If anyone finds the original story, I'd love to read more about this and which campsites they pulled these artifacts out of. Read more here.

Way cool. According to the story, they were found in 2003. So about 18 years have passed. I hope they restricted access to that area. Be a shame if somebody unknowingly destroyed or removed any artifacts.

HighnDry: "If anyone finds the original story, I'd love to read more about this and which campsites they pulled these artifacts out of. Read more here. "

Interesting, cool story. Not sure why you would need to know which campsites... I hope that would be a well-kept secret and not published.

I dug around to see if I could find the 2003 original story without success, but did find assorted other mention of archeological exploration in the BWCAW such as annual reports from our state archeologist (did you know we had one? I didn't. https://mn.gov/admin/archaeologist/about-us/state-archaeologist/) and a thesis on the lithic tools of the area. From that, I could see that there are several dozen sites where paleoindian tools have been identified over the years -- not campsites, I hasten to add, but simply locations within the BWCAW. So it's not like you can paddle on up to #1243 on Vera and start mucking with an archeological dig, but rather that the Knife Lake area was the source for siltstone tools that have been found at some significant distances away.

http://mnfieldnotes.com/2011/11/04/knife-lake-siltstone-discussions/ is also a really interesting read about this, and https://mn.gov/admin/assets/stone-tools-of-minnesota-part2_tcm36-247479.pdf if you're of a more academic bent.

Also, remember, leave no trace, take nothing but photographs.

Bearpath9: "Way cool. According to the story, they were found in 2003. So about 18 years have passed. I hope they restricted access to that area. Be a shame if somebody unknowingly destroyed or removed any artifacts. "

How can you restrict access if it's leave no trace? Can't put up a fence or anything. I mean you could paint lines on a map? But we know how that goes. It's best to not make it known the where than to show everyone where and try to restrict that area.

But yes, Knife lake has a bunch of stuff in the area

https://queticosuperior.org/blog/archaeologist-says-knife-lake-site-could-be-earliest-minnesota-settlement/

Looks like the link to the earlier article is broken.

You might like this post from 2009. It dives deep into this kind of stuff.

Totally understand not publishing locations. Lots of dishonest people these days.

There was a few sites in kawnipi and kawa bay that people found out about and ended up stealing...because that's what it is....artifacts from the sites.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that peoples lived all over bwca. As erosion continued more and more artifacts will appear.

So cool. I'd love to watch a dig or be part of one. Imagine it's fairly slow going.

Mocha: "...So cool. I'd love to watch a dig or be part of one. Imagine it's fairly slow going."

Check out Current Projects to look for opportunities in the National Forest using Passport in Time. Seems like they often have something to dig up and explore, but currently no projects listed.

cyclones30: " https://queticosuperior.org/blog/archaeologist-says-knife-lake-site-could-be-earliest-minnesota-settlement/


Looks like the link to the earlier article is broken. "

Neat story. If there is a more in-depth report, it would be interesting read about their excavations on Knife lake.

Canoearoo: " You might like this post from 2009. It dives deep into this kind of stuff. "

Great thread! Thanks.

cyclones30: "

Bearpath9: "Way cool. According to the story, they were found in 2003. So about 18 years have passed. I hope they restricted access to that area. Be a shame if somebody unknowingly destroyed or removed any artifacts. "

How can you restrict access if it's leave no trace? Can't put up a fence or anything. I mean you could paint lines on a map? But we know how that goes. It's best to not make it known the where than to show everyone where and try to restrict that area.


But yes, Knife lake has a bunch of stuff in the area "

Any archeological dig is going to leave traces. I agree it is best to make it unknown where it is, but it seems the cat is already out of the bag. I believe most of us on here would not disturb it, but there has been a lot of stuff going on in the last couple of years that hasn't been strictly kosher. I would rather offend some people than have the site looted.

Most of the campsites in the BWCA have been used for hundreds of years, so it's not surprising that old objects would be found.

