5/13/20 Report - Archaeology of Manila Ports. Passing of Eugene Lyon. Fort Pierce Reef. USS Nevada.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Rocks Being Moved For Construction of Reef.

Source: WFLX.com (link below)

St. Lucie County has begun construction on a reef inside the Fort Pierce Inlet just off Raccoon Island.  The reef will create a deeper than normal area inside the lagoon that will be assist development of juvenile fish and serve as a sand trap for beach grade sand.

Here is the link for more about that.  (Thanks to DJ.)

https://www.wflx.com/2020/05/12/st-lucie-co-creating-artificial-reef-inside-fort-pierce-inlet/

---

Deepwater searchers have located the wreck of the famed USS Nevada off the coast of Hawaii.

A team consisting of U.S.-based archaeology firm SEARCH, Inc. and robotics company Ocean Infinity announced the discovery on Monday.

USS Nevada was located 65 nautical miles southwest of Pearl Harbor at a depth of over 15,400 feet...

Here is that link.  (Thanks to Douglas.)

https://gcaptain.com/searchers-locate-wreck-of-unsinkable-uss-nevada/

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Dr. Eugene Lyon, an international expert on Spanish Colonial Florida and the Spanish maritime system, died on May 3, 2020 in Vero Beach, Florida.,.

Most of us probably know him for his work in the Spanish archives to identify the Atocha and Margarita. 

Dr. Lyon received the grade of Orden de Isabel la Católica (Official of the Order of Isabella) from King Juan Carlos of Spain, and the grade of Comendador in the Order of Christopher Columbus from the President of the Dominican Republic. The City of St. Augustine granted him its highest honor - the Order of La Florida. In 2003, the Florida Historical Society gave him the Jillian Prescott Award for lifetime service to Florida history. In 2005, he received the Mel Fisher Lifetime Achievement Award...

Here is the link for more. (Thanks to DJ.)

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/staugustine/obituary.aspx?pid=196167090

Condolences to all friends and family.

---

If you ever found a blue and white fine porcelain shard on a Treasure Coast beach and wondered if it is Kanghsi or if you just want to know more about the Manila galleons and Spanish trade with China, you'll want to read Archaeology of Manila Galleon Seaports and Early Maritime Globalization. 

Source: Academia.edu link below.

You'll find photos of many types of artifacts, including Spanish colonial coins, cannons and, of course, an extensive collection of porcelain as well as shipwreck distribution patterns.

Source: Academia.edu link below.

Here is that link.

https://www.academia.edu/41712660/The_Chinese_Porcelain_from_the_Port_of_San_Blas_Mexico?email_work_card=title

---


Today we'll start with a 2 -4 foot surf increasing a foot or so by the end of the day.  The surf on Thursday and Friday is now expected to be around five or six feet.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

2/22/19 Report - Exploring and Finding Historic Artifacts in the Indian River Lagoon. Ancient Roman Coins Found on Tampa Beach.

Written by the TreasureGuide fore the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Source: See kayakingksc.com link below.

Álvaro Mexía on orders from the Governor of St. Augustine created a detailed map while exploring and recording the people and towns along the east coast. His journey is still easy to follow to this day and makes for an interesting kayak trip.

From June 1605 to July 1605 (mosquito & hurricane season on the east coast) Mexía mapped the coastal area of East Florida from Matanzas Inlet south to Hobe sound...

That excerpt is from the blog of a kayaking enthusiast who is also a history buff, amateur archeaologist, historian, and explorer of the Indian River Lagoon.

I think you'll find his blog interesting.

Here are a couple links that you might want to explore.

https://www.kayakingksc.com/Spanish-Exploration-of-the-Space-Coast.html

https://www.kayakingksc.com/Ais-Native-Americans-of-Kennedy-Space-Center.html

It seems he has made a lot of really nice sight finds.

There are some other great sections too, such as the one showing the paleo channels.

---

Barbara Ann wrote and asked if I heard about the ancient Roman coins found on a Tampa beach.  I hadn't, but then I looked into it.

It seems a detectorist in the Tampa area found seven ancient Roman coins on the beach.

Here is a link about that find.

https://www.lifedaily.com/story/tampa-treasure-hunter-unearths-rare-coins-on-florida-beach/

There was some speculation that the coins might mean that the Romans visited Florida before Columbus.  It sounds to me like this guy is trying out for a spot on Oak Island.

