South San Diego Detectorist aquaintances wanted . . . I have Permissions !

4x4x4

Bronze Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,145
1,231
Southern California, outside of San Diego
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
:usflag:

Is your park hunted out ? Tot-lots boring ? Well dust off that Metal Detector you got for the Christmas of 1999 and put it to work ! You guys and gals that work Central , Coastal and possibly North County too.... I have Permissions in historic areas ripe with artifacts and possibly more ! Areas include military , Stagecoach/stop and home/commerce sites , many on open and private lands . No banks EVER HERE !
Some areas require off road with others needing only a 2wd sedan .
Past items include ; 1800s axe heads , pocket watch , bullets/casings , copper , horse shoes , utensils , pewter sticks , lead sticks , cannon shells , settlers , personal and militia finds . Also 1900s coins , bullets/casings , WW2(spent) hand grenades pins-fuses-handles ,melted blob of silver and gold coins , writing utensils/nibs etc.... ... Our Native American brethren also thrived in this area , the CAHUILLA, CUPENO, LUISENO, and KUMEYAAY (aka Iipay-Tipay-Diegueño) had a way of life here and were profound and proficient point (arrow head) makers though I don't have the "eye" to see them . Many rock "hunting wall", blinds are to be found above seasonal stream beds in canyons. I , myself have merely scratched the surface and , yes , this area was "poor" and rural but contains much history including a Railroad and military base. Rock hunters may enjoy the areas also as garnet harboring mica has been found as well as "leaverite" and others ��.

Animals here can be beautiful and dangerous.....they include mountain lion , Fox, snakes of all kinds , wolf , coyote , jaguarundi , both ground and tree squirrel , raptors , carrion eating birds , both burrowing and barn owls , (beep-beep!) road runners , bats and all manner of bugs but surprisingly few mosquito .

I am retired and have room for one in my 4x4 if needed . You must be able to drive to the areas mentioned below . A couple of restaurants and fuel available in the areas....bring lots of water ! We , you and I, have many permissions to choose from! I'm sure the finds will be there , they have been waiting for along time ! So fire up Google maps and pull up your LIDAR plats , charge your batteries and let's get hunting ..... I'm STILL looking for my poke of Spanish Real or Gold Coins ! I've a couple of old working swinging sticks to loan , nothing fancy .

This area is located directly from SR94 between historic township of Campo , Camp lockett the original home of the Buffalo Solders and the Tecate(tecatito, the US side) border crossing near the OLD Tecate border crossing.... with defunct towns of Dog Patch, Canyon City , Potrero and others in between .

Send a PM , a like or wait for me to check here .
HH,
...Mark...
NOTE: this has been posted on Craigslist under "Activity Partners"in the community section .
 

Last edited:

Obsessive

Hero Member
Apr 16, 2017
604
861
NW Portland, OR
Detector(s) used
XP Deus/MI-6 w/ HF/XF/LF
Tesoro Cibola / Land and Sea pinpointer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
ima retire and move south. maybe slab city livin. :thumbsup:
 

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
Wish I was down your way to see what sorts of spots you are talking about.

Have you read "The Historic Backcountry" by Chris Wray ? He writes about the area you are referring to. We've gotten a lot of good stuff following his book info. :thumbsup:
 

OP
OP
4x4x4

4x4x4

Bronze Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,145
1,231
Southern California, outside of San Diego
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Wish I was down your way to see what sorts of spots you are talking about.

Have you read "The Historic Backcountry" by Chris Wray ? He writes about the area you are referring to. We've gotten a lot of good stuff following his book info. :thumbsup:

...No Tom , not yet. Seems like everyone around here has . I must admit, much has come from osmosis , locals , wrong turns , getting lost , chased by Border Patrol who by the way rarely have the same patrol but see it all and are approachable and happy to share information and Google! I have just gotten a chance to read an unpublished biography of a lifetime resident ! Can't wait ! I WILL check out the book at our rural Library !
Thanks, and HH.
Mark.
 

Last edited:

DiggerGal

Hero Member
Oct 12, 2013
564
505
California
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
:usflag:

Is your park hunted out ? Tot-lots boring ? Well dust off that Metal Detector you got for the Christmas of 1999 and put it to work ! You guys and gals that work Central , Coastal and possibly North County too.... I have Permissions in historic areas ripe with artifacts and possibly more ! Areas include military , Stagecoach/stop and home/commerce sites , many on open and private lands . No banks EVER HERE !
Some areas require off road with others needing only a 2wd sedan .
Past items include ; 1800s axe heads , pocket watch , bullets/casings , copper , horse shoes , utensils , pewter sticks , lead sticks , cannon shells , settlers , personal and militia finds . Also 1900s coins , bullets/casings , WW2(spent) hand grenades pins-fuses-handles ,melted blob of silver and gold coins , writing utensils/nibs etc.... ... Our Native American brethren also thrived in this area , the CAHUILLA, CUPENO, LUISENO, and KUMEYAAY (aka Iipay-Tipay-Diegueño) had a way of life here and were profound and proficient point (arrow head) makers though I don't have the "eye" to see them . Many rock "hunting wall", blinds are to be found above seasonal stream beds in canyons. I , myself have merely scratched the surface and , yes , this area was "poor" and rural but contains much history including a Railroad and military base. Rock hunters may enjoy the areas also as garnet harboring mica has been found as well as "leaverite" and others ��.

