Not Just the Metal Detector: Use the Other Tools.

[Raccoon]

The University of Arizona had a book out called, "The Rephotographic Process." I bought a copy when it first came out, for around $45. Then I used the process on a visit to Colorado. You get old photos of the area where you want to hunt. You can often find these cheap at souvenir shops and second hand stores. Then you find the location. There are some tricks and shortcuts, but mostly it's just good sense and reasoning ability. The idea is to find the place where the camera stood and then locate the old buildings, parks and such in the present day landscape. That was a great trip. I started in Silverton and located the old mill. There was no sign of it remaining, but I immediately found foot-long square nails and brass fittings. I found two old saloons that had stood outside any town, just out on the trail, and found some good coins there and a piece of jewelry or two. I did the same at the old zoo near Cripple Creek.

Now, to add to this method, use psychology. Get in the mindset of a traveler who really wants a beer or whiskey and who is carrying a significant amount of cash, probably in coins. He's going to hide it where he can find it again. If you have ever hid anything outdoors, you will know how hard this is to do. In fact, it's almost impossible. So you have to find an easily located place so you can come back tomorrow, after you sober up. Add to this the fact that everybody else knows things like this happen, so some of them will be hiding near the saloon to try to see where you hide your gold so they can steal it. One way to train yourself to find these caches is to go out in the wilderness or desert or countryside and hide stuff and come back weeks later to see if you can find it. By doing this, you will know what to look for. Some of those oldtimers died before they could go back to the stash; saloons weren't the healthiest of places back then. Some of them couldn't find the "three rocks" or "tree that looks like a chicken" or whatever they chose for a marker.

Hunt the places where you would have hidden your treasure. The trees and bushes will have changed and erosion takes its toll, but certain features last for decades or centuries. Learn to recognize them.

If you do these things first, your time with the MD will be a lot more rewarding.

-Rock

[Jeep]

Great post

It is important to put yourself in the same mindset.

[ZINCLID]

Very good post indeed! Sounds like a very promising method...and the book teaches this--Cool!

[extractor]

Very good post

[Frankn]

Great idea! With the access to old photoes that I have, I think I will try this. I take old photoes of historical buildings and restore the buildings in the computer. I have noted that many of these buildings no longer exist. I can usually find the locations where they once stood.

[GringoStarr]

The University of Arizona had a book out called, "The Rephotographic Process." I bought a copy when it first came out, for around $45. Then I used the process on a visit to Colorado. You get old photos of the area where you want to hunt. You can often find these cheap at souvenir shops and second hand stores. Then you find the location. There are some tricks and shortcuts, but mostly it's just good sense and reasoning ability. The idea is to find the place where the camera stood and then locate the old buildings, parks and such in the present day landscape. That was a great trip. I started in Silverton and located the old mill. There was no sign of it remaining, but I immediately found foot-long square nails and brass fittings. I found two old saloons that had stood outside any town, just out on the trail, and found some good coins there and a piece of jewelry or two. I did the same at the old zoo near Cripple Creek.

Now, to add to this method, use psychology. Get in the mindset of a traveler who really wants a beer or whiskey and who is carrying a significant amount of cash, probably in coins. He's going to hide it where he can find it again. If you have ever hid anything outdoors, you will know how hard this is to do. In fact, it's almost impossible. So you have to find an easily located place so you can come back tomorrow, after you sober up. Add to this the fact that everybody else knows things like this happen, so some of them will be hiding near the saloon to try to see where you hide your gold so they can steal it. One way to train yourself to find these caches is to go out in the wilderness or desert or countryside and hide stuff and come back weeks later to see if you can find it. By doing this, you will know what to look for. Some of those oldtimers died before they could go back to the stash; saloons weren't the healthiest of places back then. Some of them couldn't find the "three rocks" or "tree that looks like a chicken" or whatever they chose for a marker.

Hunt the places where you would have hidden your treasure. The trees and bushes will have changed and erosion takes its toll, but certain features last for decades or centuries. Learn to recognize them.

If you do these things first, your time with the MD will be a lot more rewarding.

-Rock

Absolutely outstanding!

