Best land sites to metal detect

[Vingamel]

For landlubbers. What sites have given you best success in finds?

 

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[Vingamel]

Well goody. I've still got my hip waders from my water gardening business.

Muck slop slurp

 

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[Knipper]

I'd have to say that for overall quality of finds, two areas come to mind. Under ripped up sidewalks and old streets, and the sites of old Picnic Groves. These 'groves' are usually rural and were located in some farmer's pasture, and more likely than not, had a small creek or stream running through it. Lots of Holdiday picnics in summers, from the '30's to the late 19th century....best of all....NO pulltabs, and very very few bottle caps. Even the 'trash' from back then is cool!

Knipper

 

[jeff of pa]

Vingamel, The Best thing to do, IF you can get there as the water is going down, Hit The Freshly drained spots & the water as far out as you can walk. Jimmyleo Suggested Hip Waders. I don't. A freshly Drained lake has mud as thick as can be & very Sticky. If you walk in with Hip waders, You Can almost be shure to need a Tow Truck to pull you out. as strange as it seems. Wear Sneekers, & tie them Tight. If you get stuck, first rock Forward on your toes, to break the seal. & definately take a change of clothes along or Plastic for your Seats ? also be careful of Waist deep mud. ?..... As far as location, Swimming areas, If the place had a Rope Swing, do that area. If there is an area off a road, Where Passers by could discard items into the lake while driving? ( stolen Items) check that area. You will also find Fishing Rods, Gear, Tackle boxes of Lures , Sinkers,etc. from Boats, so pretty much the whole lake bottom is a treasure chest. in the 40's the State Police used to throw Slot Machines, confiscated in raids In Lakes & other Deep Water Sources, here In PA. they may have done this in other states also. They were NOT allowed to Remove the Coins either, They'd smashed them with a hammer & wip them into the water. altho I would think the spilled coins would be picked up & pocketed, alot went in with the machines.? Go for it & let us know how you do. GOOD LUCK ; jeff

 

[Vingamel]

Thanks Jeff. I'll be waiting for warmer weather to do this, but the lake in question used to be part of a larger lake that was an amusement park from the late 1800s to the 1950s. It was once known as the Atlantic City of the Midwest. Doubtless it's been scoured by MDers over the years, but this last lake is now drained for whatever reason. Not sure if it's to be permanently drained, or if they're just doing repairs. The mud does not sound fun.

 

[jeff of pa]

was it EVER drained Before ? By the Way, The Mud is Fun, once you start pulling 5 or more Gold Rings out in a day. I KNOW. & would do it again in a second. the one I did there were over 50 detectorists showed up throught the frst year, I'd estimate over a hundred gold rings came out that year & I got over 30 of them.

 

[Vingamel]

I'm not sure about that. It's been a lake since I moved in the area, just a couple years ago, and aerial photography shows it was a lake. It's really dinky, with stone walls all around it, and appears it was never very deep. Here's a cool article on the area:
http://members.aol.com/lunetta595/Records/winwood.htm

 

[jeff of pa]

W O W? !? ? That is absolutely Perfect ! You HAVE to? get permission for that . It sounds to me like, even IF someone searched it, there must be tons of goodies in there. DO IT ! DO IT !?

 

[Vingamel]

The Developer Bastages put a freakin' shopping mall on top of it. One day they'll have to replace the parking lot. Hmmm, how can I speed up that process?

 

[jeff of pa]

I don't know but, I tell you what. Find a Tackle Box from the 30's in there with the old Wooden Lures, & you'll make a mint on E-bay.

 

[Lowbatts]

Hey Jeff, about that old slot machine habit of the day back when. When I was a kid I saw a guy pull one out of a gravel pit and unload it. You're right, money and all. Wished I could dive and carry the load back then.

 

[Lowbatts]

Go get 'em Ving! Sounds like a huge area. Is it all developed these days?

