October 3, 2025 Plan “C” Here we are, Randy, Monty and I, all geared up and no site to detect on. Well, we had a site picked out but we just could not locate where in this field sat the Old House. You see, I can remember as a young boy, this impressive large two story house whose walls were made of field stones. It was abandoned, even back then and now the house and any sign of it are apparently gone! I’d taken the time to get the land owners permission to metal detect on this site. Thank you Brian , very much appreciated. Randy and I had cased-out this field early in the spring and we had actually found and picked up a few pieces of glass. You’d think we could remember exactly where in the field this glass was found… not a chance. The field had recently been tilled and quite deep too which is ideal for metal detecting. Randy, Monty and I walked almost the entire length of this field, just a bit off from the road looking for some sign of life, but nothing. Randy did find a folded sheet of lead but no glass or ceramics. The idea was to locate debris that would point to past human habitation. Nothing… Ahhhwww… Now what…. So this is where Plan “B” comes into play. Our next stop was in the Marais area where Randy has permission to detect on the land where an old school and church sat. Great Eh! Well here we are, foiled again! The crop of soybeans that sat on top of our old one room school site and church site had not been harvested yet so needless to say, this too was a no go. Time was ticking and we, all three, were no closer to getting our coils to the soil. Plan “C”. Randy knows of another site nearby where he has a long standing permission to metal detect. Any closer than this to Emerson and we’d all end up in the USA, risking deportation to El Salvador. Is metal detecting allowed in El Salvador? Finally, we arrive at a non-disclosed farm field that has some historical significance. An old saloon once stood here according to local lore. It’s almost 11:00 AM and finally we are off metal detecting. The lesson to be learned here is to plan ahead. I should have ordered aerial photographs of the location showing where everything was in the 1950’s or 60’s. Then we could have pinpointed the exact spot. I had consulted my 1873 Surveyors Map but no structure existed here yet. Going in blind can be fun and exciting but hey... it doesn’t always work and you don’t want to drive all that distance just to return home empty handed. Well, the day turned out Ok none the less and wow, was it ever hot. Go future, 32C. in and around Emerson in early October. Now that alone was a bonus. Highlights of the hunt: 2 – Buttons. 1 - Double King ? and 2 - * * * Star Pattern reverse side * J N ??? 1 – Clothes Grommet (copper) Shotgun Shell: Rem - UMG No 12 Nitro Club Cir.1915 – 1942 1 – .22 Short RimFire Casing. 1 – Fired and Flattened Bullet 7.242 grams 1 – 3 cm long Fired Bullet Casing (copper) 1 – Buckle. Possibly Horse Tack. (iron) 3 – Buttons Golf Balls. Who says farmers don’t have any time off? 1 – Kerosene Lamp Collar with Wick Adjuster Various Ornate Old Iron Pieces with Fleur-de-Lis & Wheat Pattern 1 – Horse Shoe Nail Roger References: https://cartridge-corner.com/remumc.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur-de-lis

October 7, 2025 St. Malo Reservoir: Drained! Now this is a rare opportunity. I don’t have all of the details as to when and why but much to a metal detectorist’s advantage, the water reservoir that happens to make up the two beaches at St. Malo has been drained by about 10 feet. The link below explains the details of the draining. So with that in mind, Randy and I headed out to try our luck. The debate was: do we go and find out that the place has already been detected by detectorists that got there before us in the preceding days, or do we stay home, or go elsewhere? I knew that for myself, I would regret not going, even if we’ve been beaten to the punch. Hey, if everyone thinks the same, that the place has been combed over and stays home then oddly, no one goes and the treasures to be found remain out there. Yes, some detectorists like going into the water with tall waders and finding the items that get lost by people who are out swimming, but you can only get so far out using that metal detecting method unless you're scuba diving. A 10 foot drop in water level means that you have access to going out way farther than ever before. Well, yes someone had beaten us to the punch, of course. But hey, I have no problem with sharing a site, besides, they simply can’t have covered the entire newly exposed area and they’re bound to have missed stuff. Did I not mention in previous posts that a site is never completely detected out? And so it proved to be. The find of the day has to be the 5.2 gram precious metal men’s ring. I also picked up a vintage charm bracelet piece showing exquisite details. The penny was from 2002. The live round is a .22 long. Randy found a series of Matchbox cars and a variety of fishing lures. Man, you really have to be careful of the hooks. They catch everywhere. You put them in your carry pouch and you can hardly get them out again. All and all it was a good hunt blessed by fantastic weather, especially for October. BUT: A word of caution. The St. Malo lake bottom is horribly mucky. In some spots you sink 5 to 6 inches in. Try getting your foot out of that without leaving your boot behind. Also, last but not least and I apologize for the following rant but… To the one detectorist in particular that was there before us… Your actions reflect on all the rest of us. Read the Detectorists Code of Conduct just once would you. 1) You dug holes and once you realized that the signal came from a pop can, you just left the can in the hole. I pulled out and properly disposed of numerous cans that you carelessly left behind. The picture shows only a few of the cans that you couldn’t pick up and dispose of. 2) Fill your holes. Everyone I’ve ever metal detected with does; be it a farm field, a beach, or a park… (HINT HINT maybe some palace like Emerson’s Centennial Park) Yes we all suffer the consequences of your actions. You don’t have to dig a hole the size of your coil to get a penny out of a park or beach landscape. Educate yourself on how to dig and create a proper grass plug. Leave no trace. It’s called common courtesy and respect. Other detectorists were there metal detecting in the days before us. I saw the outline of holes that had been refilled but it seems like you’re above all that. 3) I’m inviting you to a sit down and let's have a meeting. An open and frank discussion might help clear the air and go a long way in resolving these multiple issues and problems that you’re perhaps unknowingly causing for the rest of us. Roger References: https://www.metaldetectingworld.com/code_of_ethics.shtml h t t p s : / / w w w . s t e i n b a c h o n l i n e . c o m / a r t i c l e s / p r o v i n c e - l o w e r s - s t - malo-reservoir-to-fight-zebra-mussels-

