Hello Hoosiers!

[True_Metal]

Check your PM box Quicksilver.

Thanks alot!

 

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[Red_desert]

Check your PM box Quicksilver.

Thanks alot!

No message in my box, have not got any yet from anyone. Could you try sending another? Is there a setting I need to know about? I should have all set up ok.

 

[Red_desert]

I'm sorry True-metal (just sent a test PM), I see it was to Quicksilver...don't know how missed that, at least now I know my PMs are working.

 

[QUICKSILVER (appletree)]

Hey Red_Desert whats up? True- Metal was telling me to check my mail! So come on please do tell what cool place did you find? Don't tell where, just discribe it! poison ivy!!!! shoot get yourself a full rain suit with rubber boots and some good gloves, leave no stone unturned! Good luck with your swingin! QUICKSILVER(appletree)

 

[Red_desert]

Yeah, I'm surprised by what turned up with a little research. Have not seen the place yet, but got butterflies in my stomach. Actually, was looking for something might be free of poison ivy. It might be hard to put everything into a post. You know, northern Indiana with all the lakes and back swamps was a safe haven for outlaws...thieves, gangs, etc. Need I say more? There is more, just the tip of the iceburg so to speak.

This place I used to work, the boss is from the same town where was doing research on, is in another county. Never could understand why he would drive so far just to work a job. That boss also has many rental properties, he got some of his renters to work at the company. They sort of would ride together.

After getting Google maps of an area where Blacklegs gang operated, turned up a page in my search from the county historical info. I got a name for the location of the counterfeiter operation. I'll have to find out, it may be the name of a ghost town. This is a name not mentioned in the US Treasure Atlas. New info!!!!Yeah

If you want to hear more, let me know.

 

[tmanfromtexas]

Hell yeah red, spill the beans buddy!!!

If there was any gold or silver in the tank farms at BP it is long gone. Usually they will dig down up to 10 feet to set foundations etc, so that is probably a dead end, plus it is a marsec area (Coast Guard controlled) so getting in to MD will NOT happen, even for me. lol

As far as the weather, its getting better, of course I am heading home this weekend so me and the big Cortez wont get a chance to play, at least the cortez wont be playing, lol.

I went down into the southeast corner of Lake County to search for Asphaltum, found the town sign but its all fields now, couldnt find the train tracks so that ghost town is no longer.

If you guys want to get together for some huntin' let me know and I will be happy to join up. seems I will be up here for a while. TMAN...

 

[Red_desert]

Well TMAN, it is like this.

According to the county historical info:
"Iron ore is found in large quantities and of an excellent quality, and about three tons of good bar iron a day are manufactured at a forge at... "
"among the last counties to be vacated by the Indians and as late as 1848 there were villages of both the Miamis and Pottawatomies. Many evidences of Mound Builders are found all over the county." 1849 County Retrospect

That is just a sample, but if I go on would have to give a link and tell everyone what and where I found. It seems from this info that the Blacklegs gang was throughout the country, but my discovered location was the safest of all places for them. This is why the counterfeiting operation was set up here. In studying the Google maps found a park stuck right in the middle of this stuff. I was searching to see if it could be historical or a preserve. So far can't find anything to indicate either. Maybe just an old park, picnic area. Then also connected to the Blackleg gang location is an abandoned town which was a Catholic sanatorium known nationally for its treatments and baths. And is the old dam site on the banks of this old canal, which was never completed. Another name of a town, must be ghost town also, there was a Convent, established in 1876.

There was a famous band of horse thieves and counterfeiters who had headquarters in this county. They were called "Blacklegs" this gang was notorious all over the United States, and every township was infested with them (in the county).

My question is, why was nearly all of this info not listed in the US Treasure Atlas for that county? Apparently nobody found out the information. It was common knowledge, about the fact they existed here, using swamps in northern Indiana, but the headquarters had a name. Not really a town, just a spot or location. I now have the name, just need to check it out, do some more research. I believe it will turn out to be close to the park, maybe to the East a few miles.

