M E T A L M A N 9

M E T A L M A N 9

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June 5, 2023 - More of “Following the Pembina Trail”

June 5 , 2023 - More of “Following the Pembina Trail”

June 5, 2023 More of “Following the Pembina Trail. Call this “Round Three”. We are still on river lots next to the Red River in southern Manitoba. River Lot # 155 to be exact. Two weeks ago I was hot on the trail for the old Pembina Trail, so to speak. Looking for relics and artifacts lost or discarded by travelers of oh so long ago. A lot of antique glass and ceramic shards and metallic artifacts were discovered earlier this year on River Lots 151, 159, and now 155. See May 12, 2023 and May 28, 2023 for postings and pictures. The original survey map of 1870 shows the Pembina Trail branching out into three separate southbound trails starting on River Lot 160 and on to River Lot 153. My goal is to find artifacts on these old trails. Well I’m back from my outing and what an exciting day it was. A very different day indeed with some unexpected results. I decided to start detecting right along the boundary between River Lot’s 156 and 155, walking west from the Old 14 to the far end of the field close to the railway tracks and 75 Highway. I immediately started to find Fencing Staples, a U shaped nail that was used for… Yes, you guessed it, tie a fence onto a fence post. In total, I detected and dug up 40 of these. I’ve been using utility flags as of late to mark the location of a find in a field. It can help paint a picture or a pattern that would otherwise be difficult to see. So I’m sure you’ll appreciate the photos of these 40 plus flags running along the river lot boundary. You can actually see where many of the fence posts would have been located. An interesting revelation. But the true “Gem” or find of the month has to be this gorgeous and intact arrow head. Found by eye sight as metal detectors, as a rule, do not pick up on rocks. I’m always looking for interesting rocks and this I initially thought was a piece of flint until I pulled it out of the ground. What a lucky find. The other great little find was this 16 gram musket ball. It had been fired as you can see the rifling on it. It was found on one of the trail branches but it may or may not be associated with early day travelers. I may have been fired by one of the early settlers. Also found were a few round nails, and partial square nails, some wire, and two extra thick crumpled pieces of aluminum. Even the pull tab had its own moment of glory. F%#%&&^N pull tabs. And here I thought I’d found a coin. Last but not least is this small square like piece of iron. Notice the serrations. My best guess is that it’s part of an agricultural machine used to slice and cut corn stalks when making silage. Not a bad day. Not a lot of different finds but they all tell an interesting story. Roger References: https://fencingstaples.com/a-brief-history-behind-wire- and-its-uses/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musket#Ammunition https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/522699100485437778/

June 22 , 2023 - Decimal - A return after 48 years

June 22, 2023 - Decimal - A return after 48 years.

