Found some artifacts while on coral hunt

[jamesp]

A big plantation being cleared along the Withlacoochee river. i knew of a high spot along the river. Figured they had cleared that too.
And yes, the site was littered with heat treated coral and did find some turtle back scrapers.
This view after walking 50 feet from boat looking up to top of high spot. Note rock litter. Ha, artifacts will be here.
All of it carried out of the river and heat treated.

View from on high, looking back on where above photo was taken down in slough

Heat treated chips above. A broken point, 2 turtle back scrapers and a bone crusher along bottom row.

Turtle back scrapers

reverse side

broken point

bone crusher

[junglejim]

Very nice finds!! You sure are tuned in to what's going on around you. Probably first one there looking for coral.

[Fossilman]

Awesome finds James!!!! Nice to have someone else do the work for ya'........Thumbs up

[rockpickerforever]

James, you really have a knap, I mean KNACK, for finding that type of stuff. You've done your homework!

Agree with Mike, nice of someone to come and dig it up for you. Good thing that you were able to at least get a quick look, before they build some rich sports jock's new home on it, bury the history forever. One of these days, you're bound to run into some of those treasure hunter dudes with their metal detectors. You'll know them by the camera crews in tow, lol. Not saying that they look for stone artifacts, but on an old plantation, there has to be something metal they'd like to find.

[jamesp]

Jul 4, 2014 8:59:40 GMT -5 junglejim said:

Very nice finds!! You sure are tuned in to what's going on around you. Probably first one there looking for coral.

It looked like I was one of the first. I saw no footprints junglejim.
The artifacts were in the little gullies, washed out and protected from the heavy bulldozer.
Will go back after heavy rains cut deeper.

[jamesp]

Jul 4, 2014 9:00:36 GMT -5 Fossilman said:

Awesome finds James!!!! Nice to have someone else do the work for ya'........Thumbs up

Forest fires will heat treat too. But get way too hot and shatter it. All the coral was properly cooked and very little over heated.
No doubt it was native boys. Some of the smaller stuff had crazy colors.
Why didn't they leave me a message on the location of their coral honey holes.
Guessing that their hot collecting spots were handed down for many moons.

[jamesp]

Jul 4, 2014 9:09:49 GMT -5 rockpickerforever said:

James, you really have a knap, I mean KNACK, for finding that type of stuff. You've done your homework!

Agree with Mike, nice of someone to come and dig it up for you. Good thing that you were able to at least get a quick look, before they build some rich sports jock's new home on it, bury the history forever. One of these days, you're bound to run into some of those treasure hunter dudes with their metal detectors. You'll know them by the camera crews in tow, lol. Not saying that they look for stone artifacts, but on an old plantation, there has to be something metal they'd like to find.

If a native fellow wants a good life in this territory he best stay near the river-and where it does not flood.
Any simple high spot is clearly visible from the boat. It is a no brainer to find these sites Jean.
The site a 1/2 mile upstream was clear cut where the big shoal is. They placed the road bridge on it.
The clear cut was at least 100 acres adjacent and had coral litter over the entire area. This little spot was a mere acre.
The river shoals are covered with rind chips that were chipped off to access the core in the coral to make tools with.
I still do not understand how they did such precision chipping w/out steel tools.
And what protection they wore. I am thinking an outfit like the 'Gimp' on Pulp Fiction.

[rockpickerforever]

Gimp, ha ha! I think you'd stand out just a little bit if you wore a Gimp outfit. Probably would be just a tad hot, as well.

But, hey, maybe you got something there.  Just top it off with a welding helmet to protect your eyes.

[jamesp]

Well, I imagine coming down the river seeing a bunch of native dudes dressed in gimp outfits that boat is sure going in reverse.
Not interested in any 'eeny,meeny,miny,moe' games with those guys.

[jamesp]

Old bridge is testimony as to how high water gets on these rivers. Houses are on stilts even a long way from the river.
Now the water is receding and the woods are full of floodplain pools w/few fish to eat the insect larvae.
Entering the brush alongside the river is murder.

[quartz]

Thanks for the show and descriptions, a bunch of good finds and nice scenery. Well, except for the Cat marks, but that helped you out. Same here, a little observation fairly easily leads one to places where the original people made their tools and hunted. Rarely find anything but the waste mtl. from the chipping/knapping process though.

