arkansas

civil_war22

Relic Recovery Specialist
Dec 5, 2008
3,215
2,810
NW Arkansas
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75 SE/LTD2, minelab Etrac, whites classic id, spectrum xlt, fisher f7, fisher 1266, king of all Tesoro Cibola, Tesoro Vaquero, Fisher 1280-X, minelab equinox, Fisher F75+ Garrett AT MAX
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Dan and I found the initial contack humorous we had no idea using his dectector to find and old rusty piece of tin and a couple of square nails could in any way be illegal. He was not armed all he had was a back pack and if he could have called for backup it would have taken them a good bit of time to get to us and by that time we would have been long gone. Both of us were pretty strong from all the heavy work we did everyday. When he first started his demands the thoughts that ran through my head is this little skinny guy must be incredibly stupid wearing britches way way to big for him and a smile came to my face. We joked about this all the way home but that first day in court certainly changed our attitudes. If i had to do it over again i think I would have just laughed and just left him standing there.
This happened to my brother and I yesterday. I medically retired from law enforcement after 14 years. I always carry when I’m out and about even if it’s just a concealed carry, but we got a permission yesterday for a very old plantation home and when we were digging about 2 hours in, there was a younger guy probably in his 20’s blocked my truck in as I was trying to move it closer to where we were hunting. He didn’t realize I was in my truck and thought it was just my brother out there. He got out of his truck acting like Rip from Yellowstone, with cowboy boots, and yellow teeth, and started in on my brother and I stepped out and by that time my brother began to get closer to him and basically let him know he’s not going to put up with some sawed off short punk tell us what to do. I got out and told him I had permission. He asked me by who, I said the landowner, he then said which one, I said the Main landowner, the one who owns all this property. It was a huge vacant lot out in the county. I then told him the guys name, and that he needs to move his truck or I could move it for him because I was needing to park it closer to where we were detecting. He acted like he wasn’t going to and started looking at his phone, and I said I’m going to ask you one more time to politely move it and then if you don’t I’m not going to be so polite. He already knew I was a former law enforcement officer because my vest is one I had at the sheriffs office and has my name on it as well as the name of the old department I worked in. I said, I’m a medically retired law enforcement officer, while I may not be able to arrest you, you blocking me in and not letting me out is against the law because you’re unlawfully detaining me, and also harassing us. He said well you need to call the daughter, and I countered back, the dads name is on the property, I’ve shaken his hand and he agreed to let us detect and it’s even on my dash camera. Then I told him that in Arkansas the RPO(registered property owner) is the one who gives the permission, and who owns, pays taxes on it, and is the one to go to if I have questions. He still tried to get my brother to call her, and my brother said he sent her a message before we found the dad lived next door to the vacant home he grew up in, and it’s right next to his grandparents land where the home site was on. My brother told him, she didn’t answer me, and since her name isn’t on the accessors website as owning it then we got the permission from the father to detect it. He had already gotten that short man syndrome out of his brain when I’d walked out with my old uniform on and my gun attached to the front, and then after a few minutes of explaining what a metal detector was he left. My brother out of the kindness and respectful kind of person he is tried again to make contact with the daughter and got no answer. So we detected a little longer and after coming up fairly empty handed we left.
 

