Nebraska Archaeological Society

Metal Detecting throughout my life has brought hundreds of hours of fun, relaxation, knowledge and friendships.  Finding a relic that was over 100 years old has always been thrilling for me.  I did not venture too far from my hobby over the years due to my family, college and career.

 A couple of years ago I was looking over old Nebraska maps and marking ideal metal detecting sites and I noticed several Old Indian encampments listed on the map.  This had me wondering and soon after I picked-up several old Nebraska Historical Society Journals written in the late 1800’s.  Virtually all of the information in the Journal’s related to the Nebraska Indians.  The author’s were living in the late 1800’s and writing about prior times, and I was metal detecting relics that were produced in the 1900’s.  That changed my thought process.

The beautiful artifact in the photograph is made of Knife River Flint (KRF).  Artifacts made of this northern High Plains material are highly sought after because of the aesthetic qualities they exhibit. The following article is a brief description of the attributes of KRF.

The generally accepted source of Knife River Flint is in Dunn and Mercer Counties in western North Dakota. KRF is an exceptionally     high-quality and durable toolstone. It has a wide distribution range throughout the states and provinces adjacent to and even farther removed from its source in North Dakota. It is distinctive in appearance, and identification based on general appearance is usually considered unequivocal (Frison 1982).