Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Cross of Burgundy. |
The Burgundian saltire, or Cross of Burgundy, represented Spanish rule in Florida from 1565 to 1763. The X-shaped cross symbolized the rough branches of the trees on which Saint Andrew, the patron saint of Burgundy, was crucified...
America’s Oldest Ranching Story… It begins just over 500 years ago when the earliest Spanish explorers and seven Andalusia cattle arrived on Florida’s sandy shores. Ponce De Leon was their leader, and the year was 1521. Most people believe these cattle are the first domesticated cattle in the United States. They also believe they are the original ancestors of the hearty scrub cattle we still have in Florida today.America’s Oldest Ranching Story… It begins just over 500 years ago when the earliest Spanish explorers and seven Andalusia cattle arrived on Florida’s sandy shores. Ponce De Leon was their leader, and the year was 1521. Most people believe these cattle are the first domesticated cattle in the United States. They also believe they are the original ancestors of the hearty scrub cattle we still have in Florida today.
Florida crackers were colonial-era British, American pioneer settlers in what is now the U.S. state of Florida; the term is also applied to their descendants, to the present day, and their subculture among Southerners. The first crackers arrived in 1763 after Spain traded Florida to Great Britain following the latter’s victory over France in the Seven Years’ War, though much of traditional Florida cracker folk culture dates to the 19th century.
Here is a link to the site that gives a little Florida history on the Florida Cracker story.
Florida Cracker History — FLORIDA CRACKER - The Original Floridian
Yesterday or the day before I mentioned the annual Florida Cracker Ride that was witnessed by many spectators in Fort Pierce. I thought I'd add a little more history on the Florida Cracker today.
At the top of the post you see the Cross of Burgundy flag. The Cross of Burgundy also appears on many Spanish colonial coins such as those you might find on the Treasure Coast beaches.
Below is a little more history on the Cross of Burgundy.
The marriage of Fernando II of Aragon to Isabella I of Castile in 1469 laid the foundations for a united Spanish Kingdom. The flag of Castile and Leon was used as the symbol of their rule and has been part of the coat of arms of Spain ever since.
1506-1785
This jagged red cross on a square white field, is known as the Burgundian Cross or the cross of St. Andrew. By legend Saint Andrew the apostle was said to have been martyred by being crucified on a rough cross made from trees with the limbs hastily cut away.
This became the flag of Spain after Philip of Burgundy, married to Juana the daughter of Isabel and Ferdinand, ascended the Spanish throne in 1505. St. Andrew was the patron saint of the Duchy of Burgundy.
The Castillo itself was once plastered white and trimmed in red to match this flag as a symbol of Spanish power and claim over La Florida...
Here is that link.
The Cross of Burgundy: Symbol of Spain Historical Marker
See also Cross of Burgundy - Wikipedia
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I've briefly looked into using some of the AI systems for metal detecting and treasure hunting related purposes and found that the systems can be useful but do not provide the most leading-edge information, which is to be expected because the current AI systems scan vast amounts of what is on the internet already and use that to provide responses to queries. It appears that what you get from these free online systems is therefore a consensus view obtained by broadly scanning existing sites on the internet.
I was surprised when I did one search using Copilot of the system's response included information I posted less than 24 hours earlier. It gave my blog as the reference, as it should, but my surprise was that it found and assimilated that information so soon after it was posted. I guess the AI systems are constantly scanning the internet and assimilating the information.
I did a couple of other little tests. One of my queries asked which is the bests metal detector. As you might know, that is a bit of a trick question. Some responses handled it fairly well, mentioning that there are various factors to be considered.
One system gave me a short list of low-cost metal detectors that I never heard of. Unfortunately, I don't remember which AI system that was.
Grok 3, when asked, "What is the best metal detector to find coins on the beach," gave a list that was no surprise. It listed the Equinox 800 first, followed by the AT Pro, and then a few more. While it is certainly debatable and you might completely disagree, that is pretty much what you'd find for yourself if you surveyed detectorists and many of the current metal detecting sites. Once again, what the AI system provided was nothing more than you could find yourself if you were to take the time to do an extensive survey of the current internet sites. It does save time and perhaps does a more extensive search and summarizes that.
My tentative conclusion derived from the few short tests that I've conducted is that if you are well versed in a field, an AI system won't add much, but if you are asking about a field that you are not very familiar with, the benefits of the extensive survey conducted by the AI system will be more helpful. As I gain more experience with various AI systems, I might need to change my conclusions, but that is how I see it now.
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| Source: SurfGuru.com. |
Not much exciting there.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net