 

[bottlebum]

Hell yeah red, spill the beans buddy!!!

If there was any gold or silver in the tank farms at BP it is long gone. Usually they will dig down up to 10 feet to set foundations etc, so that is probably a dead end, plus it is a marsec area (Coast Guard controlled) so getting in to MD will NOT happen, even for me. lol

As far as the weather, its getting better, of course I am heading home this weekend so me and the big Cortez wont get a chance to play, at least the cortez wont be playing, lol.

I went down into the southeast corner of Lake County to search for Asphaltum, found the town sign but its all fields now, couldnt find the train tracks so that ghost town is no longer.

If you guys want to get together for some huntin' let me know and I will be happy to join up. seems I will be up here for a while. TMAN...

Don't forget to give me a yell. Might be worth a trip to come up and hunt , for a weekend.

 

[Goio]

Hey TMan,

Did you get any phone numbers or saw any properties signs for rent or sale. we can start working on getting permission to hunt some of the properties.

 

[QUICKSILVER (appletree)]

Hey Tman, Asphaltum is in Jasper county, in the 1890's the C & W V RR had a spur track off the main line there because Jasper county had oil wells producing, Gifford had a refinery there, and his railroad had something like 4 tankcars, only lasted a couple of years then the wells ran dry, he abandoned the refinery and spur track, it was never really a town, just an area, a couple of houses are there, and like you said open space and some woods, here is some info on the Chicago and Walbash Valley Rail Road aka The Onion Belt.

Wandering The Northern Division


The Chicago and Wabash Valley Railroad


The Chicago and Wabash Valley Railroad was built by Benjamin Gifford, who came to northwest Indiana in 1891. Gifford was very resourceful. He acquired his education, taught school, studied law, became a lawyer, and in 1861 volunterred and served under General Grant in the Union Army. During the war he was wounded several times, and carried a bullet in his spine until he died in the hospital in Rensselaer in March 1913, at the age of 73.



Benjamin Gifford


Benjamin Gifford started to acquire land in the southern portions of Lake County and the northern part of Jasper County, until his holding were around 36,000 acres of the low-lands, known as the Black and Copperas Marshes. Gifford had located the divide between the Kankakee and the Iroquois Rivers. His dream was to transform the swamps into gardens to supply the city of Chicago with fresh vegetables. He drained the marshes by building miles of dredge ditching. Gifford also constructed public roads, dug smaller ditches, and divided his land into farms of 80, 160, and 320 acres. Each farm contained a set of farm buildings. By the late 1890's the annual harvest in the area was nearly one million bushels of corn, oats, onions and potatoes, with the prospect of annual crops topping that. While drilling wells for water on his land north of Gifford, Indiana, oil was discovered and Gifford invested a million dollars and constructed a refinery. By 1900 more than 100 wells in the area were producing 400 barrels of oil daily at a town named Asphaltum. Gifford soon built a four-mile spur rail line from Gifford to Asphaltum, the site of "Gifford's oil fields."

The Chicago and Wabash Valley Railroad formed on September 10, 1898. Kersey, Indiana, two miles east of DeMotte, became his center of operation, where Gifford built a depot, general store, elevator, school and engine shed, and several homes for his employees. He started building his railway to the south, and crossed the now abandoned Chicago, Attica, and Southern Railway, creating stations at Laura, Gifford, Newland and Moody. The railroad followed a southeasterly tract with Gifford owned, or controlled land on either side. The line ran 24 miles from Kersey to McCoysburg where the line met the Monon Railroad. The route was planned to cross the Kankakee River and travel north to Lowell, Cedar Lake, or perhaps on to Chicago Heights. Some thought that the farmers in West Creek Township didn't want to sacrifice valuable bottom land for a railroad but several businessmen from Lowell urged Gifford to come closer to town. Gifford started receiving the hearty cooperaton of the many local business and land owners. Gifford began a survey of his "One-Man Railroad" in August 1898. Gifford furnished all the money, and controlled the railroad officially known as the Chicago & Wabash Valley Railroad. That same year, 20 miles of track were completed, starting at Zodac, first to the southeast, then to the northwest into Lake County to a point east of Lowell, called Dinwiddie Station. Today it is the intersection of I-65 and State Rd. 2. A spur was also built to the oil refinery at Gifford. All total, the line boasted forty miles of track.