Animals here can be beautiful and dangerous.....they include mountain lion , Fox, snakes of all kinds , wolf , coyote , jaguarundi , both ground and tree squirrel , raptors , carrion eating birds , both burrowing and barn owls , (beep-beep!) road runners , bats and all manner of bugs but surprisingly few mosquito .

I am retired and have room for one in my 4x4 if needed . You must be able to drive to the areas mentioned below . A couple of restaurants and fuel available in the areas....bring lots of water ! We , you and I, have many permissions to choose from! I'm sure the finds will be there , they have been waiting for along time ! So fire up Google maps and pull up your LIDAR plats , charge your batteries and let's get hunting ..... I'm STILL looking for my poke of Spanish Real or Gold Coins ! I've a couple of old working swinging sticks to loan , nothing fancy .

This area is located directly from SR94 between historic township of Campo , Camp lockett the original home of the Buffalo Solders and the Tecate(tecatito, the US side) border crossing near the OLD Tecate border crossing.... with defunct towns of Dog Patch, Canyon City , Potrero and others in between .

Send a PM , a like or wait for me to check here .
HH,
...Mark...
NOTE: this has been posted on Craigslist under "Activity Partners"in the community section .

Hi Mark!
I live in the Temecula area and would enjoy a hunting partner.
Taking time off work starting 10/1 to just relax for a bit.
Let me know if you still would like a partner to hunt with. Looks like we are going to start to see some cooler weather very soon! 107° is a tad bit hot to be swinging for any length of time! Lol



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

dsrtdwg1

Full Member
Sep 3, 2015
182
300
Brawley
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800, Gold Monster 1000, Keene 212v Puffer Dry Washer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Hi Mark, I am east of you in the the Imperial valley. I am somewhat familiar with the area you speak of. I have a Jeep so unless the area requires serious rock crawling I am capable moving around in the back country. I am flexible time wise so week day hunts are good by me. In short I am interested and would like the oppertunity to hunt new areas. Are you going to start now or when it cools off a bit. My name is Wendell Clark, I will be keeping an eye on this thread!
 

Back-of-the-boat

Gold Member
Apr 18, 2013
6,886
8,507
California
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AT GOLD/Garrett /C.Scope cs4PI/Garrett(carrot) pro pointer/ 5x8 double d coil and sniper coil/Lesche digger/Lesche "T" handle shovel.
Primary Interest:
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I wish I still lived down there my hometown is Julian and would love to hunt some spots up that way.I'm practically related to everyone up there, some way or another so permissions would be easy.There is one backyard that rumors say has caches of coins from the 50's 60's and 70's buried in it and now is an antique shop the owner passed in the late 1970's so who knows the truth but I would love to find out.Right now I'm in the central valley and know almost no one.
 

OP
OP
4x4x4

4x4x4

Bronze Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,145
1,231
Southern California, outside of San Diego
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
....Hi DiggerGal !
Just about ANY time is good for me . If you camp there are options but no hotels/motels in the immediate area.
I also have family in the temu area and more to the north in Riverside....knowing a trip HERE is appx 2 hrs.
Please let me know a good period in time for a plan !

HH,
Mark.
 

OP
OP
4x4x4

4x4x4

Bronze Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,145
1,231
Southern California, outside of San Diego
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
....Good morning Wendell !
Truly , 4x4 is only needed for the many high clearance established routes and quite a few "jeep trails" from yesteryear have been forgotten. Google Earth "Camp Lockett" in Campo California. For an overview of things to come !
My "schedule" is free most any time and can discuss the many options/permissions. Camping is dry and no hotel / motel options.
Brawley is a fair drive so come prepared...water is available.
Please let me know a point in time !
HH,
Mark.
 

OP
OP
4x4x4

4x4x4

Bronze Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,145
1,231
Southern California, outside of San Diego
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
....Back-of-the-boat...
Julian is a wonderful place and MOST locals tolerate us crowding up the town to shop , walk and eat . Oh man, now I want a burger or Julian Apple pie and a malt !
Thanks for your response.
HH,
Mark.
 

Last edited:

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
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Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
Good luck you guys. We've done good at various spots in the high desert down there. Never got down to Campo direction though.
 

