Indian artifact hunting

[Hoosier Carry]

I would like to learn a little about searching for arrowheads and such. I realize its about location and all I have ever really done is look while walking. Never been successful other than stumbling across one in my yard.

Anyone care to share what tools and resources they use to make a day of actually hunting for artifacts? I recently viewed a video of a guy using a sluice box on a river bank. Has anyone done this? Is digging holes in wooded areas a thing? My son is really interested in the unknown history and I would like to take up the hobby.

Books, where to start, how to locate probable areas?

 

[Mij]

While you are mushroom hunting.

But best I’ve found is a spring plowed field after a spring rain in good locations (near a river for instance). One of my best bird points came from the drilled hole from setting power line poles when we built our house.

Make sure you have permission to trespass.

A lot of stone tools or worked stone, you or I might not even recognize as artifacts, look at a few books with good pictures.

Good luck

 

[Hoosier Carry]

While you are mushroom hunting.

But best I’ve found is a spring plowed field after a spring rain in good locations (near a river for instance). One of my best bird points came from the drilled hole from setting power line poles when we built our house.

Make sure you have permission to trespass.

A lot of stone tools or worked stone, you or I might not even recognize as artifacts, look at a few books with good pictures.

Good luck

Any books you recommend. Specifically for the breakdown of Indiana eras and point identification. Just watched some guys finding “benton” points in Tennessee. Very interesting. They where digging in the bank of a creek and also some holes to find the clay depths. So much to learn but seems fascinating.

 

[Mij]

Any books you recommend. Specifically for the breakdown of Indiana eras and point identification. Just watched some guys finding “benton” points in Tennessee. Very interesting. They where digging in the bank of a creek and also some holes to find the clay depths. So much to learn but seems fascinating.

I’ve only got one book myself, it’s out in the library I’ll go find it after I get woke up and get some coffee in me. But it’s about types of points and the history of the growth and spread of stone tool making, and how the knowledge traveled across the north American continent. It speaks of types of peoples, places, and times in general terms. No specific places, but does break down Planes, Woodland, Desert, peoples. It doesn’t say go look along the Wabash in Tippycanoe County near county road X. But that would be a good start.

You should check local and state laws as there can be serious issues as regarding surface finds vs digging for artifacts.

I’ll find it in a few and post back soon.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

You should check local and state laws as there can be serious issues as regarding surface finds vs digging for artifacts.

I was just going to post ^^^this^^^. I'm pretty sure that only "finding" them is legal in Indiana. No digging for them.

 

[Mij]

I was just going to post ^^^this^^^. I'm pretty sure that only "finding" them is legal in Indiana. No digging for them.

Ya, but I didn’t want to go all leagal beagle on a simple question if the OP is just starting out.

But you are 100% correct. And the statement up thread regarding trespass permission is also applicable. You can get in a lot of trouble if you get caught digging on someone’s property. I’m talking Federal trouble. Not you’re county sheriff.

 

[Mij]

 

[Mij]

 

[Mij]

Best I could do, it’s a very good read. Gives you a great prospective on the age of stone tools. Most folks think arrowheads come from the Indians they see on tv westerns. These things are many thousands of years old.

 

[Hoosier Carry]

Best I could do, it’s a very good read. Gives you a great prospective on the age of stone tools. Most folks think arrowheads come from the Indians they see on tv westerns. These things are many thousands of years old.

Thank you. I will look into the legal aspects of digging.

 

[Magyars]

I walk the crop fields around here. All close to the river and Windsor Mound. Some fields produce year after year, other have never produced.

 

[Mij]

I walk the crop fields around here. All close to the river and Windsor Mound. Some fields produce year after year, other have never produced.

FIL has 2 socks full, but he comes from a time when it was common to deep plow every year.

 

[yetti462]

No-till farming good for soil conservation, bad for us artifact hunters. I break out my bottom plow and scratch around on my farm, pis$$es the farmer off. I told him to plow it for me or plant over my furrows. So far he's never broke ground.

 

[Hoosier Carry]

Found this last year by luck and gave it to my son. Now he’s interested. Love to see some of your guys finds and identification of what they are.

Im calling this a knife or scraper?

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Found this last year by luck and gave it to my son. Now he’s interested. Love to see some of your guys finds and identification of what they are.

Im calling this a knife or scraper? View attachment 325126 View attachment 325125

@indiucky has some interesting specimens I believe.

 

[indiucky]

Found this last year by luck and gave it to my son. Now he’s interested. Love to see some of your guys finds and identification of what they are.

Im calling this a knife or scraper? View attachment 325126 View attachment 325125

That's Harrison County flint...Or "Indiana Hornstone" as it's often called...even though it's only found in, Harrison county and slivers of Crawford and the Kentucky county across the river....artifacts made from it have been found in all 48 states.....

and in a few Solutrean sites in Europe...(that's a rabbit hole)

The finest chert in the world...Barr none....you have got basically a pocket knife...they came round, square and oblong...very handy...move it around your hand until you find the sweet spot to hold it.....

Now it could be a "cache blade"....If that's the case keep looking that spot....here's another couple of examples of your blade....

 

[Hoosier Carry]

Thank you indiucky! That is awesome and gives me something to search and read about. It does have a certain sweet spot when you hold it.

 

[indiucky]

Thank you indiucky! That is awesome and gives me something to search and read about. It does have a certain sweet spot when you hold it.

We have a handful of rock shelters on our property...they've been looted for a hundred years but I still find cache blades on occasion...the second pic is the rock shelter across the road from us...It's huge lol...

Flat old Indiana amirite???? lol

 

[Mij]

A broken one like yours

 

[Mij]

Last year, the only ones down stairs, currently studying.
9 mm for comp.