halfdime
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I initially posted this in December 2009 but found out information today that closes the case. The main character in the following story died on Christmas Day, 2012.
By the forecast, today looked to be the last reasonably warm day for a while, at least in Western PA.
Naturally, that meant that I had to finish searching the dirt I pulled out of a privy on Saturday. For some reason, the soil was damp all the way to the bottom of the pit, not fit for sifting. Making matters worse, we had a little rain yesterday that made sifting impossible. I had a plan, though, for searching the dirt before it went back where it came from: by shoveling it onto a piece of plywood and spreading it out, I could run the detector over it and spot small bottles by eye. Really, the only thing I might miss would be a marble, but I had to get the dirt back in the pit before it froze solid. This system worked pretty well, and shortly after I started I got a pretty good quarter signal from one load of dirt. It turned out to be one of those lucky tokens, the kind that almost looks like a small sheriff's badge. They often have a name on them; the last one I found had the name of a recently deceased gentleman and his daughters were pleased to receive it from me. It wasn't a quarter, but a lucky token from the bottom of a privy is a pretty cool find! Once I got home, I gave the piece a good scrub and the names became clear: "CAROL & JOHN DALE MAY 15, 1952." "Well," I thought, "Carol and John Dale got married on May 15, 1952. How quaint." I also found another miner's token, this one with the number 7 on it. Wanting to take a picture, I turned on the camera and the message said, "Memory card full." Or something like that. I don't like to post without pictures, so I figured I'd get another card and then do the post.
My mother came over tonight to watch the kids, so I showed her today's finds. I mentioned before that she went to 3rd and 4th grade in the school across the road from our ghost town, so anything I find there has a little more interest. With as much authority as I could muster, I showed her the piece and said, "This couple, Carol and John Dale, must have gotten married on May 15, 1952." Almost immediately, she started to laugh and gasp at the same time. She knew John Dale! Only Dale was his middle name, not his last name; to protect his privacy, I won't divulge it here. He was two years ahead of her at their tiny high school, and also two years ahead of her at the college down the road! He was a pretty fair basketball player at both schools, and apparently had a little trouble in French. How do I know this? Mom, who was more than competent in French, confessed that, once upon a time in high school, John Dale approached her for help on a French assignment. By help, I mean that she did it and he presented it as his work!
Mom also remembered having a discussion with Jesus about it afterward 
. And no, John didn't marry Carol; the date on the token would have been in the spring of his junior year in high school! Mom knew the name of his future bride, but again, that won't be mentioned here. She also is pretty sure that she remembered Carol and her last name. Neither of them lived in the ghost town, so how the token ended up in a privy there is anyone's guess. Now, here's the big question: we're pretty certain that John Dale is still living; he'd be about 74 now. Should I try to contact him and return the token?
If my camera had any space left, I'd have taken the picture and posted the find, but would have missed out on the great story! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case I have to disagree. When I get a new card, I will take a picture and post it on this thread, but I just couldn't wait to tell the story!
By the forecast, today looked to be the last reasonably warm day for a while, at least in Western PA.
Naturally, that meant that I had to finish searching the dirt I pulled out of a privy on Saturday. For some reason, the soil was damp all the way to the bottom of the pit, not fit for sifting. Making matters worse, we had a little rain yesterday that made sifting impossible. I had a plan, though, for searching the dirt before it went back where it came from: by shoveling it onto a piece of plywood and spreading it out, I could run the detector over it and spot small bottles by eye. Really, the only thing I might miss would be a marble, but I had to get the dirt back in the pit before it froze solid. This system worked pretty well, and shortly after I started I got a pretty good quarter signal from one load of dirt. It turned out to be one of those lucky tokens, the kind that almost looks like a small sheriff's badge. They often have a name on them; the last one I found had the name of a recently deceased gentleman and his daughters were pleased to receive it from me. It wasn't a quarter, but a lucky token from the bottom of a privy is a pretty cool find! Once I got home, I gave the piece a good scrub and the names became clear: "CAROL & JOHN DALE MAY 15, 1952." "Well," I thought, "Carol and John Dale got married on May 15, 1952. How quaint." I also found another miner's token, this one with the number 7 on it. Wanting to take a picture, I turned on the camera and the message said, "Memory card full." Or something like that. I don't like to post without pictures, so I figured I'd get another card and then do the post. My mother came over tonight to watch the kids, so I showed her today's finds. I mentioned before that she went to 3rd and 4th grade in the school across the road from our ghost town, so anything I find there has a little more interest. With as much authority as I could muster, I showed her the piece and said, "This couple, Carol and John Dale, must have gotten married on May 15, 1952." Almost immediately, she started to laugh and gasp at the same time. She knew John Dale! Only Dale was his middle name, not his last name; to protect his privacy, I won't divulge it here. He was two years ahead of her at their tiny high school, and also two years ahead of her at the college down the road! He was a pretty fair basketball player at both schools, and apparently had a little trouble in French. How do I know this? Mom, who was more than competent in French, confessed that, once upon a time in high school, John Dale approached her for help on a French assignment. By help, I mean that she did it and he presented it as his work!
Mom also remembered having a discussion with Jesus about it afterward . And no, John didn't marry Carol; the date on the token would have been in the spring of his junior year in high school! Mom knew the name of his future bride, but again, that won't be mentioned here. She also is pretty sure that she remembered Carol and her last name. Neither of them lived in the ghost town, so how the token ended up in a privy there is anyone's guess. Now, here's the big question: we're pretty certain that John Dale is still living; he'd be about 74 now. Should I try to contact him and return the token? If my camera had any space left, I'd have taken the picture and posted the find, but would have missed out on the great story! They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case I have to disagree. When I get a new card, I will take a picture and post it on this thread, but I just couldn't wait to tell the story!
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And yes, I'd be looking for Dale. I bet it would make for a great conversation.
