The kid in the candy store

[MD Dog]

I feel just like that proverbial kid in a candy store. Confronted with the results of five straight years of heavy research I can confidently say I'm site rich. In fact I'm so site rich that even on the remote chance that I should by some miracle live beyond 100 years I could never thoroughly hunt all the locations which I've uncovered. So my puzzle now is what to do next. My knee jerk reaction might be as childish as that proverbial Kid. I just wanna hunt each site a litlle, just enough to get a taste and then move on. I've searched somewhat for a hunting partner but find I'm just a confirmed bachelor when it comes to treasure hunting. If I wasn't I still doubt even with a partner we could cover this many sites. Another thing is that I've come to love the research as much as the hunting. Finding the sites and then confirming their value either through monetary value or historical finds is a gas. To do away with my winter time hobby of research would be a shame but what am I to do ? I know allot of you will say just give the sites away, but that would be very hard for me to do, not outta greed but really just curiosity and I suppose a little pride. Anyone else find this to be their sitiuation and if so have you found a way to deal. :P

 

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[MD Dog]

For those of you looking for tips on Researching. Allot of people will tell you to start at your local library. Now although I don't nessesarily disagree, if you don't know what your looking for it can be a bit daunting. So I say if what your interested in is say History then go there. No not to the history section of the library although that can also be a really great place but rather one of my best assets has been a membership in a newspaper archive. I can't mention which one cause I think the mods would say that's advertisement without pay. But there are several, but the best ones archive multiple newpapers. The one I use boasts new papers using their service daily and now are in the tens of thousands of papers being archived with them. The beauty of these places is there cheap I think mine was like $15 for three months. And being able to see the actual papers and mannerisms in which they reported incidents really gives you the feel for the time. So tip No. 1 is use a newspaper archive, just google or use your favorite seach engine to find them, type "newspaper archive". I'll try to add to this thread on a routine basis so watch fo more tips in the future.

 

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[Cynangyl]

Wow MD Dog! Fascinating story and a great tip for folks too! I was thinking your main talent was dancing and here I find you were a great teacher as well! Thanks for the insight and I still think you should write a book.....I would buy it in an instant! Thanks sweet man! ~hugs~

 

[MD Dog]

Gawrsh CynAngel your making me blush.

 

[Kiros32]

MD Dog has sent me a ton of information to review, I am excited to get my into it.

EVERYONE STAY TUNED TO UPDATES ABOUT GETTING A GROUP HUNT TOGETHER!! NY, WESTERN, PA, ANYONE ELSE INTERESTED, SEND ME A PM SO I CAN MAKE SURE THERE IS ENOUGH INTEREST. ALSO, KEEP AN EYE OUT IN THE NY, PA, AND GROUP HUNT THREADS ABOUT GETTING A HUNT TOGETHER. THIS SEEMS LIKE AN AMAZING SITE AND I WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY THAT MD DOG HAS PRESENTED US WITH.

 

[MD Dog]

ok, now y'all are just gettin me all excited n stuff !
BTW if this works out I have other sites that are as good if not better. So maybe it will be a yearly thing or maybe even more than one a year.

 

[Cynangyl]

Too cool! Now if you only lived on the WEST coast instead of the EAST! lol Looking forward to seeing how this all unfolds anyway!

 

[Pepper2004]

I wish you would write a book too, I'd buy one. Researching isn't my strong point! If I lived closer I would love to join in on a hunt. Please do keep this thread updated. I need all the tips I can get!

Kiros32, I envy you living so close to MD! Good luck putting the hunt together.

Pepper

 

[MD Dog]

Research tip #2
Another often overlooked location to find good info on history for your area or state. Try a search online for your states tourism dept. Not only will they have a special dept for this info but they also quite often have tours or routes set up along with location markers. Warning Don't MD in location designated as Historical sites. The usefulness here is to understand what history lies in an area. Like a fort from the French and Indian war may be designated as a historical site(don't dig, don't metal detect, don't even carry your metal detector onto the land.) but areas around this site may turn up artifacts just as likely as within.

