Northern California treasurenet folks, please help!

[Flint-seeker]

I will be traveling to the Sacramento area of California the last week in July.

I've never been there before...

Are there any privately owned, pay dig places in that general area (up to a 3 hour drive), like there are in Austin, TX?

I ask because I'd really like to find an artifact while I'm out there, but I don't know anyone that owns private land there.

Thanks in advance!

Shane

[calisdad]

Can't answer your question but I will say I ran into a ranger/archeologist last month. She was documenting bedrock mortars and during the conversation she convinced me she was adamant that anything older than 50 years was an artifact and illegal to keep for personal use. So do what you do but don't go waving any flags about.

I would imagine the more sucessful searches would be state park properties and you would be met with even more unyeilding attitudes. So if I were you I'd search for state park properties and hunt just outside their boundries. Google earth is great for that.

jmho

[norcalrockhunter]

I will be traveling to the Sacramento area of California the last week in July.

I've never been there before...

Are there any privately owned, pay dig places in that general area (up to a 3 hour drive), like there are in Austin, TX?

I ask because I'd really like to find an artifact while I'm out there, but I don't know anyone that owns private land there.

Thanks in advance!

Shane

There is nothing like what U have in TX out here, and for the most part the private land owners will not let anyone on to look, to much of a risk for them
there are however lots of places you can see artifacts in the Sac area but nothing you can take

[Flint-seeker]

Shane

There is nothing like what U have in TX out here, and for the most part the private land owners will not let anyone on to look, to much of a risk for them
there are however lots of places you can see artifacts in the Sac area but nothing you can take

Thanks for the information, folks! I'll keep researching before my trip and see if I can come up with something.

Shane

[NorCal Gal]

Hi from Sonoma County!

I was born and raised in Northern California and lived here my whole life. I'm pretty familiar with the San Fran Bay area, East Bay, the Northern Coast and most of the features and parks and things from upper Mendocino County all the way down to Santa Cruz through San Benito County and San Jose and then east over through Napa, Lake Counties and that northern part of the central valley and Sact'o River all the way up to the Sierra foothills past Sacramento and I've never EVER heard of anyplace anyone could go and PAY to hunt artifacts -- even on privately owned land. I studied archeology and anthro in college with an emphasis on local Native tribes and I know that, back in the 70s, the State of California made some of the most restrictive legislation about "artifact hunting" that you'll find anywhere.

Even when we find things on private land, they are technically subject to be reviewed by reps from the State, universities, local tribes, etc. to determine if they are somehow important enough to be confiscated and either kept in collections at the State level OR returned to the tribe of origin...

Around here, it's kind of rare to find arrowheads 'n such, but in those rare cases when you DO, most everybody just keeps very quiet about it if they want to keep it. I've found some moderately "important" (in the sense of being able to give the archeo people physical evidence to use to be able to place certain cultural influences in certain places at certain times here) artifacts and I turned them over to the local state university's archeo dept. to put in their collection.

I think Texas has a lot less restrictions on these types of things that we do... California -- since the rise of the Archeo Dept. at U of Cal Berkeley in the 1920s -- has taken pretty seriously not allowing private parties to acquire its "state treasures" and artifacts.

In order not to have any problems keeping your "finds", I think you're going to have to "find them" on private property where you can find a sympathetic owner who won't turn you in for taking them but I have NO idea where any people like that can be found, I'm afraid. And anybody else who's "hunting" out there who DOES know a landowner like that is probably going to be too paranoid just to open up and tell a stranger where they can find them for fear it might be a "trap" to get them arrested or their collections taken.

Sadly, I don't think you'll be able to hunt the way you want to here... We're kinda funny, here in California about that stuff! LOL!

[Tnmountains]

California weird? Lol no way!! Careful or we will pitching in for you bail.

[Peencho]

I'm an avid Northern Ca. metal detectorist and am looking for some older sites to hunt, rather than the usual schools and parks for clad coins.
Any thoughts?

Barbara

[chong2]

Flint-seeker, didnt you lose a ring awhile back out in those hills? eyes to the ground and i got 20.00 on bail

[buzzgator]

/|\ What he said!