Without going through all the reasons why one could be skeptical of that conclusion myself, here is someone else's take on it.

http://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/tampa-area-man-wonders-if-roman-coins-found-on-beach-prove-pre-columbian-european-presence-in-florida

I've been talking about the need to be skeptical of reality TV.  Social media is the same.

You might not need to use much discrimination on your detector, but you need a lot of discrimination when reading the news or the internet these days.

---

If you compare the Kayaking the Indian River Lagoon blog with the suggestion of Pre-Colombian Romans in America, the first source seems very trustworthy, while the second (Pre-Colombian Romans) makes me very skeptical.

I started to write a bit about the characteristic differences between trustworthy sources and those that you should cause suspicion.  Although I think that is a very important topic, it turned out to be  too long and complicated for a blog post, and it would take me quite a while to refine it.

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I showed this encrusted object and asked if you had any ideas.  I received some good thoughts on the object, but one thing I thought it could be is a pulley.  Here is one example.

Tell me why I'm wrong.

Although pulleys come in different sizes and shapes, I've never seen one with such a bulging center but some might have a cover.

On the other hand, maybe it is just a wheel.  Take a look at the wheels on this wagon.  That is the closest I've found to the shape of the round part of the EO.

Well, I'm not sure yet.  All ideas and thoughts still appreciated.  Thanks.

---

Looks like the surf will remain small for a few days while the tides remain big.

Happy hunting.
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/21/19 Report - A Look At Some Beaches. One Find. Incan Tomb. Some Blood Sucking History On The Indian River Lagoon.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Jensen Beach Wednesday Afternoon Near Low Tide.

I was driving down a stretch of South Hutchinson Island yesterday and got to take a look at a few of the beaches.  This was near low tide and before the peak tides that occurred later in the day.

As you can see Jensen Beach didn't look bad for hunting modern items.  There were plenty of people there and a wide low front beach.

Another View of Jensen Beach About the Same Time.

Walton Rocks Yesterday Near Low Tide.

Walton Rocks didn't look so good.  Most of it was covered with seaweed and it was very sandy.

John Brooks Beach A Little Before Low Tide Wednesday.

You can still see a good bit of the old cut at John Brooks.  It didn't look much good.

I did get my detector out for a few minutes and found the following.

Gold Dental Cap.

I think I got some gold even if not much.

---

This is one of those days when I've been thinking of a topic that is just too big for a blog post.  For me it is a very important topic, but it would take a lot of time to get it in a form that would do it justice.

---

Peruvian archaeologists discovered an Incan tomb in the north of the country where an elite member of the pre-Columbian empire was buried, one of the investigators announced Friday...

Archaeologists believe the tomb belonged to a noble Inca based on the presence of "spondylus," a type of sea shell always present in the graves of important figures from the Incan period, which lasted from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

The tomb had been broken into multiple times, possibly in search of treasure. But despite evidence of looting, archaeologists recovered items including vases...

Here is the link if you want to read more about that.

https://phys.org/news/2019-02-archaeologists-incan-tomb-peru.html

---

There was a big mosquito bloom on South Hutchinson Island recently.  I had a nice talk with one of the St. Lucie County mosquito control people and learned some interesting things.  While the mosquitoes that populate the island are aggressive and can travel up to 25 miles, they do not carry diseases.  At least that was my understanding of what was said.

I thought this photo was interesting.  These fellows had the job of digging the mosquito control ditches.

The jacquithurlowlippisch.com showed this photo along with the following explanation provided by the author.

The photograph above is one of those rare images that tells you everything even without a caption. This photo, shared by my mother historian, Sandra Henderson Thurlow, (http://www.sandrathurlow.com) was given to her by Mrs. Elizabeth Early, a pioneer of Stuart, “Stuart on the St Lucie.” The photo is entitled “Mosquito Ditch Digging,” and the subjects are unidentified. My mother believes the photo was taken in our region around 1920.

Here is the link for more about mosquito control and the Indian River Lagoon.

https://jacquithurlowlippisch.com/2018/09/14/historic-photos-of-mosquito-control-along-the-indian-river-lagoon/

---

I was informed by one reader that one of the detectorists on Dig Wars admitted that some of their "finds" were planted, so in that light it was my mistake to suggest their finds might in any way be illustrative or typical.

As I said just a few days ago, if I post something wrong it isn't long before somebody brings it to my attention, so I can make corrections.

I guess that is also another reminder to be skeptical of "reality" TV.

---

The surf is decreasing now.  It looks like we'll get another bump in the surf in a few days.

