Archeological society to host show

Published 8:14 pm Wednesday, April 4, 2018

The Steele County History Center in Owatonna will host the annual Gopher State Archeological Society show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The event has grown to become the largest artifact show in the region. The event provides an opportunity to see many of the region’s largest and most complete private collections.

Many collections will feature personally found artifacts from Steele County and around the state. There will be displays covering all time periods and a wide range of items from arrowheads to Native American beadwork and fur trade relics.

According to a press release, the local archeological record spans 11,000 years, and items dating back to the Paleo time period will be on display. Collectors from around the region will feature items such as stone arrowheads and knives, stone axes, copper tools and bone tools. More recent historical items such as fur trade artifacts, beadwork, baskets and Native American art will also be on display.

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“Minnesota has always been a crossroads of sorts with our lakes, rivers and resources drawing people to the region for over 10,000 years,” said Tom Amble of the Gopher State Archeological Society. “We have sites where one day we might find a 5,000-year-old stone point and the next day we might find a 200-year-old trade bead.”

The intent of the show is to encourage communication and education among collectors, professional archaeologists and the public.

“We want to raise awareness among collectors so they know how important it is to share these finds,” Amble said.

Amble explained that other topics such as responsible and legal collecting and identifying fakes are discussed at every show.

According to a press release, anyone interested in artifacts or local history will find the event to be a great way to spend an hour or the whole day. There will be items for sale or trade.

If there are items you have found or that have been passed along in your family, bring them to the show. There will be a number of knowledgeable people on hand to give you some opinions as to what you have.