[rockpickerforever]

Jul 4, 2014 9:28:35 GMT -5 jamesp said:

If a native fellow wants a good life in this territory he best stay near the river-and where it does not flood.
Any simple high spot is clearly visible from the boat. It is a no brainer to find these sites Jean.

James, you know more about it than the average Joe. Yeah, it makes sense the indigenous people would locate camp near the river, in a place that doesn't flood.  And with some elevation, to better spot game, or enemies.  For you, it's a no brainer.  Don't know that other people would be so astute.

Take it as the compliment it is.

[jamesp]

The terrain around Atlanta is much harder to read. Flat elevations above creeks just out of 100/500 year flood plains is best start.
The plant life is helpful for delineation. But big rivers w/big flood plains are easy to find. A high spot near a giant floodplain is a sure bet.
Any flat spot in the mountains is rare and a good bet.

[Fossilman]

Jul 4, 2014 9:16:17 GMT -5 jamesp said:

Jul 4, 2014 9:00:36 GMT -5 Fossilman said:

Awesome finds James!!!! Nice to have someone else do the work for ya'........Thumbs up

Forest fires will heat treat too. But get way too hot and shatter it. All the coral was properly cooked and very little over heated.
No doubt it was native boys. Some of the smaller stuff had crazy colors.
Why didn't they leave me a message on the location of their coral honey holes.
Guessing that their hot collecting spots were handed down for many moons.

Message hell,you have the knowledge and mapping in your head from the experiance you know about with coral!
One of these days James,you are going to hit that " honey hole "....
Nobody deserves it more than you.....Thumbs up

[jamesp]

I need to find some of the gold stashes from this book Michael.

[snowmom]

JamesP, keep on finding stuff and posting about it. I love this stuff and how you explain it all... you are a great natural teacher and it is so much fun to live vicariously through your picture tutorials. Each is a lesson. Thanks for sharing what you find and what you know. (keep doing that! )

[jamesp]

Jul 5, 2014 5:42:55 GMT -5 snowmom said:

JamesP, keep on finding stuff and posting about it. I love this stuff and how you explain it all... you are a great natural teacher and it is so much fun to live vicariously through your picture tutorials. Each is a lesson. Thanks for sharing what you find and what you know. (keep doing that! )

I have made a living selling aquatic plants for almost 25 years.
Mitigating wetlands, collecting plants to mitigate with, and growing them in Atlanta and a satellite facility 400 miles south in tropical Florida.
Have spent a lot of time in many rivers and water bodies w/subtle topography in-between those places.
Exploring and knowing this type of terrain has been my livelihood too.
I started buying property on waterways and water bodies that were fringe wetland/dryland and selling much cheaper.
Since they were with a portion of high and dry land to accommodate a building site they were also native camp sites.
Delineating involved plant analysis and believe it or not, the presence of native man's occupation. As he avoided flooding situations.
So about every property I have ever owned has native man occupancy. And the knowledge acquired from wetlands boosted my
income from dealing in water front property. As the plant business is a fairly low income proposition, land sales can be lucrative.
So I may be looking for coral, artifacts, plants, springs, natural beauty, i am always shopping for land to buy in these environments.
The high knob shown in this thread would allow a man to build a house on 6 foot stilts instead of 20 foot stilts. So if this little knob
was sitting on a 20 acre lot for sale it would make the ultimate home site. And would be the most desirable site for the next 4 miles
down the river. How many real estate agents are going down a reptile infested river to shop for optimum building sites ? I have a
couple of agents that I deal with exclusively. They call me when they have a fringe property that they cannot sell due to a questionable
high and dry building site. That gives me first position in acquiring. So I have other motivations to 'drive' me.
They started clearing the trees off of this section of the river a couple of years ago. I have been waiting for them to get to this high
spot on this thread. I could have told you with a high percentage of confidence that it was a serious native camp. And since it was just
cleared the vegetation will not have time to cover it up till about July of next year. So the rains will expose many more artifacts between
now and next July. Next trip to this spot that camp will be on the list of 'to dos'.

[carloscinco]

Great finds and vision.