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Average Gravel bar, or ancient campsite!!

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  • Average Gravel bar, or ancient campsite!!

    So when does a gravel bar that looks just like every other gravel bar become a special gravel bar? I’ve spent countless hours scowering over fields of gravel along the Lower Colorado River, and for the most part I conclude that almost always there is some form of worked material. If you’re lucky you might find a preform, or two. And once in a blue moon you come across a broken piece. And then somehow when the stars align you find a complete finished, un-damaged point. So I accepted this thought as just the way it is when you surface hunt gravel bars. It makes since for thin, completely finished points to be displaced, and eventually chipped beyond recognition after thousands of years of flowing water. Well that’s what I thought for years until I pulled my conoe to a bar that didnt even look promising to me at the time. After 10 minutes I filled my first case of finished points, and it’s hasn’t stopped since. After every rain or high water you can go and find as many as you want, it seems like every rock you see has been work at least a little... so long story short, is this gravel bar of mine really a ancient campsite, or is it just in a really great location to catch artifacts washing away from a camp site nearby??? All opinions are appreciated on this because I just can’t see setting up camp for any amount of time where the river can flood and wash you out at any given time. The only prob. Is that my finds say otherwise...

  • #2
    Tough call. There could be a campsite real close by and every time you get a good heavy rain it washes artifacts out of the bank. Or it may have been a campsite. If and when they were using this possible location was it more elevated in relation to the river? Does the river flow in the same location now as it did 100's or 1000's of years ago? If it has shifted maybe now it is washing over a campsite. Have you looked more upstream or downstream? That might help clue you in. Either way,sounds like you have found a great site.
    Searching the fields of NW Indiana and SW Michigan

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    • #3
      Gravel bars are only special if they have special things in them. Hot spots will become known from the finds. Never forget to check the non-hot spots lol!!!
      "Dig holes, dig holes, dig holes." - Tony Beets
      Professor Shellman
      Tampa Bay

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      • #4
        BigKnappa, I moved your thread to "Artifact Hunting Tips and Advice", which seems like a much better fit for your topic....
        Rhode Island

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        • BigKnappa
          BigKnappa commented
          Editing a comment
          Thank you

      • #5
        I wish I could give some good advice from my experience, but I have never had luck with creeks.
        South Dakota

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        • #6
          I believe your latter theory is correct ! JJ
          Lubbock County Tx

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          • #7
            Depends I think Greg gave you the best advice that anybody could the only thing I can add is possible that when the water is high the channel shifts to your gravel bar and when the water goes low it changes again. Some of the best bars will have a big tree or rock in front and the current will actually swirl which creates a suction and will trap the artifacts. I can’t dig but I sure can drag a big log to a gravel bar and place it on the upstream side. Also a long straight away after a bend is really good when it flows over a gravel bar.
            NW Georgia,

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            • #8
              I am with Greg . Where was the river 100-1000 years ago . Did it change direction ? Depending on what part of that river you are on . There was even a time it flowed in the opposite direction now known as the Ca river .
              I watch a stream / creek on my property cut into a new area by 5 feet some years . Tack in 2000 years and it could very well go right through a camp .
              Usually some of the utube videos I watch on some great creek high bank finds would be just that . There are points and flakes in one area coming out from rain so there was something going on there .

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