One-of-a-kind artifact from 1700s uncovered by Frazee man (2024)

DETROIT LAKES — Terry Shannon put away his metal detector after hours of scouring a section of Florida’s Treasure Coast. He has found trinkets, jewels and coins, but this past year was the first time he found a tracking device on his vehicle.

The 83-year-old said he was leaning on his car and chatting with a friend, who became distracted.

“He saw something through the spoke (of the hubcap),” Shannon said.

The two investigated and uncovered a tracking device had been placed on Shannon’s vehicle.

Being followed was old hat to the Frazee resident who winters in the Sunshine State. After all, Shannon has uncovered thousands of artifacts along the Treasure Coast, from a 4.7 karat emerald, a detailed ring with mine-cut diamonds, and possibly the oldest coin ever found along the coast known for shipwrecks and sunken treasures. Typically, people see him on the beach and suddenly show up with their metal detectors. Being tracked, however, was over the line in Shannon’s book.

He brought the tracking device to the sheriff’s office in the county he winters. Shannon was told that finding the person behind the tracking device was beyond their scope of expertise. It wasn’t for Shannon, who called in a favor and obtained the tracker’s identity and address. After a little more encouragement from Shannon, necessary subpoenas were placed by the sheriff, along with a search warrant.

“They got him,” Shannon said.

Barbie Porter / Detroit Lakes Tribune

Pursuing a criminal was second nature for Shannon. Years ago, the Navy veteran was also elected as the Becker County sheriff and then hired as the Perham police chief. He does miss his days upholding the law with the backing of a badge, and the comradery with fellow officers.

“But, honestly, I’m living every man’s dream right now,” he said. “I mean, I treasure hunt.”

Many of Shannon’s adventures have been retold in his books, four of which cover the Treasure Coast, while one book features hunts and discoveries along the Ottertail River. He also published a beginner’s guide to metal detecting. The books can be found on his website, terryshannon.com, or Amazon, as well as Big Pine books in Perham and the Backyard Station in Frazee.

Shannon walked into a museum in Florida. Before he left, what he learned would change the course of his life. The museum featured items recovered from the famed 1715 Spanish fleet.

“Spain had been at war for several years, and it was broke,” Shannon said. “What they needed was treasure from the New World.”

A fleet of 11 galleons was sent to collect treasures from around the world. After years of travel, they convened in Havana, Cuba, in 1715 and made plans to return to their homeland. A ship from France was forced to join the fleet, bringing the number of ships to 12.

Barbie Porter / Detroit Lakes Tribune

“The French ship was not a treasure ship,” Shannon said. “They (the Spanish) wouldn’t let the French ship leave until the fleet left. They were worried the French would tell pirates what they had.”

In July, the large multi-decked sailing vessels set sail to return home, despite it being hurricane season. After a few days, the fleet found itself along the Florida coast when a hurricane arose. Of the 12 ships, 11 struck the jagged reefs that line the coast and fell to the bottom of the ocean. The French vessel was the sole ship to weather the storm.

Spain sent a salvage mission. Some treasures were brought to the surface and sent to their intended destination. When the recovery efforts concluded in 1718, much of the treasure remained. To date, Shannon said seven of the 11 ships have been found.

Barbie Porter / Detroit Lakes Tribune

See Also

It's time, troll hunters! 'Alexa's Elixir' is now open to the publicNylons: Through the Magnum Archive • Magnum Photos Magnum PhotosFirst National Bank of Henning hosts ribbon cutting ceremony at Detroit Lakes branchMidwest Bank loves to give back to the community

“And, the average salvage has been $41 million,” he said. “That was about 15 years ago.”

In the museum, where items from the 1715 Spanish Fleet were being shown, Shannon approached a staff member and asked if people ever found stuff on the beach from the shipwrecks.

“He went and got a scrapbook,” Shannon said.

In the pages of the scrapbook were pictures of people holding various items they had found on the beach. The people brought the treasures to the museum in hopes the curator could help them identify the object.

“And, that became my goal,” Shannon said.