Soon after acquiring engines and rolling stock, Gifford's railroad operated two to three daily trips, with Kersey, Indiana, as headquarters. The line served the adjoining land for many years. After Gifford's death in 1913, the line was sold to the Monon Railroad. Gifford's ultimate aim was to build his railroad into Gary, but he died before this dream was realized. The line was never completed north of Dinwiddie Station. The right-of-way was graded to a point south and east of Crown Point. In September of 1935. the Monon Railroad was given permission by Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the Gifford Line. The loss of this railroad caused great inconvenience to the area. Two grain elevators east of Lowell, the Lowell Grain Company, at Dinwiddie, the Fifield Elevator on Range Line Road eventually went out of business.

 

[QUICKSILVER (appletree)]

Heres a Google earth of Asphaltum.

 

[junior967]

Hey Quicksilver. How old was your list you posted about clubs. I have tried a couple different times about clubs and most are old postings/listings and the clubs are no longer around. The one in Brownsburg is not to far away from me.

Brownsburg

Forming - Central Indiana Club
Lee Service,
P.O. Box 22
Brownsburg, IN 46112
317-858-1245

 

[QUICKSILVER (appletree)]

LOL!!!!!!! I got the list from FMDAC, I was a member last year as a solo hunter, but it figures it would be an old list, that group does not offer anything!

 

[QUICKSILVER (appletree)]

Heres a short list from the internet.

Indiana

Hoosier Hills Treasure Hunters Club
c/o Carroll Speer
9813 Lakewood Dr.
Louisville, KY 40272 USA

Hoosier Hills Treasure Hunters Club
Seymour, IN USA
1-812-497-2537

Lincoln Heritage Treasure Hunters
4614 Pollack Ave.
Evansville, IN 47714 USA
Contact: J. Mark Sandman
1-812-476-8567

Miami Valley Coin & Relic Hunters Club
Fort Wayne, IN USA
Contact: Gary Keipper
1-260-627-6234
E-Mail: [email protected]

 

[QUICKSILVER (appletree)]

Pioneer History by Richard C. Schmal

Benjamin Gifford and the Chicago and Wabash Valley Railroad
(from the September 28, 1983, Lowell Tribune, page 4)
The Chicago and Wabash Valley Railroad was built by Benjamin Gifford, who came to this area in 1891. He was the son of Freeman Gifford and Cornelia Fielder Gifford, natives of New Jersey, who came by covered wagon and homesteaded in Kendall County, Ill., in 1838.

Gifford grew to manhood in those pioneer days, acquired his education, taught school, studied law, became a lawyer, and in 1861 volunterred and served under General Grant in the Union Army. During the war he was wounded several times, and carried a bullet in his spine until he died in the hospital in Rensselaer in March 1913, at the age of 73.*

Benjamin Gifford acquired about 36,000 acres of the low-lands in southern Lake and Jasper counties. He drained the marshes by building many miles of dredge ditching, built public roads, dug smaller ditches, and divided his land into farms of 80, 160, and 320 acres, building sets of farm buildings on each site.

While drilling deep wells for water on his land north of Gifford, Ind., he discovered oil and built a million-dollar oil refinery in 1899.

The following story about that railroad and the enterprising Gifford is told by the "Old Timer":

"In the summer of 1901, I had the privilege of joining an excursion on the new Chicago and Wabash Valley Railroad, a trip that offered an excellent opportunity to view the country-side and to inspect the new business venture of Mr. Gifford. Several men from Lowell took time off from their busy schedules on the morning of July 2, 1901. They were: John Lynch, J.M. Castle, A. Wilkinson, E.S. Clark, R.W. Bacon, F.E. Brownell, M. Kelsey and S.C. Dwyer. These men boarded the Kelsey Livery Bus, while Dr. Davis and Mort Gragg followed in a buggy. They were all going to visit Mr. Gifford with the purpose in mind of inviting him to bring his railroad through Lowell.