crashbandicoot

Gold Member
Sep 27, 2020
12,129
27,099
Dumas,AR
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
This happened to my brother and I yesterday. I medically retired from law enforcement after 14 years. I always carry when I’m out and about even if it’s just a concealed carry, but we got a permission yesterday for a very old plantation home and when we were digging about 2 hours in, there was a younger guy probably in his 20’s blocked my truck in as I was trying to move it closer to where we were hunting. He didn’t realize I was in my truck and thought it was just my brother out there. He got out of his truck acting like Rip from Yellowstone, with cowboy boots, and yellow teeth, and started in on my brother and I stepped out and by that time my brother began to get closer to him and basically let him know he’s not going to put up with some sawed off short punk tell us what to do. I got out and told him I had permission. He asked me by who, I said the landowner, he then said which one, I said the Main landowner, the one who owns all this property. It was a huge vacant lot out in the county. I then told him the guys name, and that he needs to move his truck or I could move it for him because I was needing to park it closer to where we were detecting. He acted like he wasn’t going to and started looking at his phone, and I said I’m going to ask you one more time to politely move it and then if you don’t I’m not going to be so polite. He already knew I was a former law enforcement officer because my vest is one I had at the sheriffs office and has my name on it as well as the name of the old department I worked in. I said, I’m a medically retired law enforcement officer, while I may not be able to arrest you, you blocking me in and not letting me out is against the law because you’re unlawfully detaining me, and also harassing us. He said well you need to call the daughter, and I countered back, the dads name is on the property, I’ve shaken his hand and he agreed to let us detect and it’s even on my dash camera. Then I told him that in Arkansas the RPO(registered property owner) is the one who gives the permission, and who owns, pays taxes on it, and is the one to go to if I have questions. He still tried to get my brother to call her, and my brother said he sent her a message before we found the dad lived next door to the vacant home he grew up in, and it’s right next to his grandparents land where the home site was on. My brother told him, she didn’t answer me, and since her name isn’t on the accessors website as owning it then we got the permission from the father to detect it. He had already gotten that short man syndrome out of his brain when I’d walked out with my old uniform on and my gun attached to the front, and then after a few minutes of explaining what a metal detector was he left. My brother out of the kindness and respectful kind of person he is tried again to make contact with the daughter and got no answer. So we detected a little longer and after coming up fairly empty handed we left.
Nice!
 

bfloyd4445

Sr. Member
May 18, 2015
257
189
Sacramento Ca. or Drain Or. USA
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Gold
Primary Interest:
Other
This happened to my brother and I yesterday. I medically retired from law enforcement after 14 years. I always carry when I’m out and about even if it’s just a concealed carry, but we got a permission yesterday for a very old plantation home and when we were digging about 2 hours in, there was a younger guy probably in his 20’s blocked my truck in as I was trying to move it closer to where we were hunting. He didn’t realize I was in my truck and thought it was just my brother out there. He got out of his truck acting like Rip from Yellowstone, with cowboy boots, and yellow teeth, and started in on my brother and I stepped out and by that time my brother began to get closer to him and basically let him know he’s not going to put up with some sawed off short punk tell us what to do. I got out and told him I had permission. He asked me by who, I said the landowner, he then said which one, I said the Main landowner, the one who owns all this property. It was a huge vacant lot out in the county. I then told him the guys name, and that he needs to move his truck or I could move it for him because I was needing to park it closer to where we were detecting. He acted like he wasn’t going to and started looking at his phone, and I said I’m going to ask you one more time to politely move it and then if you don’t I’m not going to be so polite. He already knew I was a former law enforcement officer because my vest is one I had at the sheriffs office and has my name on it as well as the name of the old department I worked in. I said, I’m a medically retired law enforcement officer, while I may not be able to arrest you, you blocking me in and not letting me out is against the law because you’re unlawfully detaining me, and also harassing us. He said well you need to call the daughter, and I countered back, the dads name is on the property, I’ve shaken his hand and he agreed to let us detect and it’s even on my dash camera. Then I told him that in Arkansas the RPO(registered property owner) is the one who gives the permission, and who owns, pays taxes on it, and is the one to go to if I have questions. He still tried to get my brother to call her, and my brother said he sent her a message before we found the dad lived next door to the vacant home he grew up in, and it’s right next to his grandparents land where the home site was on. My brother told him, she didn’t answer me, and since her name isn’t on the accessors website as owning it then we got the permission from the father to detect it. He had already gotten that short man syndrome out of his brain when I’d walked out with my old uniform on and my gun attached to the front, and then after a few minutes of explaining what a metal detector was he left. My brother out of the kindness and respectful kind of person he is tried again to make contact with the daughter and got no answer. So we detected a little longer and after coming up fairly empty handed we left.
The little guy we ran into was actually working for the feds. When we ended in court for trial with our lawyers the feds brought in over six expert witnesses which the judge refused to let talk. She ended by saying that under this act any human artifact discovered over fifty years old cannot be touched without first applying for a permit and seeking professional assistance. She said in her opinion the act was not properly defined and untill it was better defined she would dismiss any cases brought before her. She also said the act had merit to protect the rights of indigenous people and protect archeological sites from destruction. Can't remember all the details this was around 45 years ago. I do remember infractions could be punishable with 20 years in the pen and a stiff fine, damages.
 