The tides are big now.  The low tides are really low.  That might present some opportunities.


I'd really like to get more ideas on the mystery item I posted yesterday.

Thanks.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide @comcast.net

2/7/19 Report - 14th Century Sword Found. Waterways Book. Ingots From the Keys. Bigger Surf Coming.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Sword Found in Denmark
Source: See TheLocal.dk link below.

A plumber and a machine operator in Aalborg made a sensational discovery when they discovered an intact and well-preserved sword while at work on Tuesday..

Kenneth Nielsen, an archaeologist from the museum, examined the 1.1 metre-long sword and quickly concluded it was of 14th-century Medieval origin.

The sword was found in ground on top of the oldest layer of paving on Algade, one of the northern city’s central streets...

Here is the link.

https://www.thelocal.dk/20190206/danes-pull-medieval-sword-from-ground-in-aalborg-street

Here are a couple fellows that turn up a 14th Century sword without even a metal detector.  There is a lot out there to be found.  

---

Gaylen C. wrote the following about the Waterways and Byways of the Indian River Lagoon book that I mentioned yesterday.

The book "Waterways and Byways of the Indian River Lagoon" is available at 2 Indian River County Libraries. There are 2 copies at IRC Main Library, 1 circulating (currently checked out), and 1 held in for the reference section. There are also 2 copies available at the North Branch in Sebastian. Those both appear to be available for circulation.Pretty expensive on Amazon. Barnes & Noble had the best price I saw...

Gaylen.

---

I received an email from someone wondering why I seem so unimpressed with the Oak Island finds.  The answer is very simple: they aren't very impressive.  The finds are nothing more than what I would expect from any similar island having a so much history that has been turned upside down and searched for centuries.  I've not seen any part of the Ark of the Covenant or anything like that yet.  So far, the stories are a lot bigger than the finds.

Back in the day, big land finds were usually kept secret.  They weren't produced for TV.  One day some forty years ago, for example, I was sitting in a metal detector shop waiting for the tide to turn, and through the side door came a couple of guys struggling to with some large ingots.  At the time, I was told the ingots were lead.  I knew better than that, and later I learned the whole story.  They were silver ingots dug on a land site in the Florida Keys by a fellow I got to know better over the years when I was hunting down south.  That kind of thing was not as uncommon as you would think.  If you do some research, you'll read of other finds like that.

Just look at the story at the top of this post.  Two fellows working on a street or something pulled out a 14th Century sword.  I post those kinds of stories almost everyday.  The point is that there is a lot out there to be found.

---

The only reason I talked about Oak Island the past couple of days, is that I received emails on the subject.

Did you know that when I started blogging, my first blog was not about treasure hunting?  When I started this blog it just took off.  Now there are over 1.5 million hits on the hit counter, and more than 2 million page views, and all without any PR or promotion.  

It still looks like we will get a bigger surf this weekend.

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

It looks like Sunday will be the peak.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

2/6/19 Report - Cross Washes Up. Oak Island Find and Photo Database. Waterways and Byways of the Indian River Lagoon.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Barnacle Covered Cross Washed Up

Source: See Sun-Sentinel.com link below.

Bales of drugs, derelict vessels, seaweed, whales, and driftwood are among the many items to wash up on South Florida’s beaches, but the latest flotsam and jetsam has made believers of some beach-goers.

A very large, barnacle-encrusted, wooden cross washed ashore behind the Ocean Manor Beach Resort along Galt Ocean Mile in Fort Lauderdale during the weekend...

Here is the link.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fort-lauderdale/fl-lauderdale-cross-comes-ashore-20190205-story.html

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I receiveced the following message and link from Jerry P.

I was at Turtle Trail yesterday [Mon.] also for about 6-hours. I found the conditions about the same as Dale. There were a couple of areas that had low trough wash-outs in the upper wet-sand that looked promising but only produced some “rocket aluminum” scraps. I worked to about a mile south of the walk-down. Did a real careful search of Johna’s area with only a couple of bottle caps found.

 

Here’s a web-site you might find interesting: 

https://oakislandlotfive.com/the-finds  

The web site shows a database of find photos from Lot 5 of Oak Island.  You might want to browse the database.

For me, the most remarkable things about the finds from Oak Island is how unremarkable they are - especially the metal detector finds.  They are mostly the kind of thing you would find anywhere there has been a few hundred years of activity, especially on a rocky island in a protected bay along the ocean routes.

