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Post by rockpickerforever on Jan 11, 2018 12:53:09 GMT -5
I've already posted the trip report (in the wrong place, oops!), and also some found glass and fossils in various other places.
Here are some of the rock finds y'all have been waiting for. This only scratches the surface, there are more I still need to go through. These rocks found about 30 miles to the north of where we were camped, up Ogilby Road in the Picacho Recreation area. We made two trips there in the time we were out there. Mostly glassy palm-bog, but some other cool stuff as well.
Pink brain material
Glassy shards. Should tumble to a great polish. It is obvious that they are all from the same chunk of rock.
These were found already chipped (knapped?), all within about five feet of each other. Some pieces were buried a few inches down. I doubt that it was natural fracturing. Sorry for crummy pic - brief flash of sunshine during yesterday's rain.
Some typical palm bog - very glassy and sharp!
Some has shells in it
Some neat plume-ish stuff
Some Biggs wanna be? This found in So Cal!
This stuff has some nice coloring/patterning, but it is not so glassy.
Some lattice on it
Pink/salmon botryoids on rhyolite
The reverse
Can't do much with it, but kinda cool. Garnets in schist. Find small garnets in the bottom of the gold pan all the time.
Some artifacts dug from the wash we were prospecting in, downstream from the Cargo Mine. Buckle from some railroad hardware. Maybe it was on a strong box?
Outer /upper metal edge for a hinged leather coin purse.
Leather long deteriorated away.
Lots of hand-forged square nails out there. Another interesting glass bottle. No markings on it.
Half of a horse/mule shoe. The animal most likely worked in the Cargo Mine (just upwash), hauling out ore. A heavy heel on that shoe.
An interesting unknown. Railroad equipment? Mule harnessing? Strap hardware for a miner's bib overalls found in different location when we were there in November.
This is probably the coolest item we found. A miniature woman's Victorian-style boot.
Squashed and damaged from being buried in the dirt for however many years. Some pieces glued back together.
The sole popped off because it was flattened, did not attempt to put it back on.
This probably dates from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. Did it belong to a child's doll? Don't know what purpose it had. I love the texturing of the boot - the upper reaches of it, and also the representations of the buttons on the front.
Back side.
Boot bottom is now too wide to fit!
Bottom of boot.
Have not figured out what it is made of. Don't think it would be plastic, not at that age. The edge of the break where the bottom came off almost looks like white clay. Small air bubbles? Clay pinched together? Not something commercially manufactured. Definitely hand made, one-of-a-kind. That's just how it was back then.
If this was, indeed, something that belonged to a child, it tells you that there were children present in the mining camp. Makes you think about how hard life would have been back then.
Thanks for looking. Jean
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Post by MsAli on Jan 11, 2018 13:41:07 GMT -5
WOW great finds Jean The pinks are beautiful and that boot is really cool!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2018 13:57:25 GMT -5
That boot is badass!
And that chipped mossy stuff is pretty awesome too!
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jan 11, 2018 14:25:47 GMT -5
Thanks, @shotgunner . I've got a lot of questions about that boot.
Picacho Recreation area is to the west side of Ogilby Road, and about 15 or so miles north of the Indian Pass collecting area, which is on the east. We know that Amerinds traveled that area, and frequently made tools from the glassy rocks.
In March 2015, Bob found this big chunk of... Jasper? - at Picacho and polished it up using his water feed grinder with diamond pads. Do you remember it
He has been itching to get back out there and look around some more. He did find a little brother to this boulder. It went directly into the front yard, so didn't get a pic of it yet!
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 11, 2018 15:41:36 GMT -5
WOW!!!!! Between this, the brains and the boot you got yourself some fine pickin's!!!
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Post by vegasjames on Jan 11, 2018 16:58:41 GMT -5
Some cool finds, especially the old artifacts.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2018 18:16:17 GMT -5
That big hunk of "jasper" looks a lot like what is found on Newberry Springs. Diamond Pacific calls the Newberry material coprolite.
No clue what it actually is.
Sorry not helpful
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Post by fernwood on Jan 12, 2018 8:04:42 GMT -5
Love them all, rocks +. The "Interesting unknown", reminds me of the front metal portion of a sleigh runner. The metal portion encased the front of the wooden sleigh. I have all the metal parts of two 1800's sleighs. If you found a child's boot, could the child have had a miniature sleigh for dolls?
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Post by nowyo on Jan 13, 2018 9:11:23 GMT -5
Cool finds, Jean. Amazing what one finds around some of the old mining areas. Could the half-shoes be from oxen?
