The artifact was found by William Eibner and Wade Cordes earlier this month on a gravel bar in the Cottonwood River. For the last seven years, Eibner has been exploring the Cottonwood River searching for minerals and fossils. He said the hobby keeps him out of trouble, but he has also learned a lot about the items he discovered. Experience has taught him that the best time to find items is when the river recedes following flooding.

“After the monster flood we realized things would begin washing up,” Eibner said. He and Cordes waited patiently for the Cottonwood River to drop and their patience paid off on Aug. 6.

The two made the discovery near the Cottonwood’s north shore, near the New Ulm Wastewater Treatment Plant. Eibner said he makes sure to get permission from property owners before exploring near their land.

The discover occurred after Cordes found a piece of petrified wood. He called Eibner over to take a look and while walking over, Eibner spotted the projectile in the gravel.

William Eibner formally turns over a stone projectile artifact to New Ulm City Manager Chris Dalton. The artifact was discovered on public land near city property.

“It was in [Corde’s] line of path,” Eibner said. “If I hadn’t walked over there, he would have found it. I say it is a duo find.”

After discovering the artifact, Eibner sent the photo to Ed Fleming, Director of the Anthropology Department at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Based on the photo, Flemming believed the projectile could have been used by the Plainview or Angostura people and is between 8,000 and 10,000 years old. Science Museum staff will need to examine the artifact further to make a definitive identification.

Eibner also contacted the City of New Ulm. Eibner said they technically found the artifact on city land. They felt it belonged to the city rather than their own collection.

Thursday, City Manager Chris Dalton formally accepted the artifact on behalf of New Ulm, but said the artifact would be given to the Brown County Historical Society. Dalton believed the county was best equipped to determine how best to handle the item.

Dalton also praised Eibner and Cordes for turning the artifact over to the city. He said because the artifact was found on public land, there were few regulation preventing an artifact hunter from keeping found items.

The stone projectile was discovered Aug. 6 on a Cottonwood River gravel bar. The artifact could date back to the last ice age.

“I appreciate that you came forward and handed over the item,” Dalton said.

Eibner and Cordes said they wanted to be open about how the artifact was discovered and follow the proper channels.

“We do not want to horde artifacts,” Eibner said. “I would rather help advance the knowledge for all people.”

Eibner and Cordes hope through sharing this discovery they will inspire other artifact hunters to do the same when making important discoveries.