As remembered by Dale Roberts in 2008
March 3, 1968, at the Alton Illinois show, Byron Knoblock suggested to Jim Cox that the collectors in Iowa were Illinois members, and these members could be used to form an Iowa society.
That summer, in July, a group of local collectors got together at Jim Cox’s house in Cantril, Iowa, to see if there was enough interest to make the society work.
Floyd Riley Jr., Glen Hummell, Ted Watson, Bob Mitchell, Dean Conger, Eugene Jones, Merle McDonald, James Conger, and myself (Dale Roberts) attended the gathering. It was discussed, among other things, who could go to the November Central States Board meeting which was to be held at the Kentucky Dam show at Gilbertsville, Ky. Betty and I were selected to present the group’s interest in Iowa becoming the seventh state society to join the Central States Archaeological Societies.
We attended the show November 16, 1968, and were assured by the CSAS board that we would be accepted as a new society, and this would be made official at their delegate meeting the following Memorial Day weekend at the Viking Motel in St. Louis. As of that meeting we were confirmed to become the newest society in the Central States for the following year of 1970.
We were anxious to have a show, and we were not disappointed! The crowd from St. Louis and the Illinois collectors and dealers vowed their support with, “You hold a show and we’ll be there!” Our first show was held in the fall of 1969 a few months before we were officially designated a society of the CSAS.
The following are a few of the people who came to see our society off to a good start: Ben Thompson, Byron Knoblock, B.W. Stephens, Paul Sellers, Marion Knott, Chuck Adams, George Hoke, Floyd Ritter, Todd Boehmer, Bob Jenkins, Robert Dunn, and Harold Mohrman.
There were over forty tables full of relics, and was one of the best shows Iowa has ever had.
For our first show at the Roberts Memorial building the society purchased sawhorses and borrowed planks for the tables from Pascal Lumber, located across Highway 2 from the show.
We were very lucky he allowed this, as they were nailed to the sawhorses. Every year they found the planks where they left them the year before, with a few extra nail holes!
The guys being who they were, couldn’t wait till 1970, and sponsored a fun show in 1969. This was held at the Keosauqua school gymnasium, renting tables from a Burlington Iowa rental.
A good time was had by all.
A two-groove, Keokuk axe made of green, gray and cream diorite. It is 3 7/8″ long and 2″ wide. A personal find in Louisa County, Iowa.
Collection of Jim Roberson, Muscatine, Iowa.