"The drive to Sheby was a splendid outing in itself, as it gave us a view of the farmlands on both sides, and there was enthusiastic comment on the great improvement on the land as we crossed the marsh to Fuller Island. We noticed the fine state of cultivation where Claude Rumsey, Lew Chapman and John Klein all had fine corn growing on the bottoms.

"South of Fuller Island, cultivation has been rapidly taking over, until there is very little marsh left. Closer to Shelby the sugar beet acreage could be seen, and the shantys and tents of the beet growers are seen in groups in every direction. We observed that the beet plants were more healthy on black soil than on the sandy. "Upon arriving at Dick Fuller's Hotel in the fast growing town of Shelby, our horses were cared for and our supper ordered for our return in the evening. We had half an hour to wait for the eastbound train on the 3-I Railroand (Indiana, Illinois & Iowa ) and then sped across the river and on through the timber past Nelson Morris' 30,000 or more acres, catching a glimpse of his herd of elk, and then on to DeMotte and Kersey, not far away.

"We were met by the train superintendent, Frank Lewis, who greeted us and invited us aboard a special coach on the train which ahd been waiting a half hour. Mr. Gifford, with C.C. Sigler, then came aboard to meet us and began to visit as if he had known us always. At that time he was about 60 years of age with white hair and beard. He stood erect and watched with his sharp black eyes, as he hurried among his gusests, shaking his shoulders when touched with joy.

"Our course was southeasterly, with Gifford land on both sides, which was known in earlier days as the Black and Copperas Marshes. The tract embraced 33,000 acres, through which his railroad ran for 24 miles from Kersey to McCoysburg, with an outlet on the North and the Monon on the south. He had located the divide between the Kankakee and the Iroquois Rivers, dug nearly 200 miles of dredged ditches at $1,500 per mile, as well as many smaller ditches. His dream was to transform the swamps into gardens to supply the city of Chicago with fresh vegetables. The land was being farmed by his 200 tenants, who lived in good sized farm houses and who worked under the direction of five or six foremen. His nephews, Freeman H. Gifford and Harry Gifford, were two of those foreman.

"Mr. Gifford proposed that within a year or two the breakfast tables in the metropolitan hotels would be furnished with fresh garden vegetables and relishes plucked from the old marsh lands the night before and transported over his railway.

"As we traveled along, all the land as far as we could see was under cultivation. His houses were built of timber from his own land, as well as the railroad ties. He gave every man living on the railroad land a job, and when the first year's crops failed, he gave them employment gathering stone from off the land which they piled up at the town of Gifford.

"We were invited for dinner at the home of Mr. Henneford, a fine meal I must say. Near McCoysburg we saw the best of corn and some 'Fourth of July Oats' as Mr. Brownell called them.

"It rained hard on the return trip. On the way we saw piles of ties sufficient for ten miles of track plannned for the line north of the Kankakee River. We talked of his route north to Lowell to Cedar Lake to West Creek, or perhaps on to Chicago Heights. Some thought that the farmers at West Creek didn't want to sacrifice valuable bottom land for a railroad. The men from Lowell seemed to urge Mr. Gifford to come closer to their town. On our return trip we were also escorted to one of the many flowing oil wells at Kersey, met Mr. Hubbard, the storekeeper there, and then traveled to Shelby, where we said goodbye to Mr Gifford. We promised him a rousing good time and all kinds of encouragement if he came to visit Lowell, which we hoped he would at a later date."

