Looking for some good spots to hunt for indian artifacts

[gatospaint]

Hello, I'm looking to buy an arrowhead found in or by the side of the Republican River, the closer to Beecher Island the better but anywhere on the river would be great. I would be using it in a creative project I'm involved with that has ties to a Native American giveaway ceremony and the horse nation. If you understand the intent of this post please contact me. Thanks for your consideration.

[Gunluvver2]

Originally Posted by gatospaint

Hello, I'm looking to buy an arrowhead found in or by the side of the Republican River, the closer to Beecher Island the better but anywhere on the river would be great. I would be using it in a creative project I'm involved with that has ties to a Native American giveaway ceremony and the horse nation. If you understand the intent of this post please contact me. Thanks for your consideration.

Gatospaint,

I grew up on a farm just 6 miles North of Beecher Island. I was born in 1946 and I spent thousands of hours in my youth. Most of those times I carried my .22 Rifle hunting small game and Indian artifacts like spear point, arrowheads etc. There was a General Store at Beecher Island ran by an older fellow named Shorty Oberg. I was always short of cash but Mr. Oberg would trade arrowheads and other items for .22 ammunition. Mr. Oberg's family donated his extensive collection to the University of Colorado IIRC.
I also spent a lot of time fishing the N Republican River. My family homesteaded in the Ks/CO/NE counties. I heard a lot of stories from some of these relatives.

I would advise you to get as many of the old Platt maps and Topographical maps from Dundy County Nebraska, Yuma County Colorado and Cheyenne County Kansas. Get transparencies made and overlay the topographical maps over the Platt maps. The older the better. Colorado wasn't a state until 1876. Nebraska 1867 and Kansas just before the Civil War. Before the Railroad was completed large ranches dominated. After the railroad opened up the area Homesteaders started arriving by the hundreds. Most pf the native American tribes in this area left shortly after the railroads came and Buffalo almost became extinct. Some of the old Buffalo trails ran across the Plateaus on our Buffalo Grass pasture land an eve 100 years later they were several feet deep and 100 feet across.

Irrigation from underground wells has drastically changed the ecology of this area from the late 1950's until present day. For instance The Arickaree River dried up in the late 1950s and is dry sand. A few springs used to number in the hundreds. Windmills, barbed wire the plow and railroads changed the area forever.

Louis La'Amour and Terry C Johnston are two of best authors that have written novels about the TriState area. Their History and Geographical details are good resources. Let me know how I can contact you on this forum and I might have more info.