October 14, 2025 Red River Lot 154. An Exploration This is probably the last time I get to go out to this location this year as the month of November is going to be dedicated to other endeavors. The window for metal detecting is slowly closing and soon, it's winter and everything becomes frozen solid. I’d had plans to detect on another site today but my metal detecting partners were all tied up elsewhere so I returned on last time to my favorite hunting ground with the intention of doing a little exploration while there. Yes, I did get the coil to the ground a bit but I also walked around quite a bit, picking up glass and ceramics and the odd metal item that I could see. The field had been worked up recently and it had rained on it too so these items were easy pickings. Bone, coal, and clam shell bits were also recovered. Some of the last pictures of the post feature some really rusted tin pieces. They were found at considerable depth. Once cleaned, and yes, I clean all of my finds, good or bad, because at times cleaning reveals previously unnoticed features like the numbers “6 6”. This might possibly have been a license plate. There was too much deterioration to be certain but it’s an interesting find none the less. Keep in mind that this River Lot is flanked by the Red River and due to natural erosion, the river bank is ever so slowly yet constantly slipping down towards the river. It’s a fairly high spot so this leaves cliff-like exposed areas where one can see the earth’s natural stratification. It made for some interesting photos and a great learning opportunity. Yes, this is a bit far removed from traditional metal detecting but by having a better understanding of what lay under your feet I should have better metal detecting results. I can better manage my expectations to some degree and gain a better understanding of what I’m finding and the context of the finds. It would appear that the majority of my finds in this area should all be within 6 to 12 inches from the surface. Any significant deeper finds at 18 to 24 inches might have been dumped in a pit or a deliberate excavation of sorts. My soil sciences course from the U of M, 43 plus years ago, came back to mind. Further follow up with my good friend Sid Kroker, archeologist (retired), confirmed that the deeper yellowish soil horizon is sediment deposit from Lake Agassiz. All very cool! I even found a piece of tan colored Caliche clay. No, it’s not all about metal detecting but about getting out and opening new (soil) horizons and learning new things. My winter posts, long after metal detecting is all done are all about topics like that. So stay posted, check in from time to time and see what’s new. You might find me writing about a topic that you like. It’s all about exploration. AND: Don’t forget the Keystone Detectorists Club (KDC) meeting at the Scandinavian Centre, 764 Erin Street, on Saturday, October 25th. 13:00 – 16:30. All are welcome! Roger Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_horizon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Agassiz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliche

October 25, 2025 Keystone Detectorists Club Meeting I must start by saying “Thank you” to all the people that came out today, we were seventeen in attendance, and especially when one considers that today was one of those gorgeous late fall days where we’d all prefer to be out metal detecting or worse yet, at the football game… The window is quickly closing on metal detecting. The weather is rainy more often than not and even if you have a nice sunny day, the ground might still be too wet and has anyone noticed how the days have become so much shorter? So again, thank you all and thank you for your generosity as well. I counted a bit over $35.00 in the “Tips” jar. It all goes defray the cost of the room for the afternoon. Thanks also for the food. For some of us, it was a first time opportunity to try Krispy Kreme donuts. Very nice indeed !!! This was a great meeting. I’d say it’s more of a get together than a meeting as it is so nice to actually have live interaction with other like-minded individuals. Good ideas and information were exchanged as we had ample time for that, all between the numerous topics that we covered. Thank you also goes out to Eileen, President of the Manitoba Coin Club. Eileen custom tailored a presentation that perfectly fit our needs as detectorists. Remember, we get our coins from deep in the ground, not fresh from the mint. She covered at length the cleaning, or not, of coins and introduced many of us to the use of acetone and distilled water for cleaning purposes. Actual “Cleaned” examples were on hand for all to see. She also talked about proper storage methods and where to get proper and safe supplies. See the link below… One new member, Chuck, spoke to us about going metal detecting in the UK and some of what that all entails. Most informative! This is something that our club can help facilitate by sharing information or by helping find a good partner with which to travel with. Robin, of OK John Metal Detectors, took the time and made the effort to bring out a wide selection of metal detectors, shovels and other supplies along with samples of KDC hats and T-shirts for us to order. Yes, sales were made. Remember to support and buy local!!! The “Finds Table” displays were stunning to behold. What a wonderful and wide variety of little treasures, all found right here in Manitoba. And to think that these would all have been lost to time or to progress when buildings are built. It’s the first time that I ever saw an actual “Piece of Eight”. Yes the gold of the Spaniards, and yes, found here in Manitoba. Now if that item could talk, what a story it would tell. Our next club meeting will be in spring, sometime before the metal detecting season starts up again. Some ideas were expressed as to whom to ask as guest speakers and maybe increase the regularity of our meetings. All ideas are valid and will be considered. Thanks again to all. Your participation makes all the difference. Roger Reference: https://www.manitobacoinclub.org/ https://en.numista.com/outings/provincial-stamp- coin-winnipeg-2858.html https://www.okjohnmetaldetectors.com/