History hunter unearths hidden artifacts in Buhlow Lake's dry bed

Melinda Martinez, Alexandria Town Talk
·2 min read
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Pete Socia of Red River Relic Recovery combs the dry lake bed of Buhlow Lake with his metal detector to see what he could uncover.
Pete Socia of Red River Relic Recovery combs the dry lake bed of Buhlow Lake with his metal detector to see what he could uncover.

There are hidden treasures to be found in Buhlow Lake, and drought conditions have made it easier to find them.

Pete Socia, of Latanier and a history hunter with Red River Relic Recovery, combed the dry lake bed in Pineville with his metal detector as he walked to see what he could uncover.

In the weeks that he and his brother Paul Socia have been out at Buhlow, he has found three rings. One of them, he said, is a 1940 class ring.

“It might be a Bolton ring, but I’m not 100 percent sure,” he said, adding that it looks as if the letter “B” has been worn off.

He also found a lady's ring.

Towards the middle of the lake, Socia found some coins from the 1940s and a couple of pennies from the 1950s.

Socia said that before Buhlow Lake became a lake, the area was used as a pasture for the cows from the dairy at Central Louisiana State Hospital so that could explain finding some of the coins and the 1940 class ring.

According to a July 6, 1956 article in The Town Talk, frequent overflows made the pasture unsatisfactory for pasturage. Farm operations at the hospital were discontinued in the 1950s and the 266-acre lake was built in 1956.

But Socia and his brother aren’t the only ones who have been scouring the lake bed with metal detectors looking for anything they can find.

“So many people have been metal detecting out here,” said Socia. “There were three or four guys already out here before I got here this evening.”

Socia has been metal detecting on and off for about five years and tries to do it as much as he can, adding it is an interesting hobby.

In Natchez, Miss., he found an 1889 V-Nickel and a 1907 Indian Head penny.

The oldest coin he’s found is an 1842 Seated Liberty Dime.

“We go to a lot of plantations Civil War relic hunting and stuff like that,” he said.

But they don't just use their metal detectors to search for historical artifacts.

“If somebody calls and has lost jewelry in their yard, we with hunt for that too,” said Socia.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Buhlow Lake's dry bed holds hidden treasures for history hunters