Artifacts Uncovered in Valley City

by Ben BeEssen

Valley City is undergoing a street paving project right now, and most of the town’s streets have been repaved. The residents are very happy about the upgrades. But, the project on Mendenhall Blvd. has been halted, because the work crew uncovered some artifacts under the street.

Part of Mendenhall Blvd. adjacent to Simpson St. had to be excavated, and the dirt had to be replaced. While the crew was working, they uncovered a treasure trove of old artifacts. The artifacts include gold coins, gold trinkets, gold jewelry and more. Valley City authorities immediately called the MS Archaeological Society to assess the situation, and the paving project was halted. The area was cordoned off, and law enforcement officers are now stationed there 24/7.

The archaeology project is headed by Jones Indiana. Indiana has a ton of experience will archaeological projects all across Mississippi. I was able to spend some time with Indiana at the site. He said, “This is a huge deal, and we are super excited about this project. This is one of the most significant discoveries in MS in a long time. Initially, we thought it might have been from the famous Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and his crew that traveled across MS and the Southeast. But, after a few days of work, we realized that it was not from de Soto and his men.”

Indiana and his crew are almost certain now that these artifacts are from a lesser known Spanish explorer, Pedro de Soto. Pedro was the younger brother of Hernando de Soto. He and his crew explored some of modern day Mexico, and afterwards they sailed to the Gulf Coast and landed close to modern day Biloxi. They arrived about 5 years after Hernando and his crew had explored MS, and they traveled a straight route that would’ve mirrored the current Hwy. 49 layout. Indiana said, “We think Pedro and his men may have traded the gold for food and other goods in the Valley City area with the Six Town Indians.” Pedro and his men are believed to have spent a few weeks living and trading with the Six Towns in the current day Valley City area. Hernando de Soto was the first European to see the MS River, but his brother, Pedro, was the first European to see the Strong River.

Indiana doesn’t know how long this archaeological project will take, but he thinks it will be a minimum of 3 months. Some Valley City residents are not happy about that. Local resident Bubba Diggs said, “Look, they need to dig that crap up and move on. Nobody had ever heard of freakin Pedro de Soto, so no one gives a crap. I don’t like having to drive 1/4 mile out of the way to get to my house. Let’s get this crap over with asap.”

This has brought Valley City and The Valley a lot of publicity, and Indiana thinks there will some type of monument to commemorate this finding in the future that will attract tourists. Despite the publicity, area residents are ready for the project to be completed. They just want their streets to be paved and to get on with life.