M E T A L M A N 9

M E T A L M A N 9

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September 2, 2026 - Found One on River Lot 175

September 2, 2026 - Found One on River Lot 175

September 2, 2026 Found One on River Lot 175. Yes, every once in a while, you as a detectorist, get to cash in on some good old fashion luck. No, I’m not talking diamonds on gold and silver rings. No, I’m not talking about a long lost coin cache (although that remains on my bucket list). I’m talking about stumbling onto the site of someone’s homestead. Plain blind luck without the help of an old map or of a homestead documents. My 1870 survey map shows absolutely nothing at this location at that time. I just went about, metal detected randomly on this big open field, until I ran into a debris field. Some homestead sites are just littered with shards of glass and ceramic, iron, and the evidence of human household activity is everywhere. No, not here. This site was a sleeper. All that I saw on the surface were a few bits of broken but colorful dishware, and a few square nails. Oh yes, square nails, my favorites, the indicators of an old site. But my metal detector helped tell a bigger story. Two pieces of cutlery, older shotgun shells, one and a half axe heads, and a 7.3 lbs. clothing iron helps to solidify the idea that this was indeed a home on a homestead a long time ago. This also gives me a research project at the Manitoba Archive during the cold winter months. The clothing iron was buried about 18 inches down. Like many heavy items, it sank to quite the depth. This is the second time that I have recovered a heavy clothing iron at depth. And, Yes… That is a 9 inch shovel, shown for scale, struck in the hole that I had to dig to get to the iron out. In the last post See: August 29, 2026 - A Shot in the Dark. River Lot 173. I talk about how you can’t judge a field or a site, simply by appearance. I suspected that there would have been a homestead house here, somewhere on this River Lot at some point in time. I conducted a number of random metal detecting runs at various locations in the field, keeping away from known low spots where water would collect and away from a natural drainage channel that cuts across the River Lot. Most early settlers would look for higher ground when selecting where to build a home. This specific location is on slightly higher ground and overlooks a wide low area that was forested and close to the river. The Red River served as both transportation and a water source but you don’t want to build too close to it due to repeated spring flooding. The spot was perfect! The find: exhilarating!!! Shotgun Shell Casings, River Lot 175: Eley No 12 London 1896 – 1920’s issue Dominion Canuck 1916 – 1935 issue Roger