June 22, 2023 Decimal. A return after 48 years. Wow…. Where to begin with this post. As a 15 year old youth, I had the opportunity and good fortune to travel to Decimal with a group of about 12 school mates for a weekend camping trip. I returned 9 years later with my brother to revisit Decimal on an overnight camping trip. Now, 48 years after the original trip and after 3 years of failed attempts and stalls, I have finally made it back to Decimal. What is Decimal you ask? Where is it? And what could possibly be the draw? Well, metaphorically it’s a return to the past. Decimal was until at least 1959, a CNR siding with about 6 or 7 houses, a post office from 1925 on, a water tower for the steam engines that had run the line, and probably a machine and storage shop or two to service the railway’s needs. The men who worked the “Extra Gangs” lived in the houses temporarily and were relieved by a new “Gang” as workers rotated through this trunk railway point. It was a different time and world back then. Decimal sits at a five minute walk from Lake St. Claire where you could fish and swim. The workers would have made good use of this beautiful location in the Whiteshell. Decimal and Lake St. Clare can be readily found on Google Earth. Find Rennie Mb. Expand the map to include Highway 307 and Brereton Lake to the north, follow the railway line east for 4.5 miles and voila! Decimal. Decimal was eventually abandoned by the CNR. When I first went, there remained two 2 story houses to explore, the remains of a Model T car, a three foot tall pile of rusted tin cans (garbage dump) and old building foundations. A ghost town of sorts. When Geatan and I returned 9 years later, the two houses had been burned down and destroyed, probably by the railway company to prevent accidents and protect themselves from liability from the occasional backpacker like us. The area was an open forest with ample room to roam around. Fast forward to 2023… Now think metal detecting… what an opportunity and bonanza this could be. So many workers have been through here for extended periods of time, since the 1920 and possibly earlier. Pat, owner of Impress Printers and proud sponsor of Metalman9.ca, accompanied me on this two day expedition. Pat has an extensive history of backpacking and mountaineering. A perfect companion for this endeavor. The only way into Decimal is by foot along the railway track. All 4.5 miles of it. Sounds easy enough. Flat ground on a railway bed. The truth is that walking any distance, carrying a 40 lb backpack on uneven and oddly spaced rail ties is challenging at best. The rail bed edge slopes and unlike a forest trail, there are no soft and even paths. The ballast is hard, sharp and loose rock. Pat and I made the trek to Decimal in 2 ½ hours. The return trip took 3 hours. I mentioned an open forest? That was 48 years ago. Today, with no one going back and forth from Decimal to the lake, the forest has regrown and filled in with a vengeance. A walk from the rail line to the lake took us, as kids, 5 minutes. It took Pat and I over 20 minutes. The forest is now thick bush with downed trees and branches everywhere. And the water… Last year brought record rainfall and flooding to southeast Manitoba. Lower areas that were dry and accessible are now swamp, slews and water filled channels. It was now impossible to assess many areas of the old town site. So between the slews and the thick undergrowth, metal detecting became impossible. Only a portion of the old water tower foundation could be seen. I recognized the area right by Lake St. Claire were, as boys, we had pitched 6 or 7 tents, built campfires and had easy access to the lake itself. Today I spotted the odd campfire rock ring but there was little space for even one tent. The lake level has certainly risen by a few feet because gone is the sloping open rock face from where we swam and fished. And then there are the bugs. While walking in the open railway corridor, there were few insects but they are insufferable once you enter the woods: in particular, the deer flies. And that’s with ample use of bug spray. Not to mention the numerous hitchhiking wood ticks that I found once I got home. So a decision had to be made. Do we stay or do we go? Being in my early 60’s, backpacking is not as easy as it once seemed. With no open area near the lake to set up camp and to easily access water, cooking supper and an overnight stay would not be pleasant. Metal detecting is just not possible due to the thick undergrowth. And a return 4.5 mile trip on soar and stiff joints a day later meant that we’d be better off getting out now. Decimal wins and holds on to its buried treasures for someone else to find under different conditions. Pat and I did a bit of detecting on a large rock outcrop overlooking the tracks. Unboundedly, it’s been a popular sitting spot. We are here, we have the equipment. We have a little bit of time so we gave it a go. There is one picture only showing our finds. Because of their high tin content, bottle caps register the same as nickels so you’re compelled to dig it out. I have a feeling there are a great many bottle caps and beer cans to be found all around Decimal. All and all, it was a good day trip. I have no regrets. I’m sore and bug bitten and we made the correct choice to return home early. I’ve wanted to return to Decimal for a very long time. In a sense, I’d been longing to revisit my past and reconnect with a part of my youth. 48 years have changed a great many things, including Decimal. 48 years is a lifetime. I’m glad I made this trip. To use Pat’s mountaineering term, we conquered Decimal. Roger References: Rennie Manitoba Map or h t t p s : / / w w w . g o o g l e . c a / m a p s / p l a c e / R e n n i e , + M B + R 0 E + 1 R 0 / @ 4 9 . 8 5 2 7 7 7 4 , - 9 5 . 5 5 2 7 7 8 , 1 5 z / d a t a = ! 3 m 1 ! 4 b 1 ! 4 m 6 ! 3 m 5 ! 1 s 0 x 5 2 b f d f 2 2 1 0 3 5 8 3 6 f : 0 x c b 4 9 e 0 b 4 e 7 6 7 5 2 f 3 ! 8 m 2 ! 3 d 4 9 . 8 5 2 7 7 8 ! 4 d - 95.552778!16s%2Fg%2F1tdmv86g?entry=ttu https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef511 Related Posts: October 3, 2020 – Darwin October 14, 2020 - Foot Bridge off Pliguet St. May 26, 2022 - Near Stead, Manitoba

June 24, 2023 - The invitation

June 24, 2023 The invitation. Hey, Mom turned 80 during the Covid years and we’re having a get together for her now to make up for lost time. “You and Tess are invited, make sure you come out” said our host “and Oh… Bring your metal detector with you. I’ve got a spot in the yard that I’d like you to go over. We’re always finding metal pieces there; I think it’s an old farm garbage dump”. And so the afternoon started. Somewhere near St. Adolphe, Manitoba. It is a typical affair with members from various families getting together celebrating a loved one, great food (Rob is renowned for his burgers), conversation and catching up on things, kids running about and today, even a bit of metal detecting. The homeowner directed me to a specific location where every time he tilled, “stuff” would come up. My brother Michel was the brave one to try his hand at detecting. In total, we might have spent 15 minutes, 20 max and came out with a carry pouch full of finds. Quite interesting finds actually. The results reflect the beauty of a virgin location. A never before detected area will often yield an array of easy to find little treasures. Of note was the horse collar jingle bell complete with the small metal ball that sits inside. The ball fell out during the cleaning process. One of the buttons shows a logo “King of the Road”. This is the second such button that I have found. I believe it to be from a pair of “Over All’s”. That goes right along with the partial over shoe boot clip. It’s so much fun when you can recognize and identify finds. The little “H” looking aluminium piece I am told was a clip used to keep plywood panels and the like, fastened together . No coins were found to help date the site but what registered really high on the metal detector were the Copper cap, use and brand unknown, and the Brass screw. Rob thought that the site might have been an old farm garbage dump and burn site. Judging by the condition of some of the glass found, there certainly has been enough heat applied at one time to melt glass. The two pieces of slag are aluminum. Door hinges, clothing hooks, swather cutter bar teeth and nails of course are all typical iron finds. There is not really enough material recovered to determine exactly what was here years ago but it is most likely a farm dump site. Happy 80th Louise!!! Great family times, fantastic food and a little bit of metal detecting. What a perfect day! Roger

June 24 , 2023 - The invitation