Serious Treasure Hunters Only

[Southern Illinois Lady]

Hi Johnny, I am a 59 year old lady treasure hunter in Southern Illinois. Do you have any lost treasure research for Hamilton, Saline, White, Franklin or other nearby counties? I use an AT Pro and have been hunting for around 4 years now since I retired and have been studying old plat maps, researching for ghost towns, old trails etc. I haven't found gold in Illinois (yet). My area had double the population in 1900 than it has now. Thanks, Julie

 

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[Tiredman]

Old town urban demolition sites are the "last frontier" in virgin ground hunting. Some of my best old coin count days come from being in such sites. But the window-of-time can be slim. Ie.: the delicate timing of being there right when the old building (or sidewalk , or park turf, etc...) is scraped off, yet 1) before they scrape *too* deep, and 2) before fill-dirt is added.

Also this type of hunting is not for pansy wussies. If you're afraid of fences, and hunting at night, then forget it. All demolition/construction sites nowadays have obligatory fences around them. Back when I first started in the late 1970s, they had nothing but a few orange cones and some ribbon. But in our litigious age we live in, (and thefts of const. equipment?), they started to get fences in the 1980s. And you can ask permission till you're blue in the face and guess what the answer will be ?

So it's a type hunting venue that you have to have ... uh ... balls. That's what God invented Cat-keys after all for

I found a nice coin in a demo site one day long ago. The single coin would be termed a treasure all by itself. It made western and eastern silver and gold issue and best finds issue (2003 or 2004). Value was $80 for just the articles.

 

[TerryC]

Here's MY tip to anyone interested.... Battle of Ball's Bluff, Leesburg, VA. (recorded in records) About 1200 "Federals" crossed the Patomac and climbed Ball's Bluff. Johnny Reb knew they were coming so they set up a large horseshoe ambush around the meadow. The Feds were routed and were stabbing themselves in their haste to retreat back down the bluff. They were ordered to throw their equipment, including rifles, into the river so they would not be captured. So.... the battlefield is a national park, no searching there. BUT in the water, downstream from the bluff, could be as many as a thousand rifles. They would be in the mud and silt so even the wooden stocks could be intact today. Trees and debris floating down the river would have moved many downstream from the park, making them fair game to anyone able to brave the DANGEROUS, underwater work that would be required for this recovery. Also, TOM_in_CA (or anyone), I have a CA stagecoach gold "loss" that was recorded in the local papers that may still be worth a "look see". ╦╦Ç

EDIT: I posted the battle here a few years ago.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

You guys are great. I'm enjoying reading all the cache stories. Oh but if I only had a dollar for every "iron-clad" treasure story I've heard, since I got into md'ing 40 yrs. ago But pity me: After chasing a few, I have evolved into singular fumble fingers hunting. Eg.: stage stops, defunct resorts, emigrant stopping spots, old-town urban demolition, beach storm erosion, etc....

If I dig enough hubcap signals (which I usually pass) I will stumble on to a cache some day I suppose And the few caches (scattered or commissioned or have close-friends that have found) were all "accidental". Ie.: not following any legends/stories. But merely digging a big signal out of the way. Doh! Or commissioned by next-of-kin, yet ..... had no legend attached to them. And no un-canny squiggles on rocks, or symmetrical patterns. Nor where they "6 meters deep", blah blah.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I was at a party one time, chatting with a casual acquaintance. Somehow the subject of my hobby metal detecting came up. The fellow launched into this story he knew of a cave where "Spanish armor" and "skeletons" had been found. Many miles south of Monterey and Carmel CA. He said he'd gone there as a young teen 30-ish year earlier & explored the cave. Said you need rappelling gear to get down into it. And that no one else knew where it was, etc... blah blah.

I was spell-bound with glee. We hatched a plan where he and I were going to go. He was going to show me the spot. And since I was younger and agile, I would descend into the cave. And ... *certainly* my detecting gear would make child's play of finding more spanish armor or (gasp) TREASURE !

But we kept missing appt. dates d/t either he, or I was busy. So the date kept getting pushed off. In the meantime, I began to google a few key words in the story. COME TO FIND OUT it was nothing but a tale in a local history writers fantasy books. Ie.: Children's lore books sold in local history tourist trap shops. A local author here takes true stories from the pages of yesteryear newspapers (shipwrecks, bank robberies, legends/lore, etc...) and weaves them into fanciful "what if?" stories. And ... sure..... they're based in some actual historical happening. But beyond that, they're merely 100% conjecture.

