On the subject at hand. I was introduced to "money hunting" nearly fifty years ago. That was before metal detectors were known in these mountains and the old men hunted by reading signs or clues as they called them. From my experience, a person that is well versed in the history of an area, partculiarly one who knows the old roads and where they forded streams is way ahead of anyone else in the search for cached valuables. If you have sections of old horse trails or wagon roads still lined with old trees and rocks that would have been there when the road was used, likely you can find stash markers. A stash marker is just a blaze or series of blazes made by the person who stashed his loot and needed insurance to be sure he could relocate it. Over the years I have discovered outlaw gangs used a system of blazes, rock carvings and stones of certain shapes placed at key positions along the road to lead them back to stashes. Areas of Old river fords will produce more caches than anywhere else. Second best after fords are around road "Y-s" Also highly productive areas are where a main road parallels a major stream. Look just upstream from where smaller tributaries join the creek or river. Just be very careful if you find a mound of earth at any of the said places. These same areas were often used to bury loved ones or comrades who perished while traveling on the roads. I know of one case where a strong signal was detected near a ford where two main roads joined. Upon digging the target, what had been a small wooden trunk was found, the iron fittings that held it together gave the hit. Amongst the rotting wood and iron was a childs skelaton. Later research found the story of a pioneer family who camped at this site and lost three childeren to Typhoid fever and buried them there. If you try the places mentioned above you will be sucessful about one time in 200 searches, and only then if you really know how to used your detector. Most of the caches are buried 2.5-3 feet. A coin machine won't cut it. Use at least a 11-12 coil and run All Metal no discrmination. 75% of the stashes will be in pint or quart fruit jars, smaller caches will be only a few coins probably buried in a leather pouch. One more place to look for the latter is between the roots of a large tree, sometimes several inches under the roots. I wish you TH'ers good luck, but remember you that are just now starting will have to look much harder because us old timers have left few of the good places untouched. Detectors have come a long way in 35 years but the old ones would tear up a fruit jar with a zinc lid at 18" God Bless all Hillbilly Bob

• Re: old roads rob in nys 00:52:46 8/01/98 (0)