Perseverance pays off	by Justin Carlson
Central States Archaeological Societies 2006 July Journal	Tryon, North, Carolina

On February 30, 2003, my luck seemed to run out. My dad and I had been searching for hours at a usually very productive site and all I had were a few broken shards of pottery, flakes and an oddly shaped rock that I had picked up just so I could say I found something. Since hunting for Native American artifacts was not going exactly as I had planned, I went back to the truck and pulled out my cheap Wal-Mart metal detector. Little did I know that it would lead me to an incredible find. I started working the river, pulling out old bottles as I went, when I came upon what I thought was a rim of an old bottle protruding from the sand and rocks alongside the river. I dug around it and pulled it slowly seeing the bulb shaped bottom. As I looked closer, I came up with a reluctant realization, only because I couldn't believe it. It wasn't glass, but pottery! I could barely contain my excitement.

I was hoping to hold it long enough until I got to my dad who was searching a nearby field. I then ran to show my dad who was a few hundred yards away, holding the pot with both hands as it eventually became a jog and then a full out sprint.

When I got to my dad, I couldn't breathe and he couldn't believe his eyes. I cautiously handed it to him because I was afraid it might fall during the transfer. The pot then began to dry as he poured out dirt and rocks that were lodged in it. I still could not believe my good fortune. Throughout the next few weeks the conversation usually had something to do with my find as he would tell everyone he could think of. After getting some educated guesses about its possible use, we came to the conclusion that it is from the Mississippian period and were advised that it is an extremely rare find in North Carolina. It is sand tempered, 3 1/2 inches tall and fire marks are still visible.I hope to have many more exhilarating discoveries such as this one!