So for example, the story about this cave is as follows: There was a cave down south of Big Sur CA , where the prehistoric indians did indeed bury their dead. A straight-down cave where they would drop the bodies of the deceased into . Fast forward to the early 1930s (CCC era of highway const. projects), and work crews were busy carving a path down the coast of this section of inhospitable CA coastline. As they carved the road bed past part of the cliffy coast-line, a worker had died. His buddies gave their last rights and respects, and put the body in the same cave as the indians had been buried centuries earlier. Albeit with 1930s western garb clothing on.

Fast forward to the 1960s. Someone exploring caves in the area lowered themselves, via rappelling into the cave . Found skeletons, bones, etc.... Lo & behold, one was of European descent ! (non-indian). And ... gasp ... he had evidence of western/european garb on him. That story got into the newspaper. By the time it got into the local rag, the story was exaggerated to "spanish armor". And then conjecture of how the location along the coast was a one-time route from inland Mission San Antonio, to the coast (to meet awaiting ships). Then tie in some legend about "Spanish mines" and "spanish treasure". And before long, you have yourself a great story !

But the whole thing was nothing but a story gone awry. Picked up on by a local author of Childrens' books. However, it had its founding based in some facts (even some faded newspaper clippings. Wooohoo!) . Yet you can see it's totally bogus. But that doesn't stop clear-thinking adults (like my friend) from assuming it's a true story. And then, told me to me at a party "how can I doubt??"

It was ONLY because I'd met the author personally (now in his mid 80s) that I knew it was all fanciful conjecture. But do you see how "stories" can take on a life of their own ?? And sound SSeeeooohhh convincing ?

 

[jeff of pa]

You guys are great. I'm enjoying reading all the cache stories. Oh but if I only had a dollar for every "iron-clad" treasure story I've heard, since I got into md'ing 40 yrs. ago But pity me: After chasing a few, I have evolved into singular fumble fingers hunting. Eg.: stage stops, defunct resorts, emigrant stopping spots, old-town urban demolition, beach storm erosion, etc....

If I dig enough hubcap signals (which I usually pass) I will stumble on to a cache some day I suppose And the few caches (scattered or commissioned or have close-friends that have found) were all "accidental". Ie.: not following any legends/stories. But merely digging a big signal out of the way. Doh! Or commissioned by next-of-kin, yet ..... had no legend attached to them. And no un-canny squiggles on rocks, or symmetrical patterns. Nor where they "6 meters deep", blah blah.

I wonder if I take a small sandwich Baggie & fill it with dimes or Quarters & bury it.
If it acts like the cache I found it will sound like a possible coin or trash .
of course mine was in an almost rotted away tobacco tin, I'm thinking if a 150 Year old
Robber hurriedly hid a small Leather Sack all the coins would be lumped together,
but the detector would try to read the closest coin to the coil and be distracted by the rest
causing a Very Bad signal.

I haven't tested my Hunch. Perhaps one day I will

I think Would take a Large Jar Lid or other Large Metal container to get a Large signal

considering the Number of Gold Coins you come across ,
I'd say a Small Sack or rotted tin of Gold coins could exist near you.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I wonder if I take a small sandwich Baggie & fill it with dimes or Quarters & bury it.
If it acts like the cache I found it will sound like a possible coin or trash .
of course mine was in an almost rotted away tobacco tin, I'm thinking if a 150 Year old
Robber hurriedly hid a small Leather Sack all the coins would be lumped together,
but the detector would try to read the closest coin to the coil and be distracted by the rest
causing a Very Bad signal.

I haven't tested my Hunch. Perhaps one day I will

I think Would take a Large Jar Lid or other Large Metal container to get a Large signal

considering the Number of Gold Coins you come across ,
I'd say a Small Sack or rotted tin of Gold coins could exist near you.

Everything you're saying is technically true. However, the devil is in the details. Unfortunately, a million other objects sound like those items you describe. Any large metal "beep", given the right imagination/scenario *could be a cache*. Doh :/

Durned that soda can. Durned that hubcap. Durned that shovel head, etc....

 

[jeff of pa]

Everything you're saying is technically true. However, the devil is in the details. Unfortunately, a million other objects sound like those items you describe. Any large metal "beep", given the right imagination/scenario *could be a cache*. Doh :/

Durned that soda can. Durned that hubcap. Durned that shovel head, etc....

Yep including that large Iron Rail, or Spread out Rotted Tin or Iron Ore signal that Nulls the ground

 

[TerryC]

You guys are great. I'm enjoying reading all the cache stories. Oh but if I only had a dollar for every "iron-clad" treasure story I've heard, since I got into md'ing 40 yrs. ago But pity me: After chasing a few, I have evolved into singular fumble fingers hunting. Eg.: stage stops, defunct resorts, emigrant stopping spots, old-town urban demolition, beach storm erosion, etc....

If I dig enough hubcap signals (which