When we were in Maine Randy found an interesting stone artifact. The shape is sort of like an ax or adze, and the flat end has a lip around it that is probably where it was attached to a handle.
It's a lot thicker on the face of it than it is on the side. I can see how this shape would make it effective and still be stable enough to not break apart when used. It sure would take a lot of work to make this.
Later in New Mexico Randy found more artifacts. First he found a minie ball. It's not empty so it was lost, not fired.
Nearby he found an old button. On the front, which is damaged, is an eagle.
On the back side, the loop that held the button on a coat has been bent back against the button and won't move. Fortunately the markings of "J.H. Wilson" and "Phila" are still clear. James H. Wilson was a Philadelphia button manufacturer from 1873 until 1904. The location and age of these things indicates to us that they were lost during the Indian Wars.
Then he found something much older: this chunk of rock has a pretty good fire-starter hole in it. This hole is where a spindle would be placed, surrounded by dry tinder. When the spindle was rolled back and forth quick enough it would create friction, which would create an ember. There is also a smaller hole, and a faint line cut across the rock.
No comments:
Post a Comment