SE Kansas Neosho River Finds

[Gravelbar32]

I spotted some burned rocks and unglazed American pottery scattered in a 50 yd diameter in a river bottom field. Took my humble Tesoro and found this skillet handle, horse bit frag, Cavalry button, brass nail and other unidentified objects, The circular item is pewterish, threaded and missing the top. Possibly a flask lid? No known history to go along with the site but it is adjacent to an oxbow lake that I own where 300 Osage indians lived for several years in the 1850's and 60's. Soldiers From Ft. Scott, Kansas were known to follow the river south into Oklahoma. Could be a soldier campsite or just settlers passing through who happened to have a CW veteran in the party. Anyway, Neat stuff for SE Kansas! Oh. The little square in the upper right appears to be a little roll of zinc.

 

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[Older The Better]

I just found my own Calvary button, the same style last week off the Neosho. I think you’ve got a piece of a harmonica reed in there, the one with the rectangle cutouts. Nice to see some Kansas stuff. Your button doesn’t have a jc fuller back mark does it?

 

[Gravelbar32]

Older Better: No. Waterbury. I need to find the only other one that I have and look at the back. I found it a few years ago about a half mile from this site. Where abouts did you find yours, if you dont mind me asking? I found both of mine between Oswego and St. Paul. Our local museum has a lot of literature referencing soldiers passing through this area. Boy, we have to look hard for this kind of stuff here in SEK as compared to other places, eh?

 

[Older The Better]

I can’t share too much, my grandpa is worried about attracting unwanted people or attention to his/our land and I want to respect his wishes but I can say I’m within easy driving distance of Saint Paul and have been to the museum a bunch of times. It is very hard to find civil war relics around here, that was my first one in 5 years of serious looking, at least once a week. I’ve heard of soldiers following the river too I was curious if it was the same back mark if it was the same unit/regiment? Not sure the proper word... that passed through

 

[Gravelbar32]

Cool. I just wanted to know if you were up by Iola or above. I hear this kind of stuff is a little more common up there as the sites are well documented. Other than some random musket balls and some 1869 Girard camp army goodies, I do have a CW officers breast plate badge that I found near the defunct town of Jacksonville in Neosho Co. along with a rifle trigger guard. Thats it for cool stuff unless you want to hear about my collection of canning lids.

 

[Gravelbar32]

Older: I found my other Neosho river button this morning. It appears to be a general service vest button? The back is corroded but I can make out the symbol of a star. I also found white clay pipe fragments and some small musket balls in the same spot.View attachment 1887834View attachment 1887835

 

[Wildcat1750]

Nice finds, especially the button. Looks like there could be more there...

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Possum]

Great finds, Congrats!!! "D"

 

[Older The Better]

For some reason my phone won’t load your latest pics

Here’s the one I just found, same spot as the shield nickel.



Got white clay pipe fragments too but a little ways off from this spot

 

[Gravelbar32]

For some reason my phone won’t load your latest pics

Here’s the one I just found, same spot as the shield nickel.
View attachment 1887928
View attachment 1887929

Got white clay pipe fragments too but a little ways off from this spot
View attachment 1887931

Thanks. Nice finds! Nice to see someone else finding what I am finding. I am curious, though. Is this from bottom ground or bluff? Mine is from low low bottom ground where flooding is constant today. I have pipe stem pieces identicle to yours. Let me try to repost the button pics.

 

[Older The Better]

I can see them now, I never thought I had a chance of finding a button like that around here.

Bottom ground on the button and nickel, bluff with the pipe