What in sam hell

[FinsnFur]

All my time on the river and I've never seen anything like this. Obviously not natural..but who an why? I don't get it.

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[Carolina Coyote]

Aliens Skulls from planet XX.  cc

[JohnP]

Somebody drilled a coconut.

[nastygunz]

That is obviously the nesting chamber of a West Wisconsin Waterborer snail

[riverboss]

Some of the first attempt's to make a bowling ball.

[Okanagan]

In some rocks on salt water shores there will be holes drilled so perfectly that they look man made, but are made by some kind of mollusk I think. 

[gravesco hunter]

I don't really know what to make of that

[HaMeR]

I know exactly what it is!! 


It's neat!!!!!!!!   

[FinsnFur]

I found out last night from my Dad.
I'm going to go back tonight and get em if theyre still there 

[coyote101]

Buttons

[Okanagan]

FWIW I doubt if these are the same, and can't tell the scale size in your pics for sure, but here are a couple of grab shots of rocks with holes bored by sea water pholad (clams?).  Common in WA State around Puget Sound.   Sometimes the holes are so perfect in size, roundness and in such a perfect line that you'd swear they were done by a rock drill.   Most run about the diameter of a man's finger, like the holes in bowling  balls.

[FinsnFur]

Yep button factory. Me paw says there was a couple of them right down on the river where we found these. I find it interesting that we found these since they date back to the late 1800's. I find it odd also that they pitched em back into the river when they were done 
I google Prairie DuChein button factory and found these snippits.





From the PDC History page
Around 1895 the clamming and pearl button industry became important. Thousands of people dug clams and sold shells to the button factories. Two large factories and several small ones operated in Prairie du Chien. Only blanks were cut here and then shipped to Lansing or Muscatine for finishing. Clammers kept looking for the big pearl that would make them rich. The Cardin family sold a 54-grain, perfect pearl for $2,000 in 1901 and built the family home with the money.

[nastygunz]

 that's pretty damn cool!

[Carolina Coyote]

Who would have ever THUNK  that!    cc

[Hawks Feather]

Buttons is one thing that never crossed my mind when I looked at the picture.  Pretty neat.

Jerry

[Okanagan]

Who would have ever THUNK  that!    cc

Fascinating, especially with the pics and story.  Thanks for solving a true mystery.  Would like to see how they mounted the shells on a lathe and turned out the button discs. 

In the small pic I couldn't even tell for sure that it was a shell, and thought at first that it was just a rock. 

[Dave]

I'd have never guessed that.  Even reading through the thread I was skeptical until you posted the old time pics.
-Also looks like they could have cut one more button in the shell you found!

[nailbender]

 Pretty cool find Jim!

[nailbender]

 Did note they shipped out of state for the skilled labor.

[iahntr]

Hmh. Pretty interesting !