Several years ago, I attended a lecture given by a FS archeologist who discussed findings in the BWCA. He brought along a number of items found at campsites in the BWCA ,.usually discovered after fires have cleared the underbrush. Pieces of pottery, arrowheads, clay pipes, beads, all sorts of prehistoric tools, etc. It is interesting to contemplate the historical significance of your little campsite.

awbrown: "Most of the campsites in the BWCA have been used for hundreds of years, so it's not surprising that old objects would be found.


Several years ago, I attended a lecture given by a FS archeologist who discussed findings in the BWCA. He brought along a number of items found at campsites in the BWCA ,.usually discovered after fires have cleared the underbrush. Pieces of pottery, arrowheads, clay pipes, beads, all sorts of prehistoric tools, etc. It is interesting to contemplate the historical significance of your little campsite."

I especially dig how the qualities that would make for a fine campsite today would likely have made for a fine campsite 500 years ago.

In 2006 I was exploring an island on Insula just walking the shoreline and looking at rocks. The water level was way down that summer and I found one rock with clearly a fish fin fossil in it. I thought it was really cool so kept looking hoping to find others.

Around the other side of this very small island was basically a narrows that flowed next to the mainland. Many rocks were in the "streambed" and normally would be under a foot or two of water but were exposed. As I was picking up and looking at some I picked up something that to my eye appeared to be manipulated into a blade or tip. It's about 4 inches long. And yes I took it and it sits on a shelf with the fish fin fossil. I'd like to take it somewhere to be authenticated and if "real" I would be happy to donate to a museum.

Here's what it looks like.

People are finding ancient artifacts on the surface all the time here in IA. I can ride my bike to a heavily researched set of old mounds that I have permission to look in the field. (as do others) Many more mounds and campsites all over the place. On private ground here, you can keep what you find. It's usually safer for a piece to be in someone's collection than eventually get hit by a tillage piece or planter disc openers and broke. The usual spots are higher areas adjacent to water (streams mostly) and then looking in the actual streams

I like the idea of camping in more or less the same spots where the indigenous did hundreds of not thousands of years ago.

cyclones30: "People are finding ancient artifacts on the surface all the time here in IA. I can ride my bike to a heavily researched set of old mounds that I have permission to look in the field. (as do others) Many more mounds and campsites all over the place. On private ground here, you can keep what you find. It's usually safer for a piece to be in someone's collection than eventually get hit by a tillage piece or planter disc openers and broke. The usual spots are higher areas adjacent to water (streams mostly) and then looking in the actual streams "

I don't know where in IA you are, but my grandparents and cousins lived in DM, near the Racoon River (yeah they got flooded when it went over the banks) and my cousins would find arrowheads and a couple of fishooks along the bank, and up into the field behind my grandparents house. This was in the 70's and 80's, since then houses have been built over the field. Probably still more out there.

Bearpath9: "

cyclones30: "People are finding ancient artifacts on the surface all the time here in IA. I can ride my bike to a heavily researched set of old mounds that I have permission to look in the field. (as do others) Many more mounds and campsites all over the place. On private ground here, you can keep what you find. It's usually safer for a piece to be in someone's collection than eventually get hit by a tillage piece or planter disc openers and broke. The usual spots are higher areas adjacent to water (streams mostly) and then looking in the actual streams "

I don't know where in IA you are, but my grandparents and cousins lived in DM, near the Racoon River (yeah they got flooded when it went over the banks) and my cousins would find arrowheads and a couple of fishooks along the bank, and up into the field behind my grandparents house. This was in the 70's and 80's, since then houses have been built over the field. Probably still more out there."

Oh yeah, and the people digging the house sites probably found a bunch

cyclones30: "The usual spots are higher areas adjacent to water (streams mostly) and then looking in the actual streams "

This seems to be the case here in SW MI too. Native American burials were found on the bluff overlooking the St Joseph River where it empties into Lake Michigan. It's still a magnificent spot where people of all ages sit on benches to just enjoy the view. Some miles upstream near our neighborhood the local farmer has a collection of arrowheads dated 1000-2000 years old by local university experts...and arrowheads were indeed found when our neighborhood was built. Further upstream is the Moccasin Bluff site which they believe had some level of occupation for 8000 years right up until the Europeans arrived.