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METALMAN9
Ph: 204-223-7809
METALMAN9
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Index
October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points
October 21, 2021 Further into Two Little Points. Eye… Mid to late October and I’m still at it. Metal detecting doesn’t get better than this. Although by the look of the field you’d think it’s spring in Ireland my lass. The greenery is volunteer canola, typical in a now harvested canola field. The rains came, the seed sprouted, and the crop came back. It made for interesting detecting… kind of going blind as I’m used to being able to see and pick up glass, ceramic, and various items laying on the surface while detecting. I guess it’s no different than metal detecting in a park or school yard. This location, once called Gaultier, was on the Pembina Trail which ran between Fort Garry, Manitoba and Fort Pembina, North Dakota and onwards to St Paul, Minnesota. This specific river lot was also home to Two Little Points School. This time however I’m much further east on the property. There have always been stories of a blacksmith shop somewhere close by but I have yet to find any written confirmation or an exact location. It would have existed and disappeared long before the 1930’s as there is nothing evident on aerial photographs from that time frame. The school was opened in the early 1880’s. There was also a general store, a grist mill, a boarding house and apparently a blacksmith shop. Aerial photos do however show numerous farm buildings further east on this lot. The railway came in the late 1880’s and everything changed. Letellier became the focal point. People and some buildings moved to be next to the railway line. As an example, the church in St. Pie. There were several small communities like Gaultier, St Pie, Catherine, and the Marais that eventually disappeared or never really grew in size. See the online references quoted below. It makes for interesting reading. Well I didn’t have to stray very far at all. In fact, by pure luck, I may well have located a work site of sorts. All of the metal and iron pieces shown came from an area of about 50 square feet. It’s a lot of metal for what should be an open field. Some of the short pieces of iron rods and plates appear to have been cut, some at odd angles suggesting metal works. I found broken gear parts, broken hacksaw blades and a Champion Spark plug. Strangely, I only found 4 square nails but a pile of round ones. There was very little ceramic or glass compared to what I’m still finding at the old school site. The cement pieces suggest a possible foundation of sorts. It’s anyone’s guess what the little “Hat” looking thing is? This is the second one like it that I’ve found. Same field, different locations. And to emphasize the point of a lot of metal in one single spot… I brought soil home, as I often do on these outings, to use around my home and yard here in the city. And on a lark, I thought I’d try and use my Garrett pointer in one of the 5 gallon plastic pails. More hits… in fact many more hits. Nails, screws and more small metal pieces. Unbelievable !!! The highlight of the day had to be the 1942 TOMBAC Nickel. In 1942, the Canadian government used a brass alloy called Tombac to mint nickels in an effort to save and divert actual nickel to the war effort. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembina_Trail Ref: Reapers of the Valley 1882-1982 Page 63 h t t p s : / / d i g i t a l c o l l e c t i o n s . l i b . u m a n i t o b a . c a / i s l a n d o r a / o b j e c t / u o f m % 3 A 2 2 46399#page/28/mode/1up Roger
Index October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points October 21, 2021 - Further into Two Little Points