The size of this ball is small, 4.2 g, and the diameter is .467 inches. One possibility was that the musket ball was flattened as a result of hitting some game animal. If this were the case there could be some blood residue left on the ball. Lead isotope analysis by Dragan Krstic, Geospec Consultants, Edmonton, Alberta, has resulted in preliminary identification of the source as the southeast Missouri lead-zinc region, and possibly the Buick Mine. Research regarding the period when the Buick mine was active is underway in an attempt to match that source for musket ball production with the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Research is ongoing on both the cast brass bead and the musket ball.
Although these results are not conclusive, archaeologists were encouraged by the fact that such limited testing could result in three artifacts and a complex soil feature. Fort Clatsop Superintendent Cynthia Orlando and Senior Archaeologist Jim Thomson of the National Park Service committed additional funding for 1997. The 1997 work consisted of additional magnetic survey and additional limited archaeological testing conducted the first week in August, followed by additional archival research. The magnetic survey covered a 0.2 acre area known to be associated with an 1848 settler, Carlos Shane. The most important artifact recovered in the 1997 season's test excavations was a blue bead.