womp, womp, womp....

[Johnny X]

I went out to my old rock field today. To start off I checked the thermometer and it said 106 degree's. The things we'll do for arrowheads. That's the beauty of living in illinois, probably the only state that is 106 degree's in August and -10 in January. Anyway, i went up and looked around the rock field this afternoon. Didn't yield much. I did find a bit to what I believe is either a grey granite celt or a grey granite axe. It would have been a really nice one. I also found a lot of interesting animal tracks as well. Turkey, Deer, Raccoon, and what looked to be a really large cat track, possibly mountain lion or bobcat. all in all it was a pretty good walk. Good exercise and good for the mind.
I'm looking into a digital camera so i can post some of my later finds for anyone interested, until then, Thanks for reading.

Steven

 

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[Johnny X]

Anyone else on the forum big into indian artifacts?
Hit me back
Steven

 

[kermit]

X,
I always try to keep an eye out for indian artifacts whiling digging and tracking about the outdoors. I do a lot of hunting with a bow so I know how it feels to loose a good blade, and to think I didn't even have to make it.

Here is a Pic or two for ya............

Kermit

 

[Johnny X]

Thanks for the pics! They're beautiful. I've been artifact hunting for about 6 years. It's the most amazing feeling picking up an arrowhead or an axe head and realizing that you're the first human to have touched it in like...8000 years. It's a very humbling experience. Anyway, keep in touch and thanks for posting the newbie!
Good luck in future hunts.
Keep your eyes on the ground.
Steven

 

[Monty]

In various parts of Oklahoma we have flint in abundance and you can still find an occasional arrow head or implement on your strolls down creek banks especially. Some areas that don't have flint you can find where it was cached, probably valuable as a trade item thousands of years ago. Mind you this all predates the extablishment of the Indian reservations in Oklahoma. There are only scattered small portions of true Indian land remaining and it seems they all have a smoke shop or casino on them. Just think, thousands of years in the future an Indian artifact will be a token from a casino! The times, they ara a changin'! JIM

 

[Johnny X]

So true, and yet so sad. That's why we as collectors need to preserve what history we can now, so future generations can get a glimpse of what once was.

Woah... i'm a "philosophiser" now...


sorry

Keep your eyes on the ground.

Steven

 

[onfire]

yo from milwaukee, reading your interest in indian stuff. when i was a kid my dad worked for the milwaukee county highway dept. and every fall he d bring home a handful of arrow heads from where they would dig post holes for snow fences the main sorce is at ryan road and 13th street in oak creek wis, aprox 90 feet from road center. of course theres a aldy wharehouse now but the 90 ft. is still open theres a small river on the other side of the road which would be a likely spot for a camp or village. the farm is still being tilled on that side.i m not into the indian history just gold..although i think Custer was a n.o.b.

 

[Johnny X]

Hey thanks for the post. Sounds like you could have a pretty nice site up there. Did you get any damage from all of those tornado's i've been hearing about? Anyway good luck on your gold hunting. Found much gold?
Keep your eyes on the ground.

Steven

 

[mvSWAT]

Steven, whereabouts in Illinois? I live in Indiana and am just about to start hunting artifacts. One day I'd like to setup a sort of museum about the natives who were here before us. Happy Hunting. Dan

 

[greenswinger]

For several yrs i was real excited about finding several arrowheads and....a lock off a muzzle loading rifle. Always knew that there was a story here ! Then found out there was a trailer here that burned several yrs before i bought land...probably where they came from !!! SHUCKS !!!!!

 

[Johnny X]

mvSWAT,

I live in midwestern illinois, but I hunt along the bluffs of the illinois river and I believe i've stumbled upon something amazing. I'm trying to keep it on the DL because i've already found the prints of trespassers up their more than once. But I have totally thrown around the idea of opening a museum with the artifacts i've found. I think it would be great to share a history with generations who either don't know it existed or have forgotten it has. I have found alot of stuff in this particular spot and it keeps yielding more and more, so it has to be something. I wish you the best of luck on your artifact hunting and as soon as I can afford a camera i'll post some pics of the stuff I have found!

Keep your eyes on the ground.
Steven

 

[Johnny X]

For several yrs i was real excited about finding several arrowheads and....a lock off a muzzle loading rifle. Always knew that there was a story here ! Then found out there was a trailer here that burned several yrs before i bought land...probably where they came from !!! SHUCKS !!!!!

Aww that kind've stinks. They're out there. Tons of them just waiting for us to pick them up. Another thing that really gets me is the amount of broken artifacts I find. I have a boxes full of broken arrowheads, axes, celts, and pottery i have gathered over the 6 years i have been hunting. It makes me want to get out there and find them before destruction does.
Keep your eyes on the ground,
HH

Steven

 

[rvbvetter]

I found out Historical Societys, don't always give a rip.
Use to hunt arrowheads in northern calif. And now live in central calif., and several years ago here, while looking for my golf ball in the brush off of the fairway.
Not that i ever hit anywhere but down the middle. I came upon a large rock, that i recognized for what it was. It had several round holes or cavities in it from indians use for grinding.
I went down to the society to see if any body knew about it, and in hopes of finding out who might be interested in preserving it. Apparently nobody knew about it, but the society said they would be very interested in it, so i gave them the exact location of it.
And now, years later it's still out there hidden in the brush, and probably forgotten about again.
Sometime later, on the edge of a nature trail that circles the golf course. I found a 4 inch spear point intact. Not a hundred yards from where the rock lays hidden.
HH

 

[birdman]

Down south on Mobile bay at low tide I used to pick up baskets full of nice pottery. I still go down to the old bayou every couple of years and find some but now there are private property signs all over the place.Kind of takes the fun out of it when you have to look over your shoulder.

 

[Monty]

I invested in some acreages once and on one of them there was a big flat limestone rock up on a ridge overlooking a creek. It had several hollowed out impressions on top of it and I also found some round sadstones that had been shaped that way. I talked to an old man I bought the land from and he said it use to be an indian camp and that's where they ground corn. Put it in the depression and ground it with the round sandstone. He was mostly of Indian ancestry too and said the local Indians had really poor teeth caused by chewing the bread made from the ground corn. Said the grit from the stones wore their teeth down when they chewed it! Would never have thought of that. I am about 1/4 Cherokee but I know nothing of my ancestry except a few last names like Rainbolt and Rice and a former chief John Ross was some kin? It's a shame too. JIM

 

[Johnny X]

Yea I've found about 10 big "grinding bowls" as I call them, in the field where I hunt. My uncle has found a few as well. Sometimes I just stand there and wonder what I would see and hear if I was in the same field 10,000 years ago.
Thanks for the posts.
Keep your eyes on the ground and HH.

Steven

 

[1badtacoma]

I live in North Carolina and i'm into indian artifacts as well. I have only recently started hunting them but I have found some nice points. I have already got about 100 arrowheads that I have already found.

 

[Johnny X]

Sounds like you're off to a pretty good start. It's a great hobby and it's quite addicting. I think I have about 300 "whole" arrowheads now. Keep it up. They will always be there.

Keep your eyes on the ground and happy hunting

Steven

I should be getting a digital camera within the next few weeks, then i can post some pics.