[lastleg]

Rock:

I almost didn't respond to this post but it kept dogging me. I spent lots of
time in Colorado and visited the places you mentioned, CC many times. The
picture method is a very good time saver.
What I question is your theory of miners carrying around lots of coins and
needing to hide them while having a brew. Now if you had a bunch of gold
coins don't you think they might not wait till they got to a saloon to think of
hiding them? Silverton had quite a few gold mines and the golden circle of
mining towns beneath Pikes Peak were all gold producers at depth. Hardrock
miners almost to a man highgraded rich specimens. Knowing this provides
the potential for finding one or two caches especially around burned cabins.
I was lucky enough to find a highgrade cache about 15 years back and
just returned to where I found it to search for another. Wasn't lucky this time.
This particular ghosttown has many more beneath the rusted tin scattered all
about. I heard of a lady returning there seeking a certain cottonwood tree
where her dad had buried a large bucket of highgrade and it must be still there.
I compared early photos of this place too and on many a visit used them to
seek saloon entrances but the earlier hunters from the 60's must have got
most of them. What is desirable to hunt in ghosts is tokens with the name of
the town on them. One good token can pay for your trip.
One ghost in the San Juans has been particularly good to me but it was
strictly a silver producer. New regs may have put this one off limits. Seated
coins are there I can attest.
Maybe your theory has legs. You never know.

[Tuberale]

Rock:

I almost didn't respond to this post but it kept dogging me. I spent lots of
time in Colorado and visited the places you mentioned, CC many times. The
picture method is a very good time saver.
What I question is your theory of miners carrying around lots of coins and
needing to hide them while having a brew.

Most miners accepted silver and gold coins ONLY. While researching a stagecoach holdup near John Day, Oregon, found Chief Paulina apparently didn't think much of paper money either, as he decorated the sagebrush with it after shooting the drive through the mouth. Apparently took some of the early diamond rings, though, because they were pretty.

Saddleblanket currency wasn't reliable, often marked down 20-80%, especially after the CW. Some places wouldn't honor them. That's just one reason why, if you find a IH here, it's often in pretty good condition. But any kind of silver or nickel coinage is very rare, while gold is comparatively common.

Carpetbaggers on the West Coast learned that having a single $50 gold slug would often get them room and board, because few people had change for a $50. When they did have change, the fit hit the shan. Early $50 gold slugs often had more than $50 worth of gold, one reason why they didn't circulate long.

Even small-denomination currency was rare in the West into the 1880's. Found a reference to a famous saloon in John Day, where a patron took out a handful of silver and "tossed 'em" from the saloon's porch. Found where the porch was, and started hunting nearby yards. Found one old quarter just by following that story. Probably more nearby.

Gold was literally the coin of the realm. Silver was sometimes accepted, but was definately less socially accepted, even into the 1920's.

[jlasserton]

Anyway to save time sounds like a good method to me. I have not heard of the book, but am going to see if I can get my hands on a copy. This is good post and I enjoyed reading it.

[Buck]

I have just read this post. who wrote the book? I would like to get a copy. I have checked with Amazon. With no luck. To many books with close titles to this one. But I will try google it. Thanks! Buck

[Tuberale]

Hey, Buck! You got a computer, right, or you wouldn't be able to access this forum. Try typing in the title of the book in a Google search engine, or any other search engine. Use your computer! It's a tool, just like your metal detector.

[boogeyman]

Excellent post! If you can't find pictures, but can come up with old topos, tried & true method is to compare the older topo to a current one. Building on the old one but not on the new one = a good start.

Buck try looking on Scribd. You'd be amazed what kind of books & information is there. Howz ya doin with the lost pick?

[smugpot]

well said i call this period hunting and use it with archeology of differed time periods
some of my best hunts have been to find a location in a period not items but items that date to the period i am searching for

[Dirty Money]

Since I haven't heard of that book, I tried googling the title - nothing. However, adding University of Arizona Press brought up the following http://www.google.com/search?q=The+R...artPage=1&rlz=.

Hope this helps.

[valsabbion]

Very smart Rock,,,,,,, it is very visible that you are educated person