. After the main battles and with hundreds dead on both sides, the U.S Military built small forts about every 23 to 25 miles apart. (Riding distance) This line of forts went from the Iowa border and across the state for hundreds of miles. For years we have hunted known forts and battle sites. We have also found several so called lost forts. This one was about 23 miles from a known fort site, on a hill and by a lake. However, the lake was drained in the 1880's and even the hill has been plowed over hundreds of times. Thank you for the information on the cross. I will let the boys know and if there is any more to be found will try to find it. A trading post was set up in 1836 not all that far from this spot and this location was used by the Dakotas as evidenced by the arrowhead. It is possible the cross predates the military occupation. Confidence is high that the infantry was there, but we have also found 2 “C” buttons.