Also note that more than just your state tourism dept will come up in such a search. I've got at least four sites that all represent some govt. agency that has historical info. That's not to mention the private groups who also share this info from hiking to biking trails that have history at their center.

 

[Cynangyl]

Another great tip!! I am writing these down....if you won't write a book then I will take all the info one paragraph at a time! :P ~hugs~

 

[chrisplay2004]

That was really nice MD Dog. It's nice to see others out there helping out TNet MD'ers.
Hope you guys up in the NE pull off a great hunt. I can't wait to see how this DIGS out.
CS

 

[MD Dog]

Tip #3 Read biographies. Especially those of people who lived in your general area. In these pages of memories from days gone bye, you'll be rewarded time and again with stories replete with great Ideas for places to detect. Some times they'll come with place names and other details that can lead to incredible finds. I once traced a swimming hole back from a biography to the original location which by now was little more than a mud hole in the middle of some young hardwoods. I didn't get any signals to start with but because I was so sure of my research I dug down more than four feet before getting my first signals. Over the years this same sweet hole has yielded treasures galore and has yet to fail me in ten years of hunting its' ever expanding borders. Picnic sites, make out locations, church retreats, boy scout camp sites, fairs, horse races are just a few of the types of events I've found in my area through reading biographies of individuals who at one time resided in amongst these self same hardwood forests.

 

[Cynangyl]

Amazing how this seems like plain common sense when it is put together and yet until a person sees the info laid out like this it may never come to mind. You are awesome for sharing all this with us MD Dog! Thanks!

 

[MD Dog]

Glad to share Cynangel, hope you all find it as usefull as I have.

 

[Kiros32]

Hey, just wanted to make sure they you guys weren't losing faith in me. I have been very busy, but I have printed off all of the information that MD Dog sent me, and I plan on getting the ball rolling soon. I am participating in another group hunt in a few weeks, so my focus has been on that, but I assure you that I will see this through and either get permission to hunt this fantastic site or fail miserably Either way, I will give it my best.

 

[MD Dog]

That's cool Kiros, no hurry since the town just got more than another foot of snow over the weekend. :P

 

[MD Dog]

Tip #4. Maps, everybody goes crazy for maps. Mind you maps can be and are very helpful in the right hands. Once you know the ins and outs of sizeing them to match current contemporary maps as well as transferring them to transparent overlays etc....But I use a cheat that I just can't figure out why more people don't use this method or maybe they just don't think about it. I take the old map I may have and go to the local print shop with it along with a printed aerial photograph of an area. I also bring topographical maps old and new and I get transparencies made after figuring out sizeing I have the transparencies overlaid onto the arial photograph. Keep in mind that the older a map the less accurate they are but seeing the actual structures in a picture can make the whole sheebang a breeze when looking for such things as foundations old roads etc...

 

[Cynangyl]

Well I know I had never thought of it but I have it in my document called "MD Dog's Book" now!

 

[MD Dog]

Tip #5 Honestly I should make people pay for this one, it's that good.
Find a local comercial building, research the address and find out when their building was built. You'll be amazed at how many of them are from the early 1900s and the ground around them is usually but not always just as old. Once you know the age and decide it's worth a looksee. Talk to the owner and ask permission, you are about to find out one of my all time favorite hidden truths for expert MDers. Commercial building owners are about 100 times more likely to give a yes than a private residence owner.

 

[Cynangyl]

Okay MD Dog.....that truly IS a good tip but that makes two tip 4's on here! Yep, I am paying attention! Thanks again for sharing with us!! ~hugs~

 

[MD Dog]

Okay MD Dog.....that truly IS a good tip but that makes two tip 4's on here! Yep, I am paying attention! Thanks again for sharing with us!! ~hugs~

Thanks for the heads up Cyn, I fixed it. Guess that's what I get for posting at unGodly hours. :P