Treasure hunters are still trying to locate the ships, which are believed to rest in less than 20 feet of water, but are scattered across 50 to 100 nautical miles.

“That’s not a small area,” Shannon said. “It goes from down at Fort Pierce all the way up to Cape Canaveral. They did a magnetometer survey, and it was like six-or-seven hundred possible wreck sites.”

Underwater expeditions of the potential sites can also be a challenge, as the coast is known for rough waters that deliver 6-foot waves. The shifting waters drastically reduce the visibility underwater. Plus, should someone locate a sunken vessel, Shannon noted half of the loot would go to the company that purchased the salvaging rights.

“And, just to dive there is a $2,000 annual fee,” he said.

However, those who find something on the beach are legally playing by the finder’s keeper’s rule.

“What I find on the beach goes right into Terry Shannon’s pocket,” he said.

Finding beached treasure is not as simple as stumbling across a shiny piece of silver. Often, the items are buried deep in the sand and oxidized and encrusted from years in the ocean.

“When you see it covered up, not all know — most wouldn’t,” he said of the silver pieces he has found. “They say they used to find them on the beach and toss them. They just thought it was a rock.”

A metal detector can decipher between rock and precious metal, and having the right metal detector can be the difference between success and failure. Shannon explained he started using metal detectors in Becker and Otter Tail counties. He learned the detectors that work in the northland don’t fare well on the coast.

Barbie Porter / Detroit Lakes Tribune

“The sand in the ocean is highly mineralized,” Shannon said. “What you need is a multi-frequency detector that will deal with that mineralization.”

Since those early metal-detecting trial-and-error days, Shannon has become well-known for his treasure finds. In fact, companies have sent him their devices for free, in hopes others will see him using their brand.

“There’s a company in Turkey, Nokta, and they gave me a free Legend metal detector,” he said. “And, they also gave me a hat that says legend, and they embroidered on the hat, Terry the legend.”

In addition to having the right equipment, understanding how to read the beach conditions and ocean currents is vital for treasure-hunting success.

Barbie Porter / Detroit Lakes Tribune

“My buddy called and said a barge tipped over in the ocean, and a boxcar full of (sealed) coffee (packages) fell in and was washing ashore,” Shannon said, noting he agreed to go along for the coffee hunt. “So, I get down there, and I look up, and see this cut (into the shoreline). And, I see the black sand. And, I see where the bowl was coming in. I mean; that's the big three! I go, ‘My God,’ and grab my detector.”

As Shannon was uncovering silver and gold, his friend was loading up on coffee.

Shannon’s connections with archaeologists have helped unravel the story behind some of the items he has found over the years.

“I had found a coin with a date of 1701 and I called one of my (archaeologist) friends,” Shannon recalled, noting after his friend examined it he said the coin was “very rare” and potentially “the only one known to exist.”

Shannon said it wasn’t the year on the coin that made it one of a kind, but the king. He learned the king died in 1700. When a new king takes the crown, the coins are printed with the new ruler’s likeness. However, word of the king’s death had not reached the coin maker, thus a 1701 coin was printed with the deceased king.

When Shannon returns to the lakes area for the summer months, he can often be found speaking to groups about his treasure-hunting adventures. He may also be found at events selling or signing books.

He can also be seen out with his metal detector. In addition to searching on private land where he is invited, he also spends time near the tubing sites along the Otter Tail River.

He recalled one of his outings, a group of women floated by on their inner tubes. After a brief conversation about his activities, one asked what he was hoping to find.

Barbie Porter / Detroit Lakes Tribune

“I told them if I don’t find something pretty soon, my wife is going to wonder where I am,” he said.

The next thing he knew, the women tubers waded to him and one handed him a silver ring, gold plated.

“I was just stunned,” he said. “By the time I had a reply she was gone.”

The kindness stayed with Shannon to this day, but the ring he was given quickly found its way back to the earth. While out and about he saw a young boy walking along a beach with a metal detector.

“I dropped it (the ring) for him to find,” Shannon said. “I paid forward the kindness.”