Soon after the trip taken by the "Old Timer" and his friends, there was an article in the local paper telling about the new plans for the Gifford Line. Gifford drove over from DeMotte on a Friday evening, July, 1901, and called upon several public spriited land owners, many of whom granted the right-of-way through their farms. These land owners were George Norton, Thomas Craft, F.E. Brownell and William and John Buckley, Sr. The news item noted that Gifford was receiving the hearty cooperaton of the majority of locals. Benjamin J. Gifford began his survey of what was known as "The One-Man Railroad" in August 1898, furnished all the money, and controlled the railroad officially known as the Chicago & Wabash Valley Railroad. That same year, 20 miles of track were completed, starting at Zodac, first to the southeast, then to the northwest into Lake County to a point east of Lowell. Then called the Dinwiddie Station, it is now the intersection of I-65 and State Rd. 2. A spur was also built to the oil refinery at Gifford, with a total forty miles of track.

Soon after acquiring engines and rolling stock, he operated two to three daily trips, with Kersey, Ind., as the head-quarters. The line served the adjoining land for many years, but after Gifford's death in 1913, it was sold to the Monon Railroad Co.

His ultimate aim was to build his railroad into Gary, but he died before this dream was realized, and the line was never completed north of Dinwiddie Station. The right-of-way, however, was graded to a point south and east of Crown Point.

In September, 1935. the Monon Co. was given permission by Interstate Commerce Commission to abandon the Gifford Line.

The loss of this railroad caused great inconvenience to the area, especially the eventual loss of two grain elevators east of Lowell, the Lowell Grain Co. at Dinwiddie and the other owned by O.G. Fifield on Range Line Rd.

Benjamin Gifford's dream of getting his railroad to Chicago almost came true.


* * * * *
* NOTE -- Benjamin Gifford died March 30, 1913, in Rensselaer, Indiana, but was buried in Mound Cemetery at Kankakee, Illinois.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last updated on August 9, 2006.
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[Goio]

So, when are we looting Asphaltum?

 

[tmanfromtexas]

So, when are we looting Asphaltum?

LOL. I dont know if I will head back down there. It is in the middle of no where and a good little drive from here. TMAN...

 

[QUICKSILVER (appletree)]

The land around there is swampy to! Google The Chicago and Walbash Valley Railroad, its attached to the Monon Railroad, there is a site there that takes you on a tour of the entire length of the C & W V RR aka The Onion Belt, the tour begins at Dinwidie or Rt. 2 and I-65 and follows its path all the way to the point where it atached to the Monon at McCoysburg, Gifford did not like the Monon so origianlly was to build over it to Layfayette Indiana. There are several ghost towns along the route of the C & WV RR, check out the tour, its right at the top of the list, it shows photos and has info of each town it went to, and whats there now, the railroad also did not end at Dinwiddie it crossed Rt.2 at a NW direction and cut through what is now Apple Valley, then they made the rail bed north to a couple miles south of Crown Point, where it was to split and one track would proceed to Crown Point and the other would go on to Gary, check out the tour its interesting. QUICKSILVER(appletree)

 

[souptime]

I bought a detector earlier this summer.. Garrett Ace 250... I've only been out hunting a few times... would also like to have a buddy to tag along with. I live west of Huntington in the Peru area. The two resivours between us would be fun if your interested. I've never posted here before so I have no idea how to give you contact information other than I will just check back in a couple days to see if you've left me any reply. thanks soupy

 

[B1u3Dr4g0n1]

Hey Bottle................................................BUM LOL!!!!!! How am I going to get the wifie poo to say that's a BIG 10-4 Good Buddy?!!!!!! You know I'd love to travel the 4000 miles to the wonderful southern most regions of our lovely state and search those caves and foundations till there is nothing but a huge crater filling with Ohio river water!!!! but you know damn well that Joanie will not let me do anything these days or the next 6 life times!!! (EVIL LURKS IN MY HOUSE) If there was a way "OH JOY" I would be there! and you know it!!!!!! QUICKSILVER(monkeyinatree)

Dude we need to start a NW Indiana DUH-TEKTOR Club because there is not a single one here!!!!!!!!!!!
What does everyone think??

You Do....lol