A Man with an Unusual Gift: Tony Sanders the American Indian Artifact Aficionado

Hello? Is anyone still out there? Hello? I finally got myself out from under a lot of work after my months abroad. My friend Donna Davison has inspired me to continue blogging-sharing my local and domestic travels with you. This weekend I traveled south with my friend Tom Siegel and my dog Lucky,  to visit a man with a special siddhi. In Sanskrit the word siddhi means perfection or special ability. Tony Sanders of Bentonsport, Iowa has found over 5000 Indian artifacts! More below...

The wintry beauty of the Des Moines River seen from Keosauqua, Iowa bridge

The town of Bentonsport, Iowa is in historic Van Buren County just south of Fairfield where I am temporarily living.  This area was first inhabited (by white folk) in 1835. It is a picturesque old time settlement along the Des Moines River with original buildings of the 1800's that have been converted into antique stores, fudge shop, hotel etc.

 Quaint shop of Bentonsport along the Des Moines

My sidekick Lucky explores the old bridge at Bentonsport that spans the Des Moines River

The crowning jewel of Bentonsport, as far as I am concerned, is the Indian Artifact Museum of Tony Sanders. Tony has found over 5000 Indian artifacts, ancient fossils and assorted historic relics in the area. He built a museum with his own funds and his own two hands and will open it up anytime when you knock on his door.

Tony Sanders and his impressive museum of Indian artifacts.

Tony is a mild-mannered man who worked on a local dairy farm until his retirement 20 years ago. Tony lives in 3 room house in Bentonsport and his museum is a stone's throw from his porch. Tony focusses on his hobby, gardens, eats kale year round for his health and home cooks all his food. He has decorated the interior of his small home with beautiful and artistic inlaid wood panels on the walls and ceilings.

Tony started walking the streams and rivers of the area hunting artifacts as a young boy. In spring, summer and fall he goes out every day and in a meditative state of alertness he walks and scans the river banks and always comes out with an artifact. It is a rare day when he finds nothing at all. Tony might be called a loner but he is happy to tell anyone the story of his wonderful hobby! Tony is very humble and dismissive of his skill but to anyone who sees him and his collection it is evident that this man has a siddhi or special ability!

The Indian artifacts that he has found are as old as 10,000 years and include stone drills, axe heads, mortar and pestles, ceremonial relics and lots and lots of arrowheads! Tony is also a skilled woodworker and makes beautiful inlaid displays made of local wood to mount his finding. Tony is not a hunter (in fact he feeds the rabbits, squirrels and birds in his yard) but he has found scores of antlers as he walks the streams and he has mounted those as well.

It was a wonderful afternoon in southern Iowa and the sky was unmatched for its subtle shade of blue and cotton ball clouds.

Historic Hotel Manning

The Des Moines River is generally benevolent but there have been times throughout the last century and a half that she has flooded. The older buildings bear the watermarks. The topmost mark seen below is from the flood of 1903. 

Lucky relishes a game of stick-fetch along the river.

Tom Siegel avid outdoorsman along for the day's adventure.