Natural or Man Made? New to the game...

[CheathamHill]

I'm sure this gets asked quite a few times a day, but our new property has a nice natural creek that flows into a much larger historic creek nearby. I have found glass from turn of the century up to the present time..but I've also found other things that have peaked my interest. Any idea if these are man-worked or if the water flow/erosion has caused the shapes etc...?
Thanks for your time

I have also included some pictures of one of the old insulators I've found, an old bicycle still attached to an old beach tree and various carved beach trees along my creek (yes I know the insulators and bicycle ARE man made and not natural ). Thanks for looking.

 

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I'm a newb but I'll give it a shot, very last picture looks like it could be a quartz point but I would need to see more pics. The rest kinda look natural to me but wait until one of the experts shows up.

The bike attached to the tree is awesome! Hopefully you don't have to move it.

 

[iowa trout]

Schwin stingray , keep on looking and learning .

 

[monsterrack]

Metal is right on with their thoughts on the subject

 

[GatorBoy]

Metal is right on with their thoughts on the subject

I concur

 

[yakker]

As do I. Plus- I really like the age of that beach tree graffiti. I'll never forget hiking up Lookout Mt. in the Catskills, and finding graffiti carved into the rock ledge- from (roughly) 1837. Cool seeing stuff like that. And that's a quartz point- a little rough, but a point. Keep in mind when you're looking at these things- or looking for these things- if it's been worked (and not natural) it will show an edge with little divots and not just a single whack (which would be natural)- and the edge would show this. Looking down the edge, you'll see the back and forth marks. I just posted some pics that show just that if you take a look (and honestly, in the pic on my thread, I really had to look hard to be sure). Thanks for your question and your interest! Yakker

 

[CheathamHill]

Thanks for the explanation Yakker.. I thought the object in the first 2 pics was very interesting as it almost resembles a sharp shark like tooth..it is VERY sharp on the tip. Amazing what nature can do to a normal rock I suppose. ALso thought the one in the 4th pic could be, just really old and worn down based on the way it seemed evenly made...The quartz one is seen in the group pic as well as the last one of me holding it up. Not sure if knowing it's the same object changes your mind. Hoping it is one. Surely they exist somewhere along the creek. It is too 'historical' not to contain anything other than old trash
Thanks again folks.

EDIT: Here are some more pics of the creek and some more trees, and what appears to be an old tractor seat Surely there are points and other artifacts hidden SOMEWHERE along my creek and property

 

[CheathamHill]

Schwin stingray , keep on looking and learning .

Well, THAT is pretty cool. From the 60'70's just hanging out there with the tires and all.

 

[GatorBoy]

From what I'm seeing I think you need to think much much deeper below ground level.
The stuff you're looking for is so much older than the things you're looking at that the earth will have covered them up long long ago you need to focus on how that stream may have eroded through the layers of earth exposing those items and look in places where those items may have gathered after that happened.
I'm not sure if this makes much sense to you but its my frame of mind that when I search for artifacts I'm aware that the large majority in any given area are going to be completely buried and I'll be lucky to have the chance to see 1 percent of what's really there.
Focus on the material that points are made from in your area.. Slow way down and look for glimpses of that material in and around the creek.
You are hardly ever going to see the entire shape of a projectile point or tool you usually only see a small edge or one side or something like that so if you're looking for shapes you won't find much just focus on the material

 

[CheathamHill]

Thanks. I've mostly been just eyeballing where there are small islands in the middle of my creek or along the banks. There are so many unique looking rocks that almost everything catches my eye... I HAVE tried to just shovel blindly in the creek and even built myself a small box sifter...but I reckon it is all a crap shoot and "luck".

 

[GatorBoy]

You're probably looking at way too many shapes get to know the proper material to look for you will do much better

 

[mainejman]

Like you said it is a lot about luck.But luck doesn't expose these artifacts.You have to put yourself in these places at the right time.Like g.b.says familiarize yourself with the materials they used in your area.The whole seeing the worked edges will come.These guys like myself who hunt rocky beaches that are all rock.Can spot the smallest of worked pieces ...
.mjm

 

[CheathamHill]

Thanks mainejman, I try to go down after every major rainstorm because new things wash down and the banks may wash out a little more, but I suppose I DO need to stop picking up every 'cool' looking rock and wondering which native hand made it thousands of years ago...is there a place to genuinely learn about what I should be looking for, or where in my creek I should or should not bother to dig or sift randomly..etc...I just KNOW there are great things to be found ...

 

[mainejman]

Get on line and find a lithics site for your area.The computer is your friend.Look up native American history of your state and area.View the images....I wouldn't worry about digging until you got the lithics figured out so you can find concentrations of chips or materials....I've yet to find a site without first finding the tell tale signs of chips.or pottery....mjm

 

[rock]

@ Cheathamhill You should crack some of that natural creek rock to see what is on the inside. I find that type here in the creeks. If they worked the creek rock there will be no grainy texture on the rock. If you pick one up the gray or white type it will feel grainy like sandpaper that it is natural. After cracking one open to see the inside you will see a different color usually. That is the color to look for. Just a tip for you on your hunts, rock

 

[GatorBoy]

Arrr...imagine when you first started..rock... If someone sent you out there cracking common creek rocks to find artifacts you'd probably still be breaking rocks.

 

[CheathamHill]

Arrr...imagine when you first started..rock... If someone sent you out there cracking common creek rocks to find artifacts you'd probably still be breaking rocks.

lol..he'll set up a hidden camera focused on me cracking rocks until I learned it was a prank
haha. Seems logical enough though...but I'll get to researching I suppose.
I am in GA not too far from Atlanta so I guess I ccould pinpoint which tribes were here pre-civil war. Obviously Cherokee and Creek..but most of the stuff posted here goes WAYYYYY further back than that..so I'll have to check it out.
THanks again.

 

[mainejman]

Just be persistent you'll find something.After awhile it will start happening.Its just a combination of getting out there in the right spot.Knowing what you are looking for A little help from Mother nature or some man caused event that exposes artifacts.Oh and a little luck.....mjm

 

[GatorBoy]

You could probably metal detect up some Civil War artifacts in your area also

 

[CheathamHill]

Believe me gator, that is my first love. How found a few mine balls thus far on my property..but some of it is really hard to detect as there is a railroad at the edge of my property that has been there since the 1880's and still VERY active...so there are LOTS of old RR Spikes I've been finding and tons and tons and tons and TONS of slag/hot rocks bc of the RR construction and years of RR Cars maybe dropping things here and there...THere are literally still stacks pf rotting railroad ties on my property BY the creek. Also been digging lots of buried barbed wire, modern shell casings and find tons of bottle pieces and plates/pottery? from the turn of the century all the way through today... So I'll continue to hit it but it's frustrating sometimes....I found a "honey hole" of 37 .45 Western Cartridge Company (Winchester I suppose) casings buried in one spot.
BUT would LOVEEEE to find the much older native "shtuff". Hence my posting here..my apologies that it has gotten a bit off topic