Russ
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Post by Garage Rocker on Jan 17, 2018 10:12:07 GMT -5
Nice haul, Jean. Very productive trip, even without hitting the mother lode of gold. That boot is cool.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jan 17, 2018 12:00:04 GMT -5
Just trying to get caught up! Thanks, everybody. WOW!!!!! Between this, the brains and the boot you got yourself some fine pickin's!!! Thanks, Tela. Mrrockpicker found that one. When I first saw it, I thought if you stuck a tooth on it, it looks like someone's gums! That big hunk of "jasper" looks a lot like what is found on Newberry Springs. Diamond Pacific calls the Newberry material coprolite. No clue what it actually is. Sorry not helpful You are correct, not helpful, lol. I called it jasper only because it is not clearish, so not agate. Right? Found nowhere close to Newberry Springs. Don't know if I mentioned this before, but Bob calls it "Picacho Lace." Still have to get photos of the latest chunks of it. Love them all, rocks +. The "Interesting unknown", reminds me of the front metal portion of a sleigh runner. The metal portion encased the front of the wooden sleigh. I have all the metal parts of two 1800's sleighs. If you found a child's boot, could the child have had a miniature sleigh for dolls? Being in SoCal, I am unfamiliar with parts of a sleigh. I will say that it is made of some heavier gauge metal than a child's toy would be made with. A full sized sled, maybe. Not much use for a sled in the desert. Maybe the front of a cart for hauling ore?
And it is not a child's boot, it is only a small (4" from sole to top) representation of a boot, not something that a child could actually wear. Which is why we thought the leg of a doll or something.
Cool finds, Jean. Amazing what one finds around some of the old mining areas. Could the half-shoes be from oxen? Russ Hiya, Russ! Glad you are back in circulation! I looked into if the shoe could possibly be from oxen, but those are a bit different. While they do have the big heel, the ones I saw online also had a wider plate that fit under each of the oxen's toes, like such -
Besides, horses, donkeys and mules were regularly used in the mines. Oxen are more of a European thing. I think the shoe was worn down at the toe so much that it broke through, making it a half shoe. The way it is bent suggests it may have been accidentally (or intentionally - after death, I hope) ripped from the animals hoof. Doesn't show so well in this photo, but where my fingers are holding it, it bends down a bit.
I didn't mention that in the same location of this wash, we found an old tooth (not fossilized) belonging to an equine of some persuasion. Husband is thinking mule, I think horse, but who knows?
Many things in this wash either accidentally or purposefully discarded. Metal, glass, dishware. Almost like a trash dump. The animal could have died and been dumped in the wash?
Nice haul, Jean. Very productive trip, even without hitting the mother lode of gold. That boot is cool. Thanks, Randy. It seems we never hit the mother lode, lol. Or even the baby lode . I may have already said this, but we have decided we go prospecting to get away, for the exercise, fresh air, and camaraderie. Gold? What's that? Better off buying a lottery ticket.
Jean
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Post by fernwood on Jan 17, 2018 22:18:54 GMT -5
Sorry. meant to say dolls boot. A lot would depend on the overall size of the interesting unknown. The front sleigh runners I have are about 1.5' long by 2" wide. Do not know the gauge of iron, but all are 1/4" thick, with apparent rusting. Based on relation to paper towel it was photographed on, I think this would be too small to be an ore cart. Those runners were usually larger. Runners I have seen on a child's doll sleigh are about 1" maximum wide by, maybe 3-4" long and about 1/8" thick, in rusted condition. Somewhere I have a photo of my Grandma, in the winter, pulling her doll sleigh with a doll in it. This was in the early 1900's. Her dad made the sleigh. So, I know they did exist, at least in Wisconsin. Could it be a relic from someone who went West for the gold rush? Very interesting piece. As is the boot.
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Post by fantastic5 on Jan 18, 2018 9:23:21 GMT -5
I saw your first episode of this trip, but missed this one until this morning. Such cool finds, love the salmon bots too. We get lots of bots here in the south, I've just never seen that color before. And that dolls boot...wow...just wow. Makes you wish for a time machine so you could see what the rest of the doll looked like and especially the children that would have loved it. Thanks for such a detailed report!
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 20, 2018 8:05:21 GMT -5
I too saw your first episode of this trip. Missed this addendum. Fine mix of rocks and antiquities Jean. Why not do dual collecting. Many old homesites in the east were selected for proximity to water and exceptional topography for farming. They were also chosen by Native man for campsites and are rich in pre-history artifacts also.
Mule tooth verses horse tooth ? Lol, sounds like a long spousal discussion that may never get settled. "Yes Honey, indeed a fine horse tooth". Me would not challenge the Ms.' But in condescending smart ass tone, "of course it is". Just to boil the blood of the Ms.' rocks flying by, me ducking and running, ha.
What a fulfilling trip, well done Jean.
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