Any rock hounds ?

[Davey Crockett]

.

 

[lazyMlazyK]

Fossils have been a passion of mine since I was a kid, but by no means am I an expert at all. That said Davey, I think the colors that you're seeing as paint are natural. I know next to nothing about native artifacts, so can't really comment on the "paint bowls". I know I've picked up a lot of different, neat looking rocks thinking they were something and turned out to just be more of those "leave 'er there" rocks.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I think your right about the colors being natural, at first we had found about 10-12 rocks like that in one very small area of the field but since we found more with the same markings scattered throughout the fields. Some of the ones that I called paint pots or grinders could be natural too for all I know. I have a friend who knows more than me about rocks and he thought the first one I found was a grinder bowl. I'm hoping to find a rock show somewhere and bring a few questionable rocks with for opinions. I think Williston has a rock club , if anyone happens to hear about a rock show anywhere in ND please let me know.

 

[PrairieGhost]

Do you know the difference between chert and granite ?

I thought I did, but you could be right and I don't know. Maybe someone here can correct me if I am wrong. Below is the only piece I have picked up that I was told was chert. Isnt it usually grey like shale, but glossy and fractures like flint and obsidian? I have been told it's not plentiful in North Dakota. Some can be found along North Dakotas largest esker in Grand Forks county.

 

[LBrandt]

I got lots of paper so I win. LB

 

[Davey Crockett]

 

[Davey Crockett]

Pretty cool one that my Father in law found years ago . Haven't figured this one out yet either .

 

[Davey Crockett]

It doesn't look like fired clay, I think it's rock .

 

[Davey Crockett]

I thought I did, but you could be right and I don't know. Maybe someone here can correct me if I am wrong. Below is the only piece I have picked up that I was told was chert. Isnt it usually grey like shale, but glossy and fractures like flint and obsidian? I have been told it's not plentiful in North Dakota. Some can be found along North Dakotas largest esker in Grand Forks county.

That sure looks like chert to me , I have a couple that I think is grey chert that looks like shale but harder than shale that looks like it has been worked .

 

[Davey Crockett]

The no till farming might put a kink into ever finding more of it. They looked for the other half way back when he found it but no discovery. We will try again next summer just for the fun of it.

 

[fireone]

I thought I did, but you could be right and I don't know. Maybe someone here can correct me if I am wrong. Below is the only piece I have picked up that I was told was chert. Isnt it usually grey like shale, but glossy and fractures like flint and obsidian? I have been told it's not plentiful in North Dakota. Some can be found along North Dakotas largest esker in Grand Forks county.

Sentinel Butte has chert. Some years back a cache of about 100 Clovis points was found not far away and the chert was a match.

 

[Davey Crockett]

Here are the pictures of the rock I found not to far from the Mooring Stone, definitely man made.
Side View
Top View
Bottom View

Have you dug up any information on this trapper ?

 

[Davey Crockett]

I thought I did, but you could be right and I don't know. Maybe someone here can correct me if I am wrong. Below is the only piece I have picked up that I was told was chert. Isnt it usually grey like shale, but glossy and fractures like flint and obsidian? I have been told it's not plentiful in North Dakota. Some can be found along North Dakotas largest esker in Grand Forks county.

PG , I think they mostly worked with what they had to work with in the area where they lived and carried the "good ammo" when they traveled. We very seldom find flint or light colored chert up here even in natural form but we find some dark colored layered hard rock up here, very hard and resembles granite and the layers break off in sharp pieces but I have no idea what it is. Ed Milligan told us how they left the heavy stones behind when they had to travel to find food, bigger stone tools are more common than small ones around here.

 

[NDbowman]

https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=119a...WtvdGElMkMlMjBVbml0ZWQlMjBTdGF0ZXMuJTIw&ntb=1

 

[Allen]

Definitely a rock as I can see at least a couple of different minerals in it. And it sure looks like it's been worked. That might be an interesting one to take to an archeologist, mostly because if I use my imagination, I think I might be looking at a face.

 

[Trapper62]

Have you dug up any information on this trapper ?

No I haven't, not many around that seem interested in it as to it's origin.

 

[NDwalleyes]

Be careful what you guys put out there. @Davey Crockett especially that possible artifact. If the area where you found these artifacts was thought to be historical, the Federales may give you a call. Granted this is private land. What makes me nervous is that if you are under the federal farm program could they use that as an excuse to trigger a section 106 review?? With this administration the feds have no boundaries! This would shut down any farm land for years. May father-in-law has always been nervous about this.

https://www.achp.gov/digital-librar...lanning-activities-trigger-section-106-review

 

[Davey Crockett]

I'm not too worried , this stuff is all over North Dakota , all you have to do is spend time looking for it. The face is registered with the State historical society .

 

[Allen]

No I haven't, not many around that seem interested in it as to it's origin.

I would suggest the rock is in the shape you found it from rolling around under a glacier on its trip south from northern Canada. The reason there's a rim on it is because it's a softer layer of rock in-between harder rock/mineral. Seeing wear to the extent you have on that rock is not especially common, but it does happen. The key here is that "worked" rocks generally aren't as irregular in the workmanship. At least, that's the way I interpret it.

 

[Davey Crockett]

Definitely a rock as I can see at least a couple of different minerals in it. And it sure looks like it's been worked. That might be an interesting one to take to an archeologist, mostly because if I use my imagination, I think I might be looking at a face.

Your right , I hadn't really looked at the picture that close but the lighting really enhanced it and turned out better than looking at it with the naked eye. It's smooth as glass. Hard to imagine how long it must have taken to make it and what time period it would have been made.