Please Rescue ME!!

[Jonnyreb]

This canoe was found by a guy from my town here while fishing in the Red River where the states of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas meet. I didnt get a better pic because it was raining that day and he had a plasic tarp over it.
This fellow has talked to several museums and none want to take it. The curator of the Spiro Mound group told me that most are prolly afraid of the cost of preservation of such a thing. The inside of this thing clearly showes the burn marks from fire and stone tools being used to hollow this thing out. At each end are also seats. This is just one end of it like I said.

 

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[Jonnyreb]

I might add, as of now, this thing "lives" in a barn on a 16' flatbed trailer.

 

[mickey]

the cleveland (ohio) museum of natural history restored one. keep trying. i'm sure someone out there will save it. seems like a big waste if they don't. i would suggest emailing all of the local museums, etc. that might be interested.maybe they're afraid it's not authentic? any in situs? good luck!

 

[bravowhiskey]

Jonnyreb,

That is totally awesome!!!

BW

 

[Jonnyreb]

As far as in situs go, there are none. The guy who found/owns it is not a collector of any kind. He just fishes and hunts.
He has contacted UT at Austin and the Museum of the Red River in Idabel, another museum would like to have it, but they dont have room for it.

 

[d2]

One was found here close to where I live in SE Arkansas in the river and it was kept in water untill it could be preserevd...d2

 

[mickey]

please post more pictures. details are good. get tape measure in photos for scale. more details on how/where was found please.

 

[creek astronaut]

incredible find

 

[Jonnyreb]

please post more pictures. details are good. get tape measure in photos for scale. more details on how/where was found please.

These are the only pics I have right now as it was raining that day and it was covered by a plastic tarp.
It was found on a sandbar on the Red River right at the juncture of the Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma lines by a guy fishing. The river had been up and then had gone back down, and the guy told me it looked almost as if someone had pulled it up there like that. Its over 12 ft long, it takes up most of a 16 ft. flatbed trailer. It had a duckhead or some type of bird head on it till somebody broke it off an stole it. I'll try to get some more pics for you though.

 

[Tnmountains]

please post more pictures. details are good. get tape measure in photos for scale. more details on how/where was found please.

These are the only pics I have right now as it was raining that day and it was covered by a plastic tarp.
It was found on a sandbar on the Red River right at the juncture of the Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma lines by a guy fishing. The river had been up and then had gone back down, and the guy told me it looked almost as if someone had pulled it up there like that. Its over 12 ft long, it takes up most of a 16 ft. flatbed trailer. It had a duckhead or some type of bird head on it till somebody broke it off an stole it. I'll try to get some more pics for you though.

So when he found it it had a duck head on it? Man thats a great find. Imagine it has been underwater for many years. Look forward to an update Jonnyreb

 

[ohioaxeman]

besides the fact that its an amazing find, some "duckhead" stole the duckhead!

 

[uniface]

I forwarded your link to Bill B. It has a home now

Very exciting find! I've been thinking about how to handle this situation for years, I keep expecting Tammy or I or a friend would find one in the Arkansas River, but it hasn't happened so far. Here are a few questions: How long is it? How long has it been out of the water? How badly is it cracking and checking? What has been done to it so far?
I have a big pond 75' out my back door, and a large house and barn. I have worked with the Sand Springs Museum for years, but I think eventually it would fit in the Council House Museum in Okmulgee. I would love to work on the conservation and display the boat in my house until I found it a RELIABLE, STABLE home in a museum collection. Museums have a disconcerting habit of selling or "losing" things. I'm a Muscogee Creek citizen and have worked (volunteer) with their cultural preservation dept. for many years, so I would like to see them with it eventually.
Here's an offer. I'll pay the owner $500 cash and gas money to haul it to my home south of Tulsa. If he would rather trade for a buffalo skull or arrowheads that's even better. I also have a nice, tagged 1950 Buick Roadmaster 4 door which needs a lot of TLC. It's worth around $1500, so he would have to kick in some change, but he could haul it home on the same trailer perhaps. Like I said, I've been waiting for one of these to turn up.

Contact : billbreckinridge2003@yahoo.com

 

[Th3rty7]

Very interesting, thanks for sharing.

 

[oldgoat]

I'm glad to see that Bill picked it up...from seeing some of his other pieces, I know that he will take good care of it...Hope he shows the preservation process on his website...

 

[uniface]

At this point, as far as I know, he offered to pick it up and take care of it properly.

I'll be as interested as anyone to see if it goes through and how it turns out.

 

[Jonnyreb]

Well, I'm going to forward this info on to the present owner of the canoe. It has been out of the water now for about five years I think. He did have a sprinkler system running over it at one time, but the water bill was killing him.
(I hope the canoe wont be insulted being taken care of by a Creek...as it is a Caddoan Canoe)