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Possible Gold Rush-Era Wagon Harness Buckle | Bear Valley California Iron Relic

$39.00

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A remarkable piece of Sierra Nevada transportation history, with its exact function and age still under investigation.

This substantially corroded iron fastening assembly was reportedly recovered approximately 12 inches below the surface near a rock outcrop in the Bear Valley area of Nevada County, California. Bear Valley lies within a historically documented corridor of the Truckee Trail and Nevada City emigrant and freight routes, used during the California Gold Rush and afterward.

The artifact features a thick rectangular frame, a horizontal center bar, and a broad curved paddle-shaped iron element. These characteristics suggest a possible horse-drawn wagon harness trace/tug buckle or related heavy strap-fastening mechanism. It is not definitively identified as a wagon buckle, and no manufacturer or model has been established.

Artifact details

  • Proposed identification: Iron wagon/horse-harness buckle or heavy strap fitting (unverified)
  • Possible historical period: circa 1860–1910 (visual hypothesis only; not independently dated)
  • Reported find locality: Bear Valley, Nevada County, California, Sierra Nevada
  • Discovery context: Reportedly found about 12 inches underground near a rock outcrop
  • Material: Heavily oxidized ferrous metal, likely iron
  • Condition: As found, heavily corroded; curved central element does not move; not restored
  • Quantity: One individual artifact, photographed item

Historical context

Bear Valley was part of a nineteenth-century overland emigrant transportation landscape. The object may be associated with wagon traffic, draft-animal equipment, later logging, or other historical activity in the region. An association with an individual Gold Rush wagon has not been proven.

Important identification note: Sold as an unidentified historical iron fitting with a provisional harness-buckle attribution. The exact date, function, and Gold Rush association are not authenticated. Buyer will receive the actual photographed object, in as-found condition. Measurements and weight are not yet recorded.

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