M E T A L M A N 9

M E T A L M A N 9

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October 12, 2023 Group Hunt at the Marais River, South Side. Part 1

October 12, 2023 Group Hunt at the Marais River, South Side. Part 1.

October 12, 2023 Group Hunt at the Marais River, South Side. Part 1. Rivers were and still are the lifeblood of all who live here in Manitoba. This is especially true for the aboriginal populations that thrived here for thousands of years, pre contact with the Europeans. Rivers were essential for the early Voyageurs and fur traders of early Canada. Christophe Dufrost La Jemeraye died and was buried “Due West and Across the Red River” from the mouth of the Roseau River. DOD: May 10, 1736. Rivers and the trails that followed along these same rivers were the highways for the early settlers and pioneers. The confluence of the Roseau River and of the Marais River, into the Red River occurs almost across from each other. One flows from the east, the other from the west. On the east side of the Red is home to the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation. On the west side is the community of Letellier. The area is rich with history going back millennia. With that in mind, so begins our group hunt. Randy, Monty and I… Roger. I had secured the coveted land owner permission last year and to you Kerry… We are all most appreciative. Earlier this spring, Randy and I metal detected a little point of land on the north side of the Marais River at the junction of the Red. That proved to be a rich and rewarding hunt. ( See: May 22, 2023 A Site with a Lot of History ). The finds will be the subject of this winter’s research. Today’s objective was to metal detect the south side of this area and to explore, with metal detectors, the “Due West” side of the Red at the mouth of the Roseau. La Jemeraye and a group of explorers had built a “Fort” or a “Post” of sorts in this area. The exact location is lost to time but human habitation always leaves behind evidence of its existence. Finds from the north side last spring pushed the dates back to 1850. What will we find today? An interesting side story to our own are the 5 archeologists that we encountered. A pipe line of sorts is being laid from Letellier to the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation. An archeological assessment needed to be conducted. Burial grounds, encampments and important relics need to be safeguarded. Agassiz-CRS were there for the day. The location is out of the way with no easy access. My Grand Caravan thinks it’s a pick-up truck and as such we made our way to the bottom end of the field over some major ruts and clumps. My first impression was “Wow, this is a huge area”. The three of us trekked on foot through bush and brambles to find the open bank of the Red River and there, right across from us was the Roseau itself. See photo. Once properly orientated, we began our metal detecting in earnest. With three detectorists going at once, we were able to cover a lot of ground. I’ve often said, no two sites are alike and there is something to learn from each of these. This entire area that we covered, a half mile or so, going north and south, over small ridges and into the woods too, yielded far less than what I would have expected. And so it goes with metal detecting. A few fence staples, 4 or 5 square nails but not enough to indicate any sort of structure, lots of short bits of fencing wire and barbed wire, and a very few machine parts. The axe head was a better find and was what appears to be pieces of a very old Jack Knife. Randy had the good fortune of unearthing most of our combined finds until he ran across this yet unidentified 4 ½ lb iron bar or tool. We were quite some way from the vehicle at this time and the mantra became: “You dug it, You lug it”. Yes, so it goes with metal detecting. What a bunch of nice guys eh! Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Dufrost_de_La_Jemeraye https://treaty1.ca/roseau-river-anishinaabe-first-nation/ https://axeandtool.com/top-of-an-axe/ Roger

October 12, 2023 Group Hunt at the Marais River, South Side. Part 2.