The island was surveyed into lots in 1762.  That is 250 years of activity since the time it was made into lots.  And of course, many years of activity before that.

It is about 128 acres of rocky island inside a protective bay along ocean routes.  You'd expect to find quite a lot of miscellaneous older materials.  Just look at what was found in a few short hours on the Treasure Coast last week, or look back at the thousands of silver coins from a small suburban Florida lot.  but Oak Island has been searched for centuries and drilled, plowed, bulldozed and turned over every which way.   Like I said, the most remarkable thing to me is how unremarkable the finds are.

Here is a link where you can find pictures of the island and other information.

https://oakislandlotfive.com

---

One reader asked the following question about Castaway Cove and one of the street names.  Jason T. had this response.

 Have ariel photos from costal engineer's office in Vero . They do beach renurishment when required. Public information shows reef formations taken from a plane on a clear ocean water day. They may not give out these photos anymore. I  use the ariel photos mostly for diving for lobster on the reefs. 

There is no natural reef from South Riomar to Seagrove development (The Cove) Other than artificial reef balls located at south beach ( End of 17th st ) The street next to 10 coins is called Treasure Cove. Known shipwrecks nearby are either Riomar or Sandy Point. Thats all I know. Here is a book with those ariel photos. Excellent for research.

That could be interesting for a lot of people. Thanks!


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net 

11/30/18 Report - Indian River Lagoon Muck Dredging. Expanding World Coin List. Euro and Other World Coins.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasubeachesreport.blogspot.com.

They are going to dredge tons and tons of muck from the Indian River Lagoon.  The project has been started in some areas.

The Florida Inland Navigation District plans to build a nearly 10-acre basin between the road and the Florida East Coast railroad track to hold muck and sand dredged from the Intracoastal Waterway channel in the southern half of St. Lucie County, roughly from Midway Road to the Martin County line.

Construction at the 20-acre site about a mile north of Walton Road will begin within a year and take about a year to complete, said Mark Crosley, FIND executive director....

FLORIDA INLAND NAVIGATION DISTRICT MUCK DUMP SITE

Where: 10315 S. Indian River Drive, about a mile north of Walton Road

Description: Permanent facility to process sediment removed from the Intracoastal Waterway in southern St. Lucie County

Site size: 20.3 acres

Basin size: 9.67 acres

Impacted area: 13.09 acres

Basin capacity: 84,268 cubic yards

Amount to be dredged: 15,200 to 30,400 cubic yards

Estimate of sediment to be dumped over 50 years: 76,029 cubic yards

At this time the muck dump is well underway. You can see it from Indian River Drive.

https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-lagoon/2016/12/24/indian-river-lagoon-muck-dredging/95606736/

Hard to tell what might be in all that dredged material.

---

Gaylen C. sent pictures of coins he found from Venezuela and Portugal, and Sherman W. reported finding a few from Australia.

Here is the updated list of world coins found in Florida.

Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, Chile, Columbia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Haiti, European Union, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands. 

I just remembered a Greek coin that I found, but it was from B. C. and not a part of the modern state of Greece so I haven't added it to the list. 

I also added the European Union.

Here is what Wikipedia says about the Euro.

The euro is the result of the European Union's project for economic and monetary union which came fully into being 1 January 2002 and it is now the currency used by the majority European Union's member states with all but two bound to adopt it. It is the currency used by the institutions of the European Union and in the failed European Constitution it was to be included with the symobls of Europe as the formal currency of the European Union. The euro is also widely used by other states outside the EU.sn

Except for the two states with opt outs, all current and future members of the EU are obliged to adopt the Euro as their currency, thus replacing their current ones.^[2] The relationship between euro and non-euro states has been on debate both during the UK's membership (as a large opt-out state) and in light of withdrawal from the EU and how that impacts the balance of power between those in and out of the euro; namely avoiding a eurozone caucus out-voting non-euro states. The UK had called for the EU treaties to recognise the EU as a "multicurrency union", which sparked concerns about undermining euro adoption in remaining countries.^{[1] [3][4][5]} 

Below are pictures of Galyen's coins.  The first pair appear to be Euros.

Here is a beat up Euro I had.

Notice the outline of the various countries separated to the left of the big 20, suggesting preservation of individuality within the union.  You know what is going on there now.  They are having trouble holding it together.  Political messages are often meant to counter oppositional trends.

Coins usually carry a message.

It always amazes me how so few design elements are used over and over again in different locations and at different time periods.

