Cache!

[smokeythecat]

Well, now that I'm back at it, I have been going to places I haven't been before and a few old favorites. At an old favorite, I noticed a wash out along a little creek. I had found an ax, some points, and lots of both flint, rhyolite and quartz flakes here, but haven't been here in a good while. (scared of snakes). I think they mined the rhyolite about 25 miles away in Pennsylvania, because there are igneous rocks here, but not rhyolite which these blades are made of. The local rocks are granite and gabbro.

I have a few more, the largest is just over 6" long. It sure is nice to just pick them up from on top of the ground! Zoom in for a better view of the multi colored stone. I assume these were cache blades, waiting to be made into something else. Some may be knives. It's also nice to have friends with farms! This stuff was absolutely brought in from elsewhere.

 

[washingtonian]

Amazing! Very cool history.

 

[the_mad_cladder]

Nice finds. Those are some good color in those blades.

 

[Bodkin]

"scared of snakes". HA!!! Here we go again!
Those are great! I find it hard to believe that with all the time I've spent roaming around the woods I've never yet even stumbled over arrow heads or tools. I don't really know what to look for but even a blind squirrel like myself should have found something. Congrats!

 

[smokeythecat]

The woods in itself is not the place to look for artifacts. (I do not dig, except on rare occasions.) You have to look for worked fields, streams, washouts, riverbanks or as I did know of a known spot and since no one else goes there, it’s on private property way off a road, you have to be told where to look where I was, hence and therefore, jeez long winded, I had a tip and permission and acted on it. But it was too hot. I was hoping for a soapstone bowl as the owner has about 10!

 

[civilman1]

That's pretty cool! There's a place up the road from me here in Adams Co., it's a rhyolite mine they say was used by the native american's exclusively for points and tools.

 

[Bodkin]

The woods in itself is not the places to look for artifacts. You have to look for streams, washouts, riverbanks or as I did know of a known spot and since no I be else goes there, it’s on private property way off a road, you have to be told where to look where I was. I was hoping for a soapstone bowl as the owner has about 10!

Thanks smokey, I will do that. The waterways have gone down significantly recently and I will be in them on my next day off. I know there was a lot of native American activity in this area too. I don't really have any "bucket listers", so maybe this should be it. Of course, if I do find my first I will post it. I believe you have inspired me to find it! Thanks again!

 

[dirtlooter]

trading material for sure! stuff like that was very valuable, like salt, honey and other things and traded from tribe to tribe. Then it is up to the skill level of the person working it to make it into what ever tool was needed or most valuable. Very awesome pile and good eye for spotting them and knowing what they were. I can't help but wonder what and how a worked piece of "rock" ended up where I found it or them. That was a hard life back then, way cool!

 

[Digger RJ]

Nice!!! Congrats!!!

 

[smokeythecat]

Thank you all. I have been going like a bat out of perdition! Because I hadn't been able to go since the 2nd weekend of June and time is short.

 

[Inspector]

That's a nice haul of history, congrats on the saves

 

[Calabash Digger]

Very cool

 

[MadTom]

Nice pre forms!

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Very nice, congrats!

 

[Hillbilly Prince]

Great stuff! I saw your other point posted where you said you were going to post more but couldn't find anything in the Artifacts Anyway, if you are worried about snakes get a pair of snake proof boots. I'm guessing those are the "monsters" you were worried about. And maybe s couple of attack mongoose. Don't let the snakes win

 

[smokeythecat]

Hillbilly Prince, I am surrounded by flint at the moment. I'm trying to figure out where to put it all. I have about 200 unphotographed pieces. Not bragging, if you saw the other picture the ground is literally covered in it. Some pieces are artifacts, like cores, some just nice colored stone. Some is filthy dirty, some is pristine like it was never in the ground at all, some has been newly whacked out of the big ledge several feet underground, some has algae from sitting on top of the ground, I even got a chuckle as in this one spot the flint had already been "cooked", burned, by folks thousands of years ago.

That's a different spot from where the rhyolite came from. Interestingly enough, I found one piece of crystal clear quartz and a piece of green adventurine, a piece of green quartz. I think someone might have brought that to the site and left it.

I have a pair of snake boots but have a hard time walking in them. Don't do ground bees well either, plus it's too hot.

 

[Tnmountains]

Nice spot Smokey. I do not wear the snake boots but do wear the cordura snap on bellow the knee chaps on occasion.

 

[Relicific]

Amazing site and finds

 

[smokeythecat]

TN mountains can you give me the manufacturers name?

 

[xcopperstax]

Wow Smokey that is really cool! Looks like you happened upon an ancient workshop.