civil_war22

Relic Recovery Specialist
Dec 5, 2008
3,215
2,810
NW Arkansas
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Fisher F75 SE/LTD2, minelab Etrac, whites classic id, spectrum xlt, fisher f7, fisher 1266, king of all Tesoro Cibola, Tesoro Vaquero, Fisher 1280-X, minelab equinox, Fisher F75+ Garrett AT MAX
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
The little guy we ran into was actually working for the feds. When we ended in court for trial with our lawyers the feds brought in over six expert witnesses which the judge refused to let talk. She ended by saying that under this act any human artifact discovered over fifty years old cannot be touched without first applying for a permit and seeking professional assistance. She said in her opinion the act was not properly defined and untill it was better defined she would dismiss any cases brought before her. She also said the act had merit to protect the rights of indigenous people and protect archeological sites from destruction. Can't remember all the details this was around 45 years ago. I do remember infractions could be punishable with 20 years in the pen and a stiff fine, damages.
Luckily I am an indigenous liaison on digs concerning the Cherokee Nation or anything that has to do with excavating the trails. We luckily don’t have many areas where we live where the Antiquities Act applies due to most of it being on private property. I remember the one place that is a federal park here that a guy went in over night metal detecting it and a buddy of mine who was a Ranger at the time spotted his vehicle. The Game and Fish guys here have a way to run with their vehicles completely blacked out and still see by using a Night Vision setup in their trucks. I went with the Ranger who had eventually caught the guy on one of the parks many hidden trail cameras that saw him out there digging a lot of relics. When they went to apprehend him he was on his way back to his vehicle with two five gallon bucket full of Civil War relics including coins, buttons, bullets, cannonballs, and lots of other military related stuff. He went to federal court and lost his car, metal detector, and got I think 5 years in a federal prison
 

ADHD_Outdoors

Jr. Member
Mar 31, 2022
53
97
Arkansas
Detector(s) used
AT Pro
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Luckily I am an indigenous liaison on digs concerning the Cherokee Nation or anything that has to do with excavating the trails. We luckily don’t have many areas where we live where the Antiquities Act applies due to most of it being on private property. I remember the one place that is a federal park here that a guy went in over night metal detecting it and a buddy of mine who was a Ranger at the time spotted his vehicle. The Game and Fish guys here have a way to run with their vehicles completely blacked out and still see by using a Night Vision setup in their trucks. I went with the Ranger who had eventually caught the guy on one of the parks many hidden trail cameras that saw him out there digging a lot of relics. When they went to apprehend him he was on his way back to his vehicle with two five gallon bucket full of Civil War relics including coins, buttons, bullets, cannonballs, and lots of other military related stuff. He went to federal court and lost his car, metal detector, and got I think 5 years in a federal prison
I know a little about thise blacked out trucks and catching folks at night. 😉
 

bfloyd4445

Sr. Member
May 18, 2015
257
189
Sacramento Ca. or Drain Or. USA
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Gold
Primary Interest:
Other
Luckily I am an indigenous liaison on digs concerning the Cherokee Nation or anything that has to do with excavating the trails. We luckily don’t have many areas where we live where the Antiquities Act applies due to most of it being on private property. I remember the one place that is a federal park here that a guy went in over night metal detecting it and a buddy of mine who was a Ranger at the time spotted his vehicle. The Game and Fish guys here have a way to run with their vehicles completely blacked out and still see by using a Night Vision setup in their trucks. I went with the Ranger who had eventually caught the guy on one of the parks many hidden trail cameras that saw him out there digging a lot of relics. When they went to apprehend him he was on his way back to his vehicle with two five gallon bucket full of Civil War relics including coins, buttons, bullets, cannonballs, and lots of other military related stuff. He went to federal court and lost his car, metal detector, and got I think 5 years in a federal prison
as much as i like gold detecting i also have been known to look for coins and such but have always even before the incident listed above, respected areas i thought may contain material of an archeological interest. Every time i hear of people digging in old battle grounds it bothers me. i think those areas should be excavated with a scientific approach so location depth etc. are noted for future reference. In fact one my biggest regrets in life was notifying the local authorities of an old grave yard i had discovered when taking a shortcut up a mountain to my car. After reaching the top through heavy brush it flattened out but still very brushy and i noticed markers under the brush and stopped to look at one discovering it was an old grave. In the 1850's there had been a mining town near that location that was a flash in the pan lasting less than 20 years and I knew the local history. There was no record of a grave yard so i decided i needed to let the local authorities know the location of my discovery so they could take measures to protect the location. Well just the opposite happened, now mind you i told no one except the local Sheriff of the location. WASN'T MORE THAN A MONTH LATER IT WAS IN THE PAPERS ABOUT GRAVE ROBING AT THE SITE I HAD DISCOVERED. sorry for cap lock key. Apparently what the local officials did was organize a team to go and freshen up the site which was like putting up a big sign , dig here, and that's what happened. I was 19 when i made that discovery and if i had made that discovery at my present age being older and wiser i would have kept my mouth shut. Some of those graves were desecrated because i tried to do the right thing... ....
 

