Iron Indian arrowheads found!

[TejasDigger]

After Thanksgiving I always go deer hunting on my land south of Sanderson, Texas close to Mexico. I've always found flint arrowheads near an Indian camp site we have, so I decided to take the metal detector this time and I found some iron pieces all in a pretty close proximity to the middens that we have. I know the iron I found came from the Indians because it was right near their camp. When I ventured off I would only get signals from our bullet fragments over the last five years and nothing else. Here is the pictures with my finds:
Here is a pic of the shelters the Indians used. There are artifacts and ancient charcoal in the shelters.

A pic of one of the middens

Nothing special, but here is the flint

A scraper with beveling on the edge

A perforator, I think

A broken mano used to grind food

Here is the iron I found. The one on the left is missing the barbs and the one on the right is missing one I think the one in the middle is complete and was used as a knife.

I'm not sure what this is, but it was close to their camp also and it has a hole drilled into it

I also found this screw in the camp

The horseshoe was found on the surface pretty far from the camp

And last the miscellaneous iron was found near the camp and the coins were found at a park near Sanderson. Two wheats 1941s, 1949 and a 1945 cinco centavos.

 

[TejasDigger]

Hey Muddy, your post made me go looking a the scrap iron I found again because when you mentioned awl, I thought I may have one. What do you think?

It's small but I think it is.

 

[Curious The George]

Do you know the time frame of when the one I have was used?

The loop and wedge style, the rectangular hole is more associated with flint lock weapons. The change over from flint to percussion got going around 1850. There are of course lap over applications, older gun makers that made percussion weapons in the same style or pattern that they had been using for 50 years.

So, your pin style barrel loop would likely be from 1850 up until today, unless today one is building a pre 1850's reproduction.

The pin style was much faster to make and fit. All you have to do is mark on the outside of the stock blank where the fin on the barrel loop is when the barrel is in the barrel mortise, pick up your drill and drill a hole. Quick and easy.

The wedge style required cutting a slot the dimensions of the wedge through both sides of the stock and hitting that loop dead on. That is one of the reasons you see the escutcheons on the forearm of the stock. It helped cover up the off cutting of the hole and corrected the fit of the wedge in the loop. You would make the escutcheon with the rectangular hole in it, put the wedge through the hole, mark the location of the escutcheon on the stock and then inlet it in. Go to the other side and fit the other escutcheon the same way by sliding it over the end of the wedge sticking out. That way you have a brass lined hole to hold the stock on the barrel even if you had to cut the hole in the wood stock bigger to correct misalignment of your original work.

 

[dneyedli@res1.mts.net]

Hey Muddy, your post made me go looking a the scrap iron I found again because when you mentioned awl, I thought I may have one. What do you think?

It's small but I think it is.

Is that awl?
It would serve that purpose or it could be a sewing needle. Any traces of an eyelet? It was probably homemade from scrap.
I think you will find many more pieces to the puzzle. Soon you will know a lot more about the people who lived there. Put them in a display and you've got a whole story book!
Dave.

 

[LookN4pnts]

Nice artifacts! I would love to have a spot like that! Can't wait to see some more posts!

 

[Dirtfish]

The small metal piece with the hole in it may possibly be a sight from an old rifle.

 

[villival]

Iron or Metal Cache of Indian Things-Please Help

I am new to metal detecting and new to the forum, but in this past month I have found so much stuff that I am completely and hopelessly addicted. I have a horribly cheap detector and know I would find the mother lode if I had a better one, but I just can’t afford it. Here’s the deal. I live in Louisiana and we are a treasure trove of artifacts. My specific question is (and I will try to get pictures so I can post photos) my niece and I found an arrowhead that looks like stone but tests like metal. It is very tiny, but beautiful. The next day I went out to the same spot (private land and not saying where) on a hunch and BAM, I started pulling out more arrowheads and what appears to be iron tools of all kinds. Most I cannot identify but they are all in the same spot and clearly hand made. Many of them have points and/or wire. My sister suggested they may be writing tools of some kind. About five of the tools are bigger and are semi-identifiable, such as the small, intact metal axe. You can see through all the rust that the blade goes through the top of the handle (very well made) and is very heavy. The other larger tools could be anything. I also pulled all kinds of nails of iron from the same spot, in various stages of being used to make something else. I have saved everything but there is so much I dug till 10:30 last night and had to quit as I was just too tired. The more I pull, the more there is.

Does anyone know of an expert who can help me identify all this stuff? There are about fifty pieces right now, including five arrowheads, and still pulling the stuff out. This is an odd question, but did the Indians use marbles for anything. I also pulled two old marbles out of the dirt, but not sure if they are connected. There is even a button type object, in the shape of a small “o” with a hole in the middle. It is some type of metal, but looks like it was used for decoration more than anything.

I am sure they lived and/or camped at this spot. Way too much stuff to be otherwise.

I have also found lots of other things in this area, that have nothing to do with the Indians, such as a very old bronze or silver coin (early, early 100AD or so), a Russian art nouveau knife with cloisonne all over the handle, two tokens, an antique iron frog, tons of what pennies, a 1904 penny, tons of modern money, etc. etc. There are many items I cannot identify.