All hail my hero James
Did I ever tell you I went to high school with his daughter Ann?
Posted on 12/11/2005 5:55:09 AM PST by SJackson
A Prairie du Sac youngster, exploring the Wisconsin River bottom because he couldn't play high-tech games, made the archeological find of the year in Wisconsin when he unearthed an ancient bison head and horns.
"It is one of the best finds of the year, if not the best," state archeologist John Broihahn said of the find, which he determined was the head and horns of a Bison Occidentalis, at least 5,000 years old.
And it is now officially known as the "Bradford Bison," in honor of Joshua Bradford, 7, who made the initial discovery. Josh was on an outing with Bob Weiss, 63, a Prairie du Sac insurance man who was paired with Josh as part of the Kids Companion program, which is run by the Optimists in the Sauk Prairie school district area. The program is a local version of the better known Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Bob and Josh were still new to the program when they went for what was to be an afternoon that included playing games at a Sauk City arcade on Nov. 9, as Bob tells the story. "They were closed," Bob recalled Friday. So the pair was driving down Water Street when Bob took a look at the Wisconsin River.
"It was as low as I'd ever seen it," Bob said, "I've never seen such a large area of exposed sand."
So the pair went exploring. Josh was picking up clam shells and other oddities, and Bob, who likes to fish, was finding lots of fishing lures. Josh was running a good 20 to 30 feet ahead of Bob, "so he could be the first to find things," says Bob.
Josh suddenly yelled, "Bob, what's that?" Weiss recalled. "I said, 'It looks like driftwood to me.'"
"No, it's horns," Josh replied.
The low water had left about three-fourths of the head exposed, said Bob, and with a little digging and tugging, the two were able to free the large horns and part of a skull. Bob at first thought it was an ox. An exciting find, but not an especially rare one. Bob hauled the find back to his car, which was a half mile away. "Holy cow, was it heavy," Bob said. "It was water-logged and must have weighed 50 pounds, but I made it."
Bob then made what was a very good decision. About a week after the discovery he took what would turn out to be a bison head to Verlyn Mueller, the archivist at the Prairie du Sac Historical Society. Mueller suggested they call the State Historical Society and that's when Broihahn, whose post is within the society, got into the act.
After taking measurements, he and fellow archeologist Steve Kuehn decided, based on the shape and orientation of the horn cores and the overall size, that they had a Bison Occidentalis. Although they have not precisely dated the beast, Broihahn said the species, a forerunner to the more modern American bison, has been extinct for the last 5,000 years.
Broihahn and Kuehn were in Prairie du Sac Friday to conduct their examination and Josh even got to take time off of school to watch them.
"He is a quiet little guy but he seemed interested in what we were doing and even helped us take some measurements," Broihahn said of Josh.
"He was excited, and we are excited too," added Broihahn. "This is a very significant find for several reasons. It's a Bison Occidentalis and we don't have many of those in Wisconsin."
The Prairie du Sac find is the eastern-most find of the species in Wisconsin, and only about three others have been found, mostly in the northwest portion of the state, Broihahn said.
"It helps us complete the story of what Wisconsin was like," in ancient times, he said. Broihahn plans further excavation at the site were young Josh made his discovery, and hopes to recover additional items. But he is at the mercy of the river.
"The water levels could present a challenge for us on this," he said. "If the river rises it will obviously be difficult to do anything then."
But the find also points out the importance of individuals who make such discoveries to bring them to the attention of the archeologists.
"We couldn't do our job as effectively if people didn't bring these things to us," Broihahn said.
*grin*
I have read at least two stories about finds on private property in Britain where the state is considered the lawful owner. In one case, a man found a cache of Roman coins in his own backyard.
>>
Don't blame the leftists for THIS. Treasures trove have ALWAYS been the property of the Crown. Logic being: when William the Conquerer showed up many of the defeated old Anglo Saxon nobility buried their treasures. If eventually found they were deemed to have been attempts to withhold from the Crown that which was the Crown's already by right of conquest.
They only changed the law in 1992. But it was the law for almost 1000 years.
No catholic scenario here>>
I beg your pardon? Catholic does not equal homosexual pedophile. Kindly acknowledge that fact at once.
1. Send in the CLONES!
2. Bison -- the other white meat.
All hail my hero James
Did I ever tell you I went to high school with his daughter Ann?
I'm sure it is; but that's completely beside the point. The Catholic Church is a legitimate undertaking, but unfortunately it (and other institutions like it) has been infiltrated by individuals whose motivations are less pure than those of the organization they work for. In today's climate, any situation where you have a young boy and an older man, not related, going out into the wilderness together, is one with a great potential for trouble.
"I beg your pardon? Catholic does not equal homosexual pedophile. Kindly acknowledge that fact at once."
By Catholic scenario I meant that if my church had a problem with someone working with kids, we wouldn't work to cover it up and we wouldn't let that individual continue to work with children. You can't deny that the Catholic church worked very hard to cover up pedophiles and didn't do what it could to get rid of some of them. A lot of kids were harmed because of that laxity.
That potential always exists, and not only in same sex or child-adult situations. I've known people who've done great good working with children in similar situations. And, unfortunately in a way, they're very cognizent of the risks. A hug being misinterprited for example. Myself, abuse wouldn't pop into my mind in a situation like this. I realize you weren't making that suggestion, simply pointing out the ever present danger.
As well as programs involving both same and opposite sex teens and young adults as well.
To call it a "Catholic" problem is naked bigotry. I see that you do not withdraw your statement.
Smooth talking, maybe, but like most smooth talkers, underneath, a liar.
Calm down. Which major church has had a major scandal about covering up sex abuse in the last few years? It isn't the baptists. It wasn't the methodists. I'm not in anyway putting judgement on those of Catholic faith, i'm just using what happened as an example of how I would not want my church to respond to a similar problem involving adults and children.
Your second sentence is contradicted by the third.
The Catholic Church does indeed have a pedophilia problem... statistically to exactly the same extent as every other church.
As for adult homosexuality, that's a different story. Gay misbehavior among Catholic priests is what we get for not having pastors run off with the wives of their parishoners. Which never, ever happens in other churches. Okay, *hardly* ever. /sarc.
Nevertheless by calling it a "catholic" problem you reveal what is clearly an unspoken glee at the travails of my church, and I don't appreciate it.
I look at it a ruling power v. private ownership issue. My larger point is that we are approaching a similar kind of mentality here. CETA and the ESA and a slew of other international agreements as well as domestic regulations at all levels are steadily eroding private ownership and land rights at all levels. I found the admonitions to alert authorities of whatever one finds more than a little disconcerting.
bump
I take great exception to your remark, Sir. I'm a single Dad who sponsors a monthly Firearms orientation and practical application class to youth in my town. I provide the arms, ammo, hearing protection and pay the range fees. I am cognizant of evil people in this society how ever blanket statements such as yours are, in the least, despicable. I was strongly advised to pen this on the advice and behalf of my Daughter.
Good Day, Sir, and Merry Christmas.
You're right; we should be more trusting. It's still the Age of Aquarius, if I'm not mistaken.
Scientists: Bison in Illinois earlier (aren’t you relieved?)
South Carolina homepage (thestate.com) | Tue, Aug. 30, 2005 | Associated Press
Posted on 09/03/2005 10:17:31 AM EDT by SunkenCiv
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