Finding and recognizing ancient fishing ponds!

[Spotted Eye]

This year I found some ancient fishing ponds. The ponds at first looked like modern gravel pits. As I looked at them more and walked around them I noticed a lot of napping debris. Then I started to find artifacts like napping tools, scrapers, small knives. then I went to the bottom of the ponds and I started to find thousands of stomach stones highly polished and they were all made of hard stones like agate and jasper. Then I found the key to the puzzle a jasper fish hook. So now it was confirmed! So as I always do I began to study the site as an entirety. The ponds were on the high shore of an ancient lake. The ponds were made by ancient man. The largest of the three ponds was was circular 150 feet in diameter and 14 feet deep. the two smaller ponds were 50 to 60 feet in diameter and 10 to 12 feet deep. What I believe the ancient Indians did was during the spring run off they would open up the ponds so they would fill with water and fish, at this location there would have been Salmon and Steelhead trout running for the spawn. They may have herded fish into the ponds. Once the ponds were full they would close them off. This gave them the ability to not only easily fish or spear the Salmon but it was also a great way to store fresh fish. Now the ponds were also a natural attraction for water fowl. This was a great multi purpose man made site that shows once again the ingenuity and resourcefulness of our ancient ancestors. I would like to note I studied the geographical time line of the elevation of the ponds and found the ponds are over 8000 years old!

[11KBP]

Spotted Eye wrote:

  Then I found the key to the puzzle a jasper fish hook.

  The more I read the more enlightened I become.

[twiasp]

any pictures?

[rmartin]

[QUOTE]11KBP wrote:

Then I found the key to the puzzle a jasper fish hook.

  The more I read the more enlightened I become.
  I would like to see a jasper fish hook.

[Hoss]

Speaking of fishing anyone aver catch salmon  while using other methods of fishing?

[gregszybala]

Hoss wrote:

Speaking of fishing anyone aver catch salmon  while using other methods of fishing?

  I use my mind, it's amazing what you can catch!

[robshap]

I didnt know the ancient indians had bulldozers. How do you think they moved all that dirt?

[twiasp]

Maybe they were also digging for arrowheads =)

[Spotted Eye]

They didn't need bulldozers. They were not lazy or scared to move thousands of pounds of rock and sand to enable them to survive!

[Spotted Eye]

I will post a picture of the jasper fish hook and the Paleo spear points I found at the site.

[Spotted Eye]

Here are the finds from the ponds! Can you name them all?

[Bone2stone]

Spotted Eye wrote:

Here are the finds from the ponds! Can you name them all?

Let's see, I see rock rock rock rock rock rock rock rock rock.....................................
arrowhead arrowhead arrowhead arrowhead two appear to be paleo, rock rock rock rock rock rock.............................................. ....................
Bone2stone

[Spotted Eye]

Ah your funny bone2stone. In the group picture there are the 2 Paleo points, Jasper fish hook, atlatl weights, crescent knives, knapping tools, scrapers, hand knives, rubbing stones, jasper spoon, stomach stones, spear straightener, hand axe, spear head blank, pecking stone, tigers eye knife yes its real, and a moss agate unifacial scraper, whew! That was fun. The reason that some of the artifacts are reddish in color is they have whats called patina. Now patina on an artifact proves that it was exposed to thee elements of nature for 8 to 10,000 years. Some of the artifacts also have calcification on them which is caused by the artifact being exposed to slowly evaporating water in a calcium rich area!

[G10+]

I can see a few artifacts in there and bunch of rocks. but I will say there is a couple of fine paleos in there from what I can see

[G10+]

I am seeing some things here