October 12, 2023 Group Hunt at the Marais River, South Side. Part 2

October 12, 2023 Group Hunt at the Marais River, South Side. Part 2. The second half of the day was spent directly south of the Marais at the Red. It’s also right across from where we were this spring. (Third photo). See: May 22, 2023 A Site with a Lot of History. The aerial photographs dated May 17, 1930 show a farm with buildings in this location. Very exciting and it did not disappoint. We collectively found a lot of big iron, some of the pieces were buried a foot deep or more. I had the dubious honour of finding the “Coin of the Day”… the only coin. A Canadian penny dated 1986. So much for antiquity! It is shown next to a “Peabody” button or clothes snap. Monty found a Fuel Pump Head made by Monarch Machinery Co. Ltd., Winnipeg, Model V. It is extra heavy at a whopping 15 lbs. ( You dug it rule applies ). Monty also found an intact “Jewel Jar” used for canning and a rather rusty metal file. Randy’s finds include the Toy Cap Gun and parts and the Pewter Button. Buttons can be a significant source of information when it comes to dating a site. Some glass and pottery was also picked up. You just have to love the writing and the color patterns found on these. In fact, there was so much big material picked up that I had to photograph it as three different batches. The partial Grist Mill Wheel is my second such find. See: October 9, 2020 - Two Little Points Farm. Notice the deep wear on the metal “O”. Notice the break at the ends of the iron rods. That would have given quite a jolt and a loud bang when it occurred. Speaking of big bangs, I don’t know if the 30 -30 shell casing got damaged when in the ground or if it just blew up but it took quite a beating. And, next to the fancy fishing weigh, you’ll notice a tiny tool, a wrench. It’s got what I call a “Cute Factor”. Everyone that I show it to go…. Awwww. Next to the partial horse collar bell is a long aluminium cylinder thing that people often mistake as a possible tool handle. It’s actually a Model T tire valve cover. Cool Eh! Again, our thanks, Randy, Monty and I, go out to the land owner for his generosity. I know you’ll enjoy the pictures. Reference: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/model-t-ford-valve-stem- covers-old-car-parts https://www.companiesofcanada.com/company/052740-8/monarch- machinery-1973-limited https://www.monarchindustries.com/ Roger

October 19, 2023 Permission granted and the hunt continues.

October 19, 2023 Permission granted and the hunt continues

October 19, 2023 Permission granted and the hunt continues. It’s been three years since I was last at this location. This time, I returned armed with the land owner’s permission to access “the other side” of this section’s quarter. It was an odd layout for a home and barn and ponds. See: October 1, 2020. The Homestead on the # 2. We are at the 4 corners in the middle of Section # 2; right where the four quarters meet. As per the aerial photograph dated May 7, 1950, one building; the house, was situated on the south west of the divide and the barn was on the south east side. The two big white spots seen in the photograph are ponds or dugouts made to hold drinking water. In fact I’ve been told that my Dad would walk over there as a child to swim and play with the children that lived there. Today in 2023, the two quarters on the west side of Section # 2 belong to one farming family and the two quarters on the east side belong to a different farming business. The owner of the western side is the same land owner that allowed Marc and I to metal detect at the site of the former Tache School a mile or so from here. See: September 10, 2023 Site of the old Tache School.1914. To the land owner, I say thank you for the extended and overall permission. I can’t emphasize enough how every site is different and how the finds rarely turn out as I might have expected. And oh the surprises… Like what lives and lurks below… For a site where there once was a living house and kids and people, I found very little in the way of day to day objects. Almost no sign of human habitation so to speak. I found 5 pieces of glass and one piece of pottery. I did find half of a mini pocket knife and two older 12 gauge shotgun shell bottoms. I estimate them to be from the 1930’s or 40’s as they contained cardboard as part of the cartridge. The third, a gold colored shell with a steel bottom is much more modern. The remainder of the finds were agricultural machine related and lots of big iron buried deep. The little copper cock valve probably belonged to an old steam engine. You’d manually turn the valve open and close for a short time, just enough to lubricate the gears below. One of the photos shows a thick gear that snapped in half. Some of the pieces still show part numbers. Interesting. And the rocks found were quite unique. I kept and cleaned up a few. I might just get myself a lapidary saw. The true find of the day, in my opinion, has to be the ancient arrow head. My friends Sid and Pam, both retired archeologists, tell me that it’s a "Prairie Side-notched" projectile point. The type ranges from 700 A.D. to 1400 A.D. I was absolutely ecstatic with this surface find. I had come within an inch of running it over with the van on my way into the site. What luck! Reference: https://www.projectilepoints.net/Points/Prairie.html https://www.masc.mb.ca/masc.nsf/land_parcel_info.html Roger