Treasure is buried within fields, streams and the backs of dusty closets - the Kingdom of Callaway's past runs deep.
That was obvious at the Early Man Artifacts and Antique Gun Show at the Fulton VFW over the weekend.
"You find them in fields and creeks," said Terry Allen of Jefferson City, who brought his extensive collection of Native American artifacts.
He said the artifacts - includibg arrowheads, knives, primitive drill bits, axes and more - date back earlier than people realize.
"Most people think about historical Indians like the Osage - you think about beadwork and moccassins," Allen said.
His collection comes from the prehistoric Indians that once occupied the area.
"There were four prehistoric periods," he said. "Paleo, Archaic, Woodland and Mississippian. No one really knows who they were."
Those peoples left no written records, but what they did leave behind were stone implements, carefully knapped to serve particular purposes.
"These big ones are butcher knives," Allen said, pointing. "They reused and resharpened (the tools)."
The implements revealed information about the people who made and used them, Allen said. For example, there's a certain type of arrowhead known as the Dalton point, which dates to the late Paleo-Indian and early Archaic period (between 8,500 and 7,900 BC).
According to Allen, the way it's been sharpened indicates the person must have been using his or her left hand. Typically, people sharpen using their dominant hand, Allen said.
Collecting Native American artifacts seems to be experiencing an upswing in popularity, Jeff Clickner said.
"I think it's because of all the sales groups and swap groups on Facebook," Clickner said. "It's crazy."
He enjoys the thrill of the hunt, and his favorite find is some ancient camel teeth he picked up in a nearby county.
"Camels roamed North America about 500,000 years ago," he said.
Here in Callaway County, history has never gone out of fashion. That's the opinion of Carl Adams, who collects and sells guns.
"I've been doing this for 34 years," he said. "I love the history. This is an 1884 Springfield trapdoor rifle."
According to Adams, Missouri is the heart of gun country, and hunting and collecting guns are generations-long traditions here.
"Everyone's got their grandpa or grandma's guns," he said.
Allen suggested that those who are curious about collecting Native American artifacts should pick up a copy of "Indians and Archaeolology of Missouri" by Carl Chapman.
"I think there are some younger (people interested in artifacts)," he said. "There are still plenty of us."