crashbandicoot

Gold Member
Sep 27, 2020
12,129
27,099
Dumas,AR
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
as much as i like gold detecting i also have been known to look for coins and such but have always even before the incident listed above, respected areas i thought may contain material of an archeological interest. Every time i hear of people digging in old battle grounds it bothers me. i think those areas should be excavated with a scientific approach so location depth etc. are noted for future reference. In fact one my biggest regrets in life was notifying the local authorities of an old grave yard i had discovered when taking a shortcut up a mountain to my car. After reaching the top through heavy brush it flattened out but still very brushy and i noticed markers under the brush and stopped to look at one discovering it was an old grave. In the 1850's there had been a mining town near that location that was a flash in the pan lasting less than 20 years and I knew the local history. There was no record of a grave yard so i decided i needed to let the local authorities know the location of my discovery so they could take measures to protect the location. Well just the opposite happened, now mind you i told no one except the local Sheriff of the location. WASN'T MORE THAN A MONTH LATER IT WAS IN THE PAPERS ABOUT GRAVE ROBING AT THE SITE I HAD DISCOVERED. sorry for cap lock key. Apparently what the local officials did was organize a team to go and freshen up the site which was like putting up a big sign , dig here, and that's what happened. I was 19 when i made that discovery and if i had made that discovery at my present age being older and wiser i would have kept my mouth shut. Some of those graves were desecrated because i tried to do the right thing... ....
I think every State in the U.S. has laws against grave robbing or desecration,regardless of the age of the grave. Is this fellow still Sheriff? Has any one in authority other than the Sheriff been informed about the desecration? Have you made any attempt to find out who the desecrators were,any names? Maybe the State Dept.that oversees Funeral Homes and the like may help. Is it a family graveyard? Rules for those are sometimes different than for other types.Since you brought it up I,d love to know what,if any thing ever became of this incident.
 

bfloyd4445

Sr. Member
May 18, 2015
257
189
Sacramento Ca. or Drain Or. USA
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Gold
Primary Interest:
Other
I think every State in the U.S. has laws against grave robbing or desecration,regardless of the age of the grave. Is this fellow still Sheriff? Has any one in authority other than the Sheriff been informed about the desecration? Have you made any attempt to find out who the desecrators were,any names? Maybe the State Dept.that oversees Funeral Homes and the like may help. Is it a family graveyard? Rules for those are sometimes different than for other types.Since you brought it up I,d love to know what,if any thing ever became of this incident.
T'm 75 now so this happened a long time ago. What happened from what i learned was they sent a team in to verify my finding and that team cleared out the brush and posted the area. This area is not even close to any roads the old road to the old town site was long gone and the only access was down the trail put in by my friend to access the family placer claim. The trail only went to the claim there was no obvious trail from that point to the grave yard which was out on a bluff over looking the river a couple of thousand feet below.. i came up that bluff and thats how i found the site. Apparently word got out about the old grave yard discovery and the relic hunters came out in force but even then the looting would not have been known except for the fact a kid brought a skull to school claiming he found it in the woods initiating an investagation. I've been to the site since and there is no sign of a grave to be found now. The stone markers are all gone, a big big loss for those interested in the local history. When i found the site i found a marker still readable confirming to me it was in fact a grave yard. WAOULD BE NICE TO KNOW THE NAMED OF THOSE THAT WERE BURIED THERE. I do know there was an epidemic that killed lots of the miners who were buried there.
 

crashbandicoot

Gold Member
Sep 27, 2020
12,129
27,099
Dumas,AR
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
T'm 75 now so this happened a long time ago. What happened from what i learned was they sent a team in to verify my finding and that team cleared out the brush and posted the area. This area is not even close to any roads the old road to the old town site was long gone and the only access was down the trail put in by my friend to access the family placer claim. The trail only went to the claim there was no obvious trail from that point to the grave yard which was out on a bluff over looking the river a couple of thousand feet below.. i came up that bluff and thats how i found the site. Apparently word got out about the old grave yard discovery and the relic hunters came out in force but even then the looting would not have been known except for the fact a kid brought a skull to school claiming he found it in the woods initiating an investagation. I've been to the site since and there is no sign of a grave to be found now. The stone markers are all gone, a big big loss for those interested in the local history. When i found the site i found a marker still readable confirming to me it was in fact a grave yard. WAOULD BE NICE TO KNOW THE NAMED OF THOSE THAT WERE BURIED THERE. I do know there was an epidemic that killed lots of the miners who were buried there.
Thank you! That,s a damn shame that there,s people who would do that! Understand your righteous anger.Me too!
 

bfloyd4445

Sr. Member
May 18, 2015
257
189
Sacramento Ca. or Drain Or. USA
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Gold
Primary Interest:
Other
Thank you! That,s a damn shame that there,s people who would do that! Understand your righteous anger.Me too!
Most people would never do such a thing but unfortunately there are the few that care nothing about anything except them selves. If they can make a nickle they care not whom or what it may damage to get that nickle.
 

crashbandicoot

Gold Member
Sep 27, 2020
12,129
27,099
Dumas,AR
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Most people would never do such a thing but unfortunately there are the few that care nothing about anything except them selves. If they can make a nickle they care not whom or what it may damage to get that nickle.
I ain,t that way.If I came across somebody digging in a graveyard I,d probably do a nasty deed! I like to be able to like the guy I see in the mirror every morning. I,m 70 so I dig where you,re coming from.
 

traveller777

Gold Member
Aug 20, 2017
5,435
17,432
East Tennessee
Detector(s) used
Minelab CTX 3030 & Explorer
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I ain,t that way.If I came across somebody digging in a graveyard I,d probably do a nasty deed! I like to be able to like the guy I see in the mirror every morning. I,m 70 so I dig where you,re coming from.
Wish I had not read this story this morning. This is an example of the worst of humanity.
 

ADHD_Outdoors

Jr. Member
Mar 31, 2022
53
97
Arkansas
Detector(s) used
AT Pro
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
We recently acquired a 1500 acre parcel that once had a community, church and graveyard. The graveyard had been maintained by a group of men who hunted the land though no one had relatives buried there. Just good people doing right. Around 18-20 years ago the surrounding timber was cut and replanted. Right through the graveyard. The area was control burned, headstones destroyed, a dozer plowed through the cemetery to line up rows for planting because the graves don't grow money (side note, I'm 100% in favor of ethical, legal and sustainable forestry practices but that's what this comes down to).

The cemetery, though known, was never recorded by the county clerk's office - who knows why? A plat of the cemetery doesn't exist that I've found in any county archives and most of those who took care of it are gone or in bad health. Now it falls on us (me) to find and mark the graves and try to return some dignity for those souls.
 

bfloyd4445

Sr. Member
May 18, 2015
257
189
Sacramento Ca. or Drain Or. USA
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Gold
Primary Interest:
Other
We recently acquired a 1500 acre parcel that once had a community, church and graveyard. The graveyard had been maintained by a group of men who hunted the land though no one had relatives buried there. Just good people doing right. Around 18-20 years ago the surrounding timber was cut and replanted. Right through the graveyard. The area was control burned, headstones destroyed, a dozer plowed through the cemetery to line up rows for planting because the graves don't grow money (side note, I'm 100% in favor of ethical, legal and sustainable forestry practices but that's what this comes down to).

The cemetery, though known, was never recorded by the county clerk's office - who knows why? A plat of the cemetery doesn't exist that I've found in any county archives and most of those who took care of it are gone or in bad health. Now it falls on us (me) to find and mark the graves and try to return some dignity for those souls.
The good side of your story is that those buried there are still there. The fact is people are buried every place most long forgotten but they are resting in place not picked over by relic collectors and others for trinkets or having bones like skulls removed to satisfy some selfish needs. Corporate greed I guess qualifies as a selfish need.

After reading these posts i need to disapear into the back country for a couple of weeks or more away from everything and do a little prospecting for gold.
 

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