A 24-year-old Métis man from Yellowknife will be donating several artifacts he found to the Fort Simpson Historical Society.
Lucas Wick, 24, discovered the items while on a moose hunting trip with his father in 2014. The relics, which include a knife and an axe head believed to be from the mid-1800s, were discovered at the site of an old homestead located several hours down the Mackenzie River from Fort Providence.
"[My father and I] are are collectors and I've always been intrigued with antiques, so we just kind of went out and tried to find this place," said Wick, who added that he got into antiques and collectibles by watching TV shows like American Pickers and Pawn Stars. "We were looking for it for hours."
He was thrilled when he found the items. He said he was "more excited" about the axe head, but was also interested to see the knife had three strikes carved into the handle.
Wick has found several other old items in the bush, including a pair of antique come-alongs.
When word of his collection got out, he was contacted by the Fort Simpson Historical Society, which is when talks of his donating the items began.
He agreed to give away the items because he wants to help preserve the history of the NWT.
"There's so much history with the fur trade in there. That's what built the NWT, I think, the fur trade up and down the river.
"I think [the items have] very good historical significance because you study this stuff in the NWT in high school — you learn about Indigenous stuff, and the significance and culture behind everything."
Wick currently resides in Abbotsford, B.C., but hopes to visit the Fort Simpson Heritage Society museum once the items he discovered have been put on display. He also hopes museum staff will acknowledge him for discovering the items.
"I wanted a plaque describing the story of how my dad and I acquired these, and the story behind them," he said, adding that he'd also like the society to do more research about the items.
Wick, who calls himself an inventor, said he will continue to seek out historical artifacts whenever he can. He aspires to get a metal detector to help him on his future treasure hunts.