OP
OP
4x4x4

4x4x4

Bronze Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,145
1,231
Southern California, outside of San Diego
Primary Interest:
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....A bit of an edit....
A Thank you to all responders...I have never Organized a hunt before ! And..... Check Google Earth in and around Camp Lockett(1941), Campo California. https://www.eastcountymagazine.org/historical-background (just north of the original Tecate, now defunct border crossing, Campo saw the railroad industry 1916.https://www.psrm.org/about-us/campo/) and the Large Equestrian and military storage buildings still stand, though off limits , other "command" building foundations can be driven to, accessed by paved road . Dog Patch (in San Diego-with a poor but rowdy bar-now foundations , where barter bought the drinks), Gaskill Brothers (stone store turned museum and historica gun battles) , Dulzura ("slow children" sign) home to two original and open businesses with permission to one and the old San Diego-Tecate stage route. POTRERO .... close to my dwelling , an Adobe horse exchange area next to a spring fed pond . Two contiguous permissions totaling 80 acres with one parcel freshly scraped for development where natives and European once frequented.
There are many open range possibilities also , so . . ..
Please voice your concerns and opinions and I will answer to the best of my ability.
Thanks and Happy Hunting !
Mark.
 

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dsrtdwg1

Full Member
Sep 3, 2015
182
300
Brawley
Detector(s) used
Equinox 800, Gold Monster 1000, Keene 212v Puffer Dry Washer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Mark, I'm a little over an hour away from Campo, short trip up the hill. This next week we'll be in Lincoln visiting grandchildren, daughters and the American river. I'll be up to some detecting after that if you'll have me. You said the equestrian area is off limits, how about the area where the short track oval is? I will get in touch with you when back from the NorCal trip, time and place is your call. Thanks for posting this.

On a side note....after reading the earlier posts I got in touch with Chris Wray and ordered a copy of The Historic Backcountry (thanks Tom, PayPal comission is on the way). It has been a pretty good information day.
 

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
.... I got in touch with Chris Wray and ordered a copy of The Historic Backcountry ....

I just glanced at the pages about the Campo area in my book. He's got much material on that area I'm sure you'll like. The book covers everything from the foothills behind San Diego, to the Colorado River, to the Mexican border , to I think as far north as Temecula or so (would have to look).

If you guys bomb out at your spots, and want to try a spot we never fully harvest, let me know. Will pass a GPS to you. We did get an 1841 seated dime at this spot. But after another full few hours with nothing but misc. age indicators to show for our efforts, we "left for greener grounds". The site was a collection of homesteads that dated from the mid 1800s (?) to the turn-of-century-ish. So there was henry shells, harmonica reeds, and misc. house wares , period targets , etc.... But it appeared to be just singular family concern type targets, rather than the preferred "traveler stopping spot" type concern. Hence we tended to focus our research on places where $$ was coming out and coins-changing hands. Eg.: over-night camp spots for travelers, stage stops, saloons, recreational sites, etc... And we did our durndest to stay away from places with modern influence. Because if it's a modern RV camping spot, or teenage modern party spot, then you can assume it's thrashed out in junk.
 

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
.....Julian is a wonderful place .....

One of the spots in the book we didn't get around to trying, was Green Valley Falls. Not far from Julian. I went there as a kid (d/t we had grandparents in the Brawley area). That would have been the mid 1960s. And I distinctly recall as a kid the scores of people frolicking and swimming in the river there. I always thought that would be a good spot to angle for jewelry and coins now. But no doubt, since it's still a modern draw, then you'd have to struggle for the older silver coins (and probably only 1920s-ish at the oldest). But if someone took their time in the swim zones after long droughts bring the water levels down, there should be jewelry in there.
 

OP
OP
4x4x4

4x4x4

Bronze Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,145
1,231
Southern California, outside of San Diego
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Mark, I'm a little over an hour away from Campo, short trip up the hill. This next week we'll be in Lincoln visiting grandchildren, daughters and the American river. I'll be up to some detecting after that if you'll have me. You said the equestrian area is off limits, how about the area where the short track oval is? I will get in touch with you when back from the NorCal trip, time and place is your call. Thanks for posting this.

On a side note....after reading the earlier posts I got in touch with Chris Wray and ordered a copy of The Historic Backcountry (thanks Tom, PayPal comission is on the way). It has been a pretty good information day.

....Truly, all I have is time ! Anytime!
The NEW oval track is familiar...unknown of the "old".
Currently working on permission for a neighborhood betting track in Potrero on private land.....so much to cover !
To be clear...I have no permission at CLEEF , the current operator but have scratched around the grounds raising no eyebrows. The equestrian buildings I was referring to were the Buffalo Solders and WW2 horse housing , now owned by the railroad museum....BUT the surrounding land is ripe with foundations I know little about.

TKS,
Mark.
 

Last edited:
OP
OP
4x4x4

4x4x4

Bronze Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,145
1,231
Southern California, outside of San Diego
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
One of the spots in the book we didn't get around to trying, was Green Valley Falls. Not far from Julian. I went there as a kid (d/t we had grandparents in the Brawley area). That would have been the mid 1960s. And I distinctly recall as a kid the scores of people frolicking and swimming in the river there. I always thought that would be a good spot to angle for jewelry and coins now. But no doubt, since it's still a modern draw, then you'd have to struggle for the older silver coins (and probably only 1920s-ish at the oldest). But if someone took their time in the swim zones after long droughts bring the water levels down, there should be jewelry in there.

I've only camped at GVF , never detected anything but friendly skunks !
Thanks for the heads up .
 

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