A Glimmer of the Past
Wealth of history lies inches below soil
Have you ever driven past
the Hurley cornfields after the harvest and maybe looked out in the distance to
see figures slowly moving over the plowed furrows, staring intently down and
occasionally stooping to pick something up?
Did you wonder what they
were seeking? To the untrained eye it seems to be nothing but miles of dirt in
every direction. But, the plows that come to the cornfields spring and fall dig
deep down into the earth and pull up and scatter about a vast array of Indian
artifacts. Made out of flint, shell, bone, and glass these knapped Native
American arrowheads or points, hand axes, knives, and all manner of tools are
lying inches below the surface.
With a hat to shield your
eyes from the sun, a walking stick, a bag to carry your pieces home in, and
permission from the landowner, you can have a thrilling day of seeking and
finding treasure. Treasure as in the many different colors of the flint, to say
the least. My late husband Earl and I would find points of translucent yellow,
jade green, brown, gray and black, and the very rare phantom point with its two
colors.
Your first time out might be
discouraging as every stone looks the same, but with patience you develop a
feel. The best time to go is after a rain fall as everything gets rinsed off
and the flint sparkles out there like diamonds. When you have your find in the
palm of your hand, and it looks as if it were dropped yesterday instead of
hundreds of years ago, and you know you have preserved it from the blades of the
plow, it’s better than if you had found gold!
With the warm sun on your
face and the geese flying above, it’s a joy to walk over the fields imagining
the villages and encampments—and holding history in your hand.
Posted by Chris Hewitt
on 1:32 PM.
Filed under
Culture Features
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