Ever heard the term mudlarking? If you’ve talked very much with me, you know that mudlarking, or beach-walking-looking-for-treasures is one of my favorite activities. I’ve been a beachcomber all my life and just recently learned about mudlarking. Nicola White has a YouTube channel showing her walking along the Thames foreshore in London at low tide and finding wonderful and interesting things, some even dating back to Roman times. I’m hooked on her posts.
So of course on my cruise I looked for opportunities to walk along the Mississippi and see what I might find. The river is at a 40-year low which means lots of beach was exposed that hasn’t been in 40 years. When our ship was moored just below the St. Louis Arch I couldn't wait to get off and go mudlarking! I did pick up some interesting glass and other stuff and did create a window-art piece with it.... here are my finds in the raw (laid out on a daily bulletin on the ship):
It was here that I found my biggest find! The bottom of a ceramic or clay beer bottle dating to the 1850s from a brewery in Wisconsin! I didn’t keep it but gave it to Aaron, our history presenter on the ship, and he documented it for me. But it was such fun to find something that old and hold it in my hand.
What else do beachcombers and mudlarkers find? Anything that’s been tossed into the river or ocean or lost into the same. One can find coins, toys, jewelry, nails, tools, broken glass, pieces of dishes, etc. The best thing about Nicola’s presentations (on YouTube, remember) is that if there is an inscription on her find, she does the history of that piece and perhaps how it came to be in the Thames mud.
Have you time in your life for a new hobby? Come mudlark with me!
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