This axe head was located by the donors on the beach, just west of the docks here in Taft. It was essentially just a ball of rust when found. The donors took it home and stripped it of its rust, revealing this historic, hand-forged, Russian axe head.
The donors then turned to social media to try to understand the unique makers-mark on the axe head. After many back-and-forth conversations with their archaeological friends, it was determined that the writing for the maker’s-mark was written in Russian. This creates many more questions behind the story of this axe head. Was it a trade-good that was used by a north Lincoln County pioneer, or possibly from a Russian shipwreck? We may never know for certain, but this is truly an amazing discovery and shows how connected the world was even well over 100 years ago.
Below is a close-up view of the Russian makers-mark on the axe head.
Click the shipwreck photo below for an article on shipwrecks from The Oregon Encyclopedia:
Although not much is know about this Russian axe head, it has rich history and a story yet to be told. The fact that it was found here in Taft, near the Siletz Bay, makes it an extra special and interesting tale.
