Missouri Relics

We stopped off at the 45th Infantry Division Museum while we were in Oklahoma. It is the largest National Guard museum in the country. Very much worth your time.

Dad and I took a road trip to Oklahoma City so that I could present my thesis at a conference, while we were there we visited the National Memorial and museum for the Federal Building that was bombed. One of the most moving things I have ever seen...very sad.

Jim Siscoe and his wife Betty Lou. Jim was in the same artillery battalion as my grandpa, 605th Field Artillery, 10th Mountain Division. The Indiana weather was perfect for sitting out and visiting.

Interviewing Mr. Siscoe at his home. A truly unique experience!

Elizabeth with her great grandpa and grandma. Grandpa was in the 605th Field Artillery, 10th Mountain Division in WWII. She loves her grandparents.

Momma hard at work. I think she caught the same turtle three times.

Daughter Elizabeth fishing Mingo Swamp for the first time. There was some great bluegill to be caught!

My wife and I had a great time at the Palin rally Thursday. Although McCain is not as conservative as we would like, it is better than the alternative.

We here at Missouri Relics, support capitalism, not socialism.

Herd of buffalo across from the 1850s Homeplace in the Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky. If you haven‘t visited Fort Donelson Relics, you should. It‘s a beautiful drive and you have to eat at Patti‘s, the best pork chops in the upper South!

John and Jr. walking down to see the huge Tennessee River boat.

Dad and Drew standing on an 1864 CS artillery position. Drew had found friction primers and other artillery relics there in the past.

Went hunting with my buddies Drew and Steve, another father and son team in our area. Top notch folks, and great friends to have. Here Drew has just pulled out a nice 32 pounder frag.

Some rough ol‘diggin on this short Missouri digger. The rocks were big and plentiful, but a great time was had by all and some relics were found.

Our good buddy Steve just purchased this beautiful full size 2.25 Mtn. rifle, just like one of the four Marmeduke carried. We fired her live at a machine gun shoot this weekend, hitting both targets!

Business of Steve‘s 2.25 Mtn. Rifle. We hit our target both times firing live.

This bowling ball mortar fired a bowling ball VERY high in the air! It was fun to watch.

With all of the rain we‘ve had here in Missouri, we couldn‘t think of anything better to do than to go snaggin‘ for some good ol‘ buffalo. The action was hot and fast. Carp, Buffalo, and Grinnal (also known as dogfish, mudfish, bowfin, and a multitude of other names).

Dad‘s largest fish of the day, he outfished me when it was all said and done. I caught more fish, but he caught the most buffalo.

This was my biggest buffalo of the day...gonna be good eatin‘.

We have 22 documented Confederate ancestors, most of whom fought in the Missouri Confederate Brigade. I do have at least one Union ancestor, Evan E. Arnold 143rd Indiana Infantry.

These two are the sole reason I‘m eat up with this illness we call history. Dad on the left and my great-uncle Larry. We cleaned up a local cemetary after an ice and wind storm. By far the biggest influences on my early life.

This was a third of three yards we hunted along Marmeduke‘s retreat line, we did not find the amount of lead and brass that we found in the other two yards, but it was fun all the same!

Dad getting ready to dig another wheatie...this one turned out to be a disappointment in regards to Civil War relics....can‘t win‘em all!

Well, it was my good buddy Brant‘s birthday on February 2, so we had to do something special for him. Here he is riding only a saddle at Texas Roadhouse. Yeeehaaaa! Needless to say, he was a little red in the face.

We had planned on leaving for Dalton at 4AM, but instead as you can see, because of the weather, we had to leave later in the day.

View of Lookout Mtn. on the drive home from Dalton.

This is Lexi the relic dog, sporting her new coat my wife decided she needed for digging during the winter months.

My monster (I mean sweet little baby), after eating some some spaghetti ‘O‘s....she loves those things. She has been detecting three times now.

Dad and Tommy getting set up for hunting a field east of Columbus, Kentucky. Some good relics were found no longer than we were able to hunt it. More are in there.

Dad and Tommy (our hunting partner and neighbor), getting ready for a road trip to Kentucky for some hardcore digging.

Baby Elizabeth, reporting for duty!

Elizabeth loves her goats, especially Fred!

Luckily we live on our own pond, Elizabeth is 2 now, so it is time for mommy and daddy to teach her how to fish. Had a great Father‘s Day.

Here‘s baby Elizabeth, pretty soon she‘ll have a detector, she can identify a couple of artillery shells already.

Dad and I striking a pose at the recent reenactment at Chalk Bluff, Ark.

Site of small Confederate camp....Dad and I have taken some nice relics off this knoll, its about clean now.

Dad getting his machine ready to go.....turned out to be a very slow day. Best finds were a cartridge box tin in a fire pit, and I dug a .32 picket bullet.

Our trusting hunt‘n buddy Marmeduke hot on the pursuit of a quality relic!

Dad with our good buddies Brant and Kenneth of Tennessee and Mississippi. Top knotch hunters and good friends to have.

Dad and I recently took a road trip down to west Tennessee for some good early war digging. these two guys next to me look rough! I will have to say Kenneth (the long haired fella) had the best finds of the day with a James Shell percussion fuse and a Masonic cuff-link. Coolest thing about the hunt is we‘re all Masons!

The Missouri Relics table at the Dalton Show, 2007. Dad and I look real "busy." We met a lot of our great customers there, thanks to ya‘ll for a great show.

The gang at the Dalton Depot Saturday night after a long day selling, learning, and buying. Those two ugly mugs nearest are myself and my Dad. to the right is John Spicer of Champion Hill relics, and infamous Headley‘s are behind him. To the left are John and gang from Fort Donelson Relics. All are a super bunch of folks that know a huge amount our hobby (obsession).

My Wife and I‘s pride and joy Elizabeth with my parent‘s VERY "special" pomeranian BOO BOO (short for Buford Pussar).