No Arrowhead Today

There are three things that I have been searching for in the Prairie des Femmes: a red cardinal feather, an arrowhead, and the origin of the place name, Prairie des Femmes. Despite the PDF being a place of high native traffic back in the day and the dozens of red cardinals that swoop across the road as you drive, I have made the most headway with the name origins and found no arrowheads or red feathers. 

Recently, though, I realized with the help of Mr. P. LaHaye (who has found all kinds of ancient Indian artifacts out here) that I had actually found an Indian clay marble a while back in the oxbow woods. Today we walked down the road and walked a few meters into the woods on an afternoon walk. I had the feeling I might find something, so I brought a short spoon. I looked  and cleared the leaves a little, but with my two little men with me, it wasn't easy to focus on finding anything. I did see a palmetto shoot waving in the wind like a signal, it was being shaken by a small blackberry vine. It should be noted that in the hour we were walking and exploring, no car or truck passed on the Prairie des Femmes Road. The woods are impassible in summer and still a little wild in winter, full of spiny trees and palmettos. Soon we turned to exit onto the road and right where we did, there was a cardinal feather in the gravel on the side of the road. Gettin close!!