Post by Larry Koschkee on Jul 29, 2006 16:09:01 GMT -5
A portion of the State Highway 81 route thru the City of Platteville is under construction this summer and a couple of Amigos and I saw an opportunity to do some amateur archeological work in the known vicinity of Fort Dodge. City and State government officials cast a suspicious eye on us when they learned of our intentions. I think their worst concern was we would locate the fort footprint or human remains and the State Historical Society would be called in to investigate. This action, would of course, delay the road building. The officials finally gave in and allowed us to search with metal detectors and sift through the windrows of excavated soil.
The fort was reported to be located at the northeast corner of Oak and Pine Street intersection, therefore we concentrated our efforts there first.
Over-all our roadbed search was on East Pine Street from South Water St. to Rountree Avenue - about two and one-half blocks long.
Two and one-half days on the site produced a 5-gallon bucket full of various objects. The most significant artifacts us amateur's could identify were:
Buckles, shell buttons and various other buttons, bone comb, forged hinges, coins, rings, stone projectile points, cut nails, marbles, beads, cookware and glassware, candle holder, chain links, sideplate from a muzzleloader and lead objects. Most of the articles were not intact, only pieces.
The artifacts have been placed with individuals to examine that have far more expertise than us three Amigos.
Larry
The fort was reported to be located at the northeast corner of Oak and Pine Street intersection, therefore we concentrated our efforts there first.
Over-all our roadbed search was on East Pine Street from South Water St. to Rountree Avenue - about two and one-half blocks long.
Two and one-half days on the site produced a 5-gallon bucket full of various objects. The most significant artifacts us amateur's could identify were:
Buckles, shell buttons and various other buttons, bone comb, forged hinges, coins, rings, stone projectile points, cut nails, marbles, beads, cookware and glassware, candle holder, chain links, sideplate from a muzzleloader and lead objects. Most of the articles were not intact, only pieces.
The artifacts have been placed with individuals to examine that have far more expertise than us three Amigos.
Larry