Here is a what appears to me to be a modernized Lady Liberty on a French coin.

Here is what Lady Liberty looks like on an American Eagle.

I think that is a very attractive coin.

Here is liberty personified on a coin from Chile.

Is there a political message? Who is trying to say what to whom and why?

---

The PM high tide is going to be good and high on the Treasure Coast today.  The surf will only be about one foot though.

We'll be having south winds for a while.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

11/17/18 Report - Remnants of Old Dock Near Fort Anne. Indian River Lagoon History. Trash and Treasure. Lucky Penny.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Source: See KayakingKSC.com link below.

You've heard it said that one man's trash is another man's treasure.  That is especially true if you hunt old bottles or are an archaeologist, but it is true for many others too.

I was reading a post on an archaeology web site and the author mentioned that it was odd that at one archaeological site the owner of the homestead stored his trash on his land instead of having it hauled away.  I can only assume that that was written by a millennial or younger person who never lived in the country.  Where I grew up we always buried our garbage on our property.  Everybody had a trash pile.  Most dug a hole so that what remained after the trash was burned was buried.  Rural areas didn't have garbage pickup and neither did the Treasure Coast at one time.

I didn't find out when trash pickup began on the Treasure Coast, but from what I've seen along the Indian River lagoon, it wasn't until maybe the fifties or sixties along there.  Maybe someone can tell me when it was.

If you walk along the banks of the Indian River today, you'll find a lot of old bottles (many more than would have simply been thrown away by boaters or travelers).  You will also find the remains of old trash or burn piles.  Some are still very evident and continue to get washed out whenever there is erosion.

I've talked before about the signs of treasure.  Some of the first signs that you'll often see are pot shards, which tend to remain visible on top of the ground for decades or centuries.

Trash can be one very promising sign of the possible presence of treasure.  The treasure we dig today is what was left behind by the peoples of the past.  Discarded or lost bits can tell you a lot.

When people talk about the history of Florida, they usually only go back a few centuries, but Florida has a very ancient and important past.  I found one very good post about the history of the Indian River Lagoon, including the photo above, on the Kayaking the Kennedy Space Center web site.  Here is the link.

https://www.kayakingksc.com/History-of-the-Indian-River-Lagoon.html

Not only does that post show the remnants of a dock near the Seminar War Fort Anne and the old blockhouse, but it also provides information about the even older history of the lagoon.  Here are a few facts from the KayakingKSC post that demonstrate why the ancient history of the lagoon area is so important.


Jaw dropping facts:

**168 individuals recovered from the mortuary pond. Latest dating is between 7,210 years and 7,320 years “before present”

**Woven fabrics- the oldest-known in the world.

**Brain matter in skulls- DNA was extracted

**DNA results: Rare Haplogroup X –

X is one of the five haplogroups found in the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Now that is some pretty impressive history.


Here are a few interesting facts on the history of trash from garbagemanday.org (full link below).

3000 B.C. – The first landfill is developed when Knossos, Crete digs large holes for refuse. Garbage is dumped and filled with dirt at various levels.

1388 – The English Parliament bans dumping of waste in ditches and public waterways.

1551 – The first recorded use of packaging: German papermaker Andreas Bernhart begins placing his paper in wrappers labeled with his name and address.

Around 1757 Ben Franklin started the first street cleaning service and encouraged the public to dig pits to dispose of their waste. We were even smart enough to melt down a statue of King George III and use it as ammunition against his armies.

In 1885 America built its first incinerator on Governors Island, New York. The Big Apple also developed the nations first comprehensive system for garbage management. We even tried Austria’s waste reduction plants which compress organic grease, oils and by-products from waste. Although, they were quickly vetoed due to nasty odors.

For more about garbage: http://www.garbagemanday.org/history-of-the-garbage-man/

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Mounted 1958 Wheat Penny Find.

This is not exactly a holed coin, but close to it.  The mounting is minimal, and I couldn't find anything special about the coin.  I looked closely at both sides to find anything special and it just looks like a regular wheat penny.  It is in very nice condition except for the discolouring, but I had to wonder why someone would mount it.  It is nicely, although inexpensively, mounted.  Perhaps the date was significant, or it was a lucky penny, or a gift.

---

On the Treasure Coast the tides are flat.  From the look of the wind this morning, I would suspect that there are some scallops and perhaps some very small cuts on some of the beaches.

Here are the surf predictions for the next few days.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net