9ThreeXFifty7

Not sure on the width--didn't measure it yet.. will do however..

Looked a bit on E-bay and found several that look very similar however there is no date as to when they might have been manufactured..

As to you story on finding artifacts..here is one or two for you..

Back many year ago.. when I was about 6 years old--I was at my Grandpa's place in N Dakota--he took me over to his garage.. showed me a old military saddle, sword and canteen..that was from the late 1800's era--around the Custer Years..which makes perfect sense as there were several old Calvary Forts in the area--during that time period..anyway, apparently one of my uncles was cultivating one of their fields--it was a dryer year so he was able to go in further to the low lying area to work the land--he glanced back at the cultivator and saw something moving back and forth on one of the shanks... he stopped the tractor to inspect..it was a US Calvary saddle, sword and canteen all still together and fully in tact..

to my knowledge my uncle still has all three...

Another instance--I was bowhunting in the Badlands of N Dakota for Muley's... I hiked down a really steep embankment and noticed a horn sticking out of the dirt--apparently it was an area the was used by the Indians to run the bison off the cliff--there were 7 skulls in that one area..

Also have found numerous arrow heads, scrapers, etc out hunting around in the mountains here in Montana...

As you mentioned.. you can't help but wonder who it was that left it there or what was all going on at the time..very fascinating...

Ripp