The first settler arrived in the Lake Zurich area some one hundred sixty years ago. He found a strong presence of Indians long-settled on the lands around the lake. Artifacts like arrowheads and pottery were cropping up in newly created fields with great frequency. There is strong evidence that Native Americans have existed here for thousands of years, though most of the archaeological remains have disappeared.

I recently had the opportunity to go arrowhead hunting on my sister's farm. The trick to hunting for arrowheads is to go out early in the spring, when the fields are freshly turned. Fellow searchers say that it takes patience to walk slowly, head down, in between the rows of fresh corn. Some say for every eight hours of searching you can find only one arrowhead.

With such observations, my sister and I headed out before sunset. We stumbled across the freshly turned earth over the large clumps of clay, being careful not to step on the tiny buds of corn. As we lumbered along, I imagined what the Indians would have thought of us 200 years ago. Probably astonished at two determined mothers out at sunset hoping to find a tiny remain of their existence.

We were nearly ready to quit because the light was fading when, before me on the dirt, almost like magic, there lay a perfect arrowhead. I leapt for it and called my sister in joy, "I found one, I found one!!" She could not believe it! On her own property! We cleaned our prize carefully, and brought it to the house to show the rest of the family.

While most of us discover old horse shoes and bottles from this century, every once in a while, new soil is turned and some lucky soul discovers an artifact that reminds us of the early history of our land. Just last year in Barrington, a burial mound was discovered along the Fox River. I have been told by my Indian expert that these findings are gifts .... I believe him.