Massive South Dakota Indian Relic Collection

[mel hanson]

If you have a passion for Indian Artifacts, I hope you'll check out http://www.loitwoodrelics.com ! My late grandparents, Howard & Kathryn Loitwood of Gettysburg, SD, hunted Indian relics in South Dakota between 1925 and 1967 and amassed the most amazing collection of Arikara Artifacts that will blow you away. Years later, my parents, Bernie and Diana Webb of Gettysburg, SD, mounted only the good artifacts on about 70 boards. We believe this amazing family collection is likely the largest private Indian relic collection in the nation...if there's a bigger one, we haven't heard of it. Just recently, my Dad (Bernie Webb) and my Uncle ("Tick" Loitwood) divided the collection, and they are now planning to sell their share of the collection on their own.

If you're interested in my Uncle Tick's collection, you can go to http://www.loitwoodrelics.com website. To contact my Dad, Bernie Webb, about the other half of the collection, you can email him at [email protected]

Per the request of some of you, we have now hyperlinked all of the pictures of the relic boards on the loitwoodrelics.com website, so you can now get a picture perfect look at each of these amazing boards. Just double click on the boards you're interested in.
I made http://www.loitwoodrelics.com website for my Uncle Tick and Aunt Barb, and it is dedicated to my late grandparents, Howard & Kathyrn Loitwood, and my mother, the late Diana Webb.

Melody Hanson

 

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[GL]

omg...

 

[Buckhunter]

So much bone, incredible group of relics!

 

[Th3rty7]

Hey Mel, thanks for sharing the close ups here, and hyperlinking the pics on your site. Now it's much easier to see and appreciate this fantastic collection. Regards, Ryan

 

[Th3rty7]

Got a question for you, what is the angel like effigy(top center) made out of on board 7 from the Rosa site?

 

[The Grim Reaper]

That has to be the most incredible collection I have ever laid my eyes on. I don't think I've ever seen that much bone in any collection that I have ever viewed, not even in a museum. And the Fish Hooks. That's just freakin' unreal!!!

I would have to sell my house and most of my organs to be able to afford any of those pieces. lol

 

[larson1951]

wow for nice i wish all those artifacts could all stay together with one owner or museum
these artifacts sure have a lot of similarity to what i find, except way, way, way, way, more and such quality
just think what it would be like to have a bucket of the brokes that must exist somewhere
look at those 3 knives w' bone handles and copper blades on the 1rst image
they are way nicer than the banner knife i just found
and to think these people lived only 45 miles south of the farm that i grew up on
i hate to see the collection get split up and disappear into the ozone but we'all know it will make many people happy
it makes me want to sell my house and all my guitars and everything so's SRV and me could go together and get that beautiful stuff
lars

 

[mel hanson]

I am so happy that people can finally learn about my amazing grandparents. Lars - It would be nice to keep the collection together and I know Tick would really like to do this, so it is possible. Right now, Tick is entertaining the idea of possibly letting the collection (boards and other relics) be on display for a couple months or so at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, so people can see it. I know he really would like to keep this collection together, and this may help make that happen. Melody Hanson

 

[*Molly*]

Incredible. shame to split them up.

 

[larson1951]

Mel,
I grew up on a farm by Java
my Grandpa used to take me to Akaska and Gettysberg for tractor and farm implement parts
we knew some people there
some of them bought huge granite rocks from us for rip-rap along Lake Oahe-Missouri river where most of the village sites were
before the rising of the river as it became lake Oahe and destroyed almost all the village sites from there up to Mobridge and further north into ND, I am glad that your relatives spent all that time saving artifacts which would have otherwise been lost forever
as you know walleye fisherman can't even pull up to shore without getting in trouble with the Army Corps and being accused of artifact hunting
once again it is so good to see the well preserved collection
such nice people in your area
this was back in the 1950's
I sure wished I would have known you'all back then, it would have been quite a memorable experiance
I wish you luck with the collection and am glad you would like to keep it together
lars

 

[The Grim Reaper]

I am so happy that people can finally learn about my amazing grandparents. Lars - It would be nice to keep the collection together and I know Tick would really like to do this, so it is possible. Right now, Tick is entertaining the idea of possibly letting the collection (boards and other relics) be on display for a couple months or so at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, so people can see it. I know he really would like to keep this collection together, and this may help make that happen. Melody Hanson

Mel, as much as I'd love to see them go on display somewhere so that people from all over could enjoy them, please tell your uncle to not donate the collection to the Smithsonian or any other museum for that matter. It's a great museum and they have an unbelievable collection of artifacts, but even if they displayed it for a while it would eventually end up boxed up and stuck in a basement somewhere along with the other millions of artifacts they have stored there already. If he can sign a deal where it's only on display for a short period of say a year or so and then given back to the family that would be the way to go. Even with that you need to very careful because I know of a man who did something similar to this with the Cleveland Museum Of Natural History. He loaned his collection for them to display and he went to get it back after the 5 year contract was up the museum said they had taken down the display and misplaced the artifacts. He never did get them all back and is still in the process of trying to sue them for damages and loss.

 

[larson1951]

yes Mel,
SRV is right
don't donate or loan
if you don't have them, then you should have cash,
lars

 

[mel hanson]

Got a question for you, what is the angel like effigy(top center) made out of on board 7 from the Rosa site?

I asked my Uncle Tick and he said he's not quite sure. He thinks it was either a trade item, or it was possibly lost in the dig site after the Arikara occupation. Mel

 

[mel hanson]

Hey Mel, thanks for sharing the close ups here, and hyperlinking the pics on your site. Now it's much easier to see and appreciate this fantastic collection. Regards, Ryan

Thanks for checking out the site Ryan.....and you're so right...the boards are so much easier to see and appreciate now. They're even better in person. Take Care. Mel

 

[shopdog]

thats amazeing

 

[mel hanson]

Just reaching out to artifact collectors everywhere to invite you to my late Father’s Estate Auction coming on the weekend of May 4[SUP]th[/SUP], 2019 at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Lakeville, Minnesota. There will also be a preview on evening of May 3[SUP]rd[/SUP]. The artifacts were found, preserved, and passed down multiple generations from my late Grandparents, Howard & Kathryn Loitwood of Gettysburg, SD. It is believed that this could be the largest auction of Native American Artifacts in history in the United States, with over 10,000 artifacts that will be sold. (bids in person/by proxy/on phone only – no internet bidding) My Dad passed away in 2018 and this is part of his estate.

This collection is really special, as most of the artifacts are Arikara, the tribe featured in the 2015 Academy Award Winning Movie “The Revenant”, starring Leonard Dicaprio, based on the true story of Hugh Glass, who was eventually killed by the Arikara. We are fairly certain that Leonardo will have a buyer there as well. Here’s the link to the auction with all the information about the auction, as well as pictures of most of the artifacts.

https://www.midwestauctions.com/helbling/helbling_may_4.htm

If you have any questions, or you’d like us to mail you (or anyone else) a catalog, please give me a call or email. Thank you.

Melody Hanson, PR - Bernard J. Webb Estate
PO Box 69
Mobridge, SD 57601
Phone: 605-848-3285
Email: [email protected]
Auction Company: Helbling Auctions – Kindred, ND
Bob Helbling cell: 701-428-3184

 

[The Grim Reaper]

Incredible collection.

 

[newnan man]

Just....Wow!

 

[quito]

I be going!!! :-)

 

[OntarioArch]

This sale is going to depress the market. Amazing.