Dug Iroqouis Tomahawk

[rich pierce]

Found after plowing in a field on the north side of the Mohawk River west of Fonda NY.

[Clint]

Nice little axe head in great condition. The soil ph must be pretty mild. Do you have any guess on the date?

[rich pierce]

I was told this style dates to 1720-1740. That’s also when there was a Mohawk village near the find site.  When I got it, the eye was crushed because somebody tried to use it as a splitting wedge. I was in my 20s when I got it, and restored the eye to its current appearance, put a handle in it, and turned it into my main “real use” tomahawk.  The steel bit is very nice quality.

[Robby]

Rich, I always wondered if those original tomahawk's could take and hold a good edge. Have you tried to sharpen it?
Robby

[rich pierce]

(Not recommended to use artifacts like a young me might do) It holds a great edge equal to any hatchet I’ve had. Even those fancy Euro hatchets!

[JW]

What a find and crazy good condition. Something about that soil must have really helped preserve it. We found a roughly turn of the century jersey pattern ax while metal detecting on my property and it was extremely pitted. It must post-date that tomahawk by at least 120 years, yet because my soil is so acidic, it looks far older. I've been wanting a repro with your tomahawk's profile. I need to save some pennies and have Eric Shatzle or someone make me one.

[rich pierce]

It was uncovered on what’s called locally “Hickory Hill” leading to “the sand flats” above Fonda, NY. Easy plowing found compared to clay, rocky, shale-y soil on much of our farm a few miles south of the Mohawk River.

[Notchy Bob]

That is a nice find, Rich, and I would commend you on your restoration of it.

It's not easy to find a good trade axe head these days, what with the mania for "throwing 'hawks."  It would be great if someone could use that head as a pattern for investment cast reproductions.

Notchy Bob