✅ SOLVED What are these iron spike things?

[2Minnesota]

We found these in the water in north central MN. Both in same lake/same area. They appear to be hand cast iron. The larger one is in worse condition and broke at the tip/seam. The smaller one shows notches on the sides of the loop toward the bottom side of the loop. Could they possibly be Native American? They is history of natives in this area. [thanks for any input!!ATTACH]1185504[/ATTACH]

 

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[NOLA_Ken]

I believe those were "log dogs" used by loggers to tie rafts of logs together to float to a saw mill.

 

[2Minnesota]

Thank you NOLA-Ken! I would've never come up with that. Now I'll need to research how they were used.

 

[2Minnesota]

Solved!

 

[BosnMate]

Those are hand made, the ones we used on the log pond were one piece cast steel. You drive that into a log, and a chain with a toggle in the end passes through the hole, then the toggle opens up and that way one boom log is connected to another. When it's time to remove it from the log, you use your falling axe and hit the dog back and forth on the narrow side, then pull it out. Trust me, every now and then an axe ends up on the bottom of the pond. There are a number of reason for rafting groups of logs in a pond, and usually the boom logs just stay as boom logs and can be opened without driving the dog out of the log by using the toggle on the chain, unless the wind is blowing, then you can't get slack, and you can't log without slack. Friend of mine took a brand new axe out on the pond to open a raft, set the axe on the edge of the boat and lost the axe overboard. Years later the pond was drained, and we walked out there and he recovered the axe, and he has it at home now, using it, but he had to put a new handle on the head.

 

[2Minnesota]

Great info and story, thanks for sharing it!

 

[sutphin]

WOULD MAKE A HECK OF A PLUMB BOB..........................