5/28/21 Report - 1000-Year-Old Florida Canoe Found. Sight Hunting. All The Pieces Of the Puzzle. What Is The Treasure?

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.

1000-Year-Old Canoe Found In Florida Lake.
Source: See baynews9 link below.

1,000-year-old Native American handmade canoe found at the bottom of a Polk County lake

A 1,000-year-old Native American canoe was found at the bottom of a Polk County lake.  Found by fishermen, the canoe now resides in the Lake Wales History Museum.

Here is the link for more about that.

N1,000-year-old Native American handmade canoe found at the bottom of a Polk County lake1,000-year-old Native American handmade canoe found at the bottom of a Polk County lakeative American handmade canoe found in a Polk County lake (baynews9.com)

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Since the low tide was so far out yesterday, instead of going back to my Indian River Ridge site and digging more railroad stuff, I decided to look for some bottles.  The low tide allowed me to search farther out, so I took advantage of that while I had the opportunity.

The first thing I found was this vintage Avon Park Coca Cola bottle.    I don't know if I ever found one from Avon Park before.  I always like to find one I haven't found before.

Vintage Avon Park Coca Cola Bottle
Just Found.

  I'd like to find the history of the Avon Park bottling plant and maybe a photo of the building.  

My second find of the hunt was a surprise.  I found a broken 19th century stoneware master ink.  

Broken Stoneware Master Ink Bottle.

This is the same type and size bottle I found last month and posted in my 4/25 post.  I was surprised to find another bottle that old, even if it is badly broken.  

Here is the link for more about that bottle.

Treasure Beaches Report Part 2. 2020 and Beyond: 4/25/21 Report - Some Very Recent Finds That Reveal A Little About Treasure Coast and Fort Pierce History. (tbr2020.blogspot.com)

I haven't had to get into a car to drive anywhere just to hunt lately.  There has been plenty to keep me busy and interested within walking distance of my home.

It won't be long before we start getting some tropical activity, though there is none right now.

At least we are having some nice big tides, but that is about it.  

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Concerning the large, medium and small spikes I found on my detecting site, William Y. provided the following information.

I see you have three spikes one spike would be used on modern rail.  The middle spike would be used on a smaller rail and the smallest and the most interesting is the small spike.  When I worked on the railroad and found these small spikes they were used on a narrow gauge rail for narrow box cars.  The narrow gauge was used in Florida before Flagler put in his railroad.  The narrow gauge is a small pound rail that is small enough a that person can pick up.  I know there was a narrow gauge railroad going through Jupiter, Fl.

Thanks William.  

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I often talk about eye-balling.  Years ago I published a few articles on that topic in treasure hunting and metal detecting magazines and have long thought it to be an underappreciated skill.  I've found everything from million-year-old fossils, to Native American artifacts and Spanish colonial cobs by sight. 

I've said before that you can scan a lot more ground visually than you can cover with a metal detector coil in the same amount of time.  And I recently pointed out that a metal detector is only a tool.  The goal isn't using the metal detector - the goal is finding things, and sometimes it is about solving a puzzle.  You'll do better if you pay attention to all of the pieces.

Seeing what is hidden might be the ultimate goal, but seeing what is right in front of you will help get you there.

You want to see the lay of the lay of the land.  You want to see how the pieces of the puzzle are coming together.  You want to see what is not there.  You can take that a couple ways, but you won't see the entire picture if you ignore a lot of the pieces. 

I often talk about finding surface bottles.  In most cases you won't find bottles by using a metal detector.  You can find old dumps by using a metal detector, and you can find bottles with metal caps or parts, by using a metal detector, but you can find a lot of bottles simply by looking.  

You can find a lot simply by looking.  Hunting surface bottles provides an excellent illustration of what can be done without a metal detector and what a metal detector won't do for you. 

What is the real treasure anyhow?  Is it an object?  Is it something you can sell?   Or is it something else - maybe inspiration.  Maybe it is something that elevates you, educates you, increases your awareness and makes you somehow more alive.

Turning water into wine isn't such a big deal if all you end up with is a few more jugs of wine to be consumed.  That isn't the point of it.  Like pearls before swine, that isn't the magic of it.

Sometimes the best treasure is an idea that elevates you.  

If magic is brought to the table, it isn't in the object.  

It is up to you.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net