 

[jeff of pa]

back in the 50's, 2 of my uncles used to dive the Stripping Pits around here & pull them out. I'v also read where Burt Webber ( of the ?Conception fame ) got his start Diving for Sunken Slot Machines, just 20 mile South of me in the quarries. ?

 

[jeff of pa]

another Intresting Story. from a Book called "Growing up with Bootleggers, Gamblers & Pigeons " by Patrick M Canfield, he mentions in the days of illegal Coal Mining Bootleg Holes, The Reading Coal & Iron Police Drove "Indian Motorcycles". when they would go to shut down an illegal mine, they would Dinamite it shut.? Well, As a Protest, the Miners would Grab one of their Motor Cycles & throw it down the Hole. It's just a shame how far under ground some of these "INDIANS" are buried !!!!! Busted or not. The parts may be worth a few bucks these days

 

[Monty]

I am researching a site much like what is described in the article. Back in 1911 it was opened as a park, zoo and had a swimming lake with all kinds of water slides, diving platforms, etc. The zoo was closed way back in the 1930's but the swimming hole remained open up into the late 1950's. I went there a few times as a child and can still identify where the old bath house and diving platform was located as well as the sandy beach. There use to be a trolly that ran to the park several times a day and hundreds of people congregated there during the summer time. It was finally shut down mainly because of the polio scare in the 1950's as I recall. Unfortunately the area I am most interested in is the beach which is now under about six inches to a foot of new landfill. If you dig down from six inches to a foot you run into the sand that was the beach. I'm sure there is a gold mine out in the water but the City will not allow swimming or wading which puts a damper on that. I'm not quite sure how to approach detecting the old beach. I have pulled a bit of clad from the newer layer of dirt but have not dug down any deeper than about a foot in any one area. There are numerous mixed signals that are indicated just as "deep" on the scale of my detector. I think I will choose a small section and dig every signal no matter how weak or deep it may be. If I can keep the holes fairly small in diameter I don't think I will run afoul of the parks department. I am waiting for better weather to get started and by joining the local treasure hunters club I think I may seek a more experienced partner to lend a hand. Any suggestions readily welcome. Not trying sto steal your post, just a coincidence.

 

[Vingamel]

Let us know how that goes, Jimmileo! I, of course, am interested for obvious reasons.

 

[warsawdaddy]

Goodluck,Vin, on the old Winnwood lake area.I used to swim there.There was a large 'L' shaped pier and a large slide.Lots of perch also swimming around you.I haven't looked recently,but another ,much larger amusement park was the old Fairmount Park.It burned down in 1937,I know, because Tom Pendergast(political boss) paid my uncle and two other boys $25 to burn it and they did.That defunct amusement park site has the wrong address for it.It was located at the east end of town,maybe'willow?' st.Since moving back to MO,everything has changed greatly.What became of 'Kernoodles' lake and drive-in at Hickman Mills?Or the fantastic 'Wildwood'lakes and pavillion?Too much ramblin',gotta go--

 

[Vingamel]

Thanks for the tips, WarsawDaddy. I've done a lot of research on the Fairmount Park. Yes, it's off of Independence Avenue and Willow, on the northwest corner. It's now a neighborhood, but there is a greenway in between two streets. I've also gotten permission to hunt at some schools and churches very nearby. Wildwood Lakes is still on the maps, but I'm not sure what's left of it. Drive-In at Hickman Mills...hmmm, not sure about that one. I'll do some research on it. Still haven't gone to the HS I told you about, due to family stuff and weather, but have it chalked up on my calendar for this Sunday. Maybe. Good to hear from you.

 

[lonewolfe]

Parks been good to me thru-out the yrs!

 

[GunFarce]

My detector is still new!! The only time I've been able to get out (everything is frozen here) is one mild day last month.. My customers park in my driveway, and I found some coins, nails(all Canadian coins show as iron), and a partial denture..go figgure!!

 

[Lisa-Acuff]

We, husband and I, love private property. We simply go up the the door and ask permission. 98% of the time, homeowners love us hunting their yard because they like to see what clad we find on their property. It helps to be outgoing!!