Dallas area legends - about to start weekend morning hunts - any interest to team up?

[VernonWalter]

As the title suggests, I'm very interested in searching based on some legends in the Dallas area. The two main ones I have in mind now are gold / cache related - one is at California Crossing (Irving, technically), and the other is just on the Dallas/Tarrant County border, just west of Cedar Hill near Joe Poole Lake. The information I have for both of these sites basically sounds like it's going to take a lot of time and scouting before any real progress might be made. I'm already working with another cool person on a different North Texas opportunity, and if they're interested in these then I might have at least one other person, able bodied and smart, available to join in too.

Also, I'm genuinely interested in following trails - Indian, Jesuit, Spanish, KGC - you name it, there's signs of this stuff everywhere. I've been focusing on streams / creeks / rivers, and have been getting better at spotting 'manipulated' trees. It's not really that difficult, but I'm still very new at it, but physically fit enough and rough enough to be willing to hike quite a bit during a weekend morning. Not allergic to poison ivy or poison oak comes in handy. While I've found trees all around the area, I'm noticing a lot cues off of the Trinity River (hence the California Crossing legend), and for instance, around Bachman Creek south of Love Field, I've been able to find a series of hoot-owl trees...at least they look like them to me, so if anybody could join in, or be a resource for me to bounce photos off of from time to time, I'm a fair dealer and would appreciate any getting ahead possible.

I'm planning on going at the Dallas stuff myself when I can, so even if nobody's interested, I'll still try to keep some action going in the Texas area of this forum. Thanks to all and feel free to post here or PM as you're able. Happy Hunting!

 

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[pyledriver]

I checked out CC a few years back. Might go back sometime-be ready for an incredible amount of trash! Still, I only scratched the surface. There are a few cool legends though, I just find myself going as far away as possible for my adventures. Never know what's under your nose.

Keep me posted on who all you round up. Most people lose interest when you talk about snakes, poison ivy and hardship! For me, generally weekends are not best for me but I could do some hunts once or twice a month. I also have a two box that needs to pay for itself before I decide to sell it off!

 

[VernonWalter]

Glad to have your contribution and thoughts, Pyledriver! Having a bit of encouragement is a big help.

So this weekend I was able to make my first visit to California Crossing and will do a quick write-up. It was a limited trip. My dog is still a puppy and because she's Corgi-Pug, she doesn't like long distances or heat without plenty of water, so for her sake I only checked out a small bit, but feel that I learned a lot!

For now I'm only on the Irving side, which would be the West bank. Riverside Drive, for now, will be my access point, and from there I was able to do some light walking Southward and East toward the river. There are quite a few signs of work to create drainage and municipal facilities in the area - an offshoot canal type thing, numerous raised concrete mound things that look sewer related. Floodplain type? Over the years there has been quite a bit of work done close to where I was, and yet, there are huge patches of undisturbed trees and brush as well. North is where most of the development took place, making trails and family friendly stuff.

When I say huge, I mean that some of the patches look to be a couple hundred yards across and a thousand deep. One area I went through had some trails naturally pounded down into them, so I did a bit of regular exploring, basically just looking around and trying not to step in anything or let the dog get too absorbed with whatever. I'm pleased to report that in the AM it's really quite shaded inside of the area. However, if venturing off the main trails, outdoor-ready clothing would be necessary (jeans or camo, heavy shoes, face/arm protections), and that's just thinking about the "usual" trail related areas - I haven't gotten into the couple of dense patches yet but do want to soon.

Mostly, for this venture, I wanted to look upward, into the trees, to see if I could pick up on any markings or modifications. Considering the main interest, treasure wise, is from the 1850s, I figured "hey don't look at eye level - look up about 20 or 30 feet" as a general rule. Well, it sure looks like many of the trees have been around for a long time, but if anybody can comment on the growth expectations for a couple different Texas tree types (or point me to a link that I can read up myself!), it would be useful information. I'm thinking that at least seeing one or two marked trees will be a real possibility, provided I'm outside of the typical 'beat' where people have activities. Also, in the areas that are still basically wooded, I'm going to try and keep an eye out for rock formations or placements that appear man made. If anybody has reference points or examples of 'piles' or symbols or even tree markings that are commonly associated with 49ers or gold rush type folk, that might really come in handy.

North of where I first started exploring (and where I plan to continue for now), there are numerous trails and a lot of the trees and foliage have either been cut down or cleared. I'm not optimistic about waving a detector over any of that area - plus, it's just a lot of turf to cover. I suppose it would be workable if only hunting for a large deposit - not bothering to dig up small stuff - but I'm still too inexperienced, I think, to know what that might sound like on my Pioneer 202, which is doing ok for me so far, I know it's nothing special. I do plan on venturing North, but as of this writing, I'm pretty sure sticking to the South area is a better avenue. There are no indications that a real "rough and tumble" exploration of the brush is prohibited, so I'm game!

I may be able to go out again this weekend, but will leave the dog and bring a camera instead. Any photos that look to have potential I'll try and upload here. Since joining the forum I've noticed quite a few really great sets of eyes and knowledge deep and clear, so I will definitely appreciate any support or guidance that comes my way.

Happy hunting all!

 

[pyledriver]

Well you're doing the right thing recon-wise. Regular detectors will struggle amongst all the small metal objects, the two box will ignore those and only sound off on larger items. Unfortunately that could be a coke can or large iron chunk, etc. the main issue with that will be one of not drawing attention. On the other hand, a couple guys with hardhats and orange vests using a weird looking piece of electronic gear would probably be mostly ignored!

Marking-wise, there may not be any! Thinking along the lines of 'quick' and 'temporary', I would expect landmarks to be the biggest location tool they would have had back then. The hard part is the silly stuff like 'ten paces south of the big tree'. What if it's not there anymore, what if they used a tree that was different from the rest, or sick, had a buzzard roost in it, etc. So we're left with first looking for the biggest trees closest to the trail, then branching out from there. Finally, if that fails (which it commonly does), good old fashioned gridding and sweat come into play. This is not meant to discourage!! Keep in mind all the treasures found by accident!

It also occurs to me that a dip needle might help out, IF what was buried was in an iron pot. Those rely on disturbance of the earths magnetic field. Just like getting a piece of metal too close to a compass. I have one of those too! Very small and unobtrusive, thus far hasn't paid for itself either, lol!

It's work! But nothing will be found from the recliner as I like to say..

 

[lnlbean]

I live just south of DFW and just 8 miles from Cedar Hill. I am new to the area and need a hunting partner. PM me if you are still interested!

 

[Metal Detecting Stuff]

lnlbean, sent you a PM.

Wayne

www.metaldetectingstuff.com

 

[Hand Digger]

I might be able to help also. PM me if you still need help.

 

[EdwarDallas]

I started a group on Facebook called DFW Metal Detecting Group. All are welcome to join!


EdwarDallas
DFW Metal Detecting Group on Facebook