Paul Brewer and his sons had never seen Alouette Lake so low 害羞草研究所� the water line a football field away from the usual summertime shoreline, revealing the normally submerged stumps from trees fallen decades earlier.

They did what boys confronted by the wonders of nature would do 害羞草研究所� went to skip rocks.

That害羞草研究所檚 when Paul害羞草研究所檚 six-year-old son Max made an exciting discovery.

害羞草研究所淲e are skimming stones, and he picked one up and said, 害羞草研究所業s this a good skimmer?害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟 Paul recalled. 害羞草研究所淚 said, 害羞草研究所業 don害羞草研究所檛 think we害羞草研究所檙e going to skip this one.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

Max and his big brother Jayden, 9, felt like young Indiana Joneses after their find 害羞草研究所� a stone-age knife, with a smooth thumb insert to make it easier to grip.

害羞草研究所淚t fits your hand,害羞草研究所� said Paul. 害羞草研究所淚t feels like it害羞草研究所檚 been made to hold and scrape or cut things.害羞草研究所�

Max couldn害羞草研究所檛 sleep for two nights.

Paul sent photos of their find to a UBC archaeologist, who confirmed it is an authentic stone tool that had been slightly damaged.

The archaeologist could not date it without seeing the tool in person.

The find raises a question about what people should do when they find such artifacts, and how significant they are.

害羞草研究所淭hey are an indicator, and I害羞草研究所檓 happy to identify them,害羞草研究所� said Val Patenaude, curator at the Maple Ridge Museum and a former archaeologist.

She said artifacts are most valuable in their original context.

However, she called the idea of people leaving artifacts in place until a site can be excavated 害羞草研究所減ie in the sky.害羞草研究所� In the case of the Brewer boys, the site will be back under water in a matter of weeks.

Patenaude said the shores of Alouette Lake would have been busy with people in ancient times, as they travelled and camped close to waterways.

Before the watercourse was flooded for a B.C. Hydro dam, the lake would have been narrower, more of a wide spot in the river, and the stone knife found near what would have been the old shoreline 害羞草研究所� a good place for an archaeologist to dig.

害羞草研究所淭hey were definitely in the right spot,害羞草研究所� she said.

The entire Fraser River is an archaeological site, she added.

Patenaude worked on a large archaeological site before the Mary Hill Bypass was built. Some 40 people worked it over three summers, and they unearthed some 50,000 artifacts.

Patenaude said historic artifacts are the property of the nation that created them 害羞草研究所� in the case of the stone-age knife, likely the Katzie First Nation.

If people find a valuable artifact, returning them to the Katzie would be 害羞草研究所渁 worthwhile thing to do.害羞草研究所�

Patenaude and other historians ask that people not sell them because creating a market encourages more people to uncover precious artifacts on sites that should be left for professionals.

Paul said he will talk to his boys about giving the stone knife to the Katzie. He has also considered displaying it in a glass case and keeping it for his sons.

害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 probably more important to them than to anyone else.害羞草研究所