An Archaeological Dig On Lac Seul.

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Hello to all.

We lurked
On a forged land
In a spaded section
Of coveted earth
That lay untouched
For a golden decade
Cousined with it's soiled kinsman
Until searchers
Dug up a thousand pieces.

After Canada's warmest, driest winter on record, an incredibly warm, dry period has bowed upon us here in Northwestern Ontario, and the lake levels are among the lowest levels recorded. Which makes perfect conditions for rummaging on the exposed lakebed for First Nation (Native North-American Indian) artifacts. I teamed up with a local archaeologist (Brad) and the two of us sped up the lake by boat (unusual for April as it's usually still frozen) for 3 hours until we reached a small exposed ancient riverbed in a secluded bay of the mighty, 150 mile long, Lac Seul. We camped for two nights and dug for three days, finding a lot of earthenware and lithic artifacts. It was a successful dig and we were pleased with our findings. Brad's two dogs (Mouse and Dragon) accompanied us on the excursion, as did several bears, beavers, moose, geese and many more of our delightful and beautiful wild animals that we are SO lucky to have in this magical area!
;D

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Photos

Rusting relics
Not too sure what these rusty metal bits are from, but they could be from the Hudson's Bay Company? There was a lot of fur trading going on in this area during the 17 and 1800s.

Low water level.
These tree stumps are usually submerged under Lac Seul's vast and murky water.

Our camping spot.
About a 3 hour boat ride up Lac Seul.

Rim shards.
Two nice pieces of pre-contact pottery.

Another rim shard.
We probably uncovered close to a thousand pieces of native North American pottery.

The stump.
This stump is usually submerged under six feet of water!

The view from my tent.
A nice view to wake up to.

Lac Seul
Lac Seul is the second biggest body of water in Ontario, after Lake Nipigon. The Great Lakes don't count, as their boundaries are not entirely within the province.

Black bear.
They're awake!

Beaver.
This guy was with us the whole time we camped.

Comments

[Donna G.]

Thank you for a glimpse!
Dave, Awesome post! Thank you for your inspiring photos and the blog....I can't wait to accompany Brad on one of these treasure hunts. Fabulous angles on the shots as well. You certainly find adventure wherever you are and delight us with your postcard samples....thanks again!! Donna

[Bob Aa]

Awesome post
What great adventure! Thanks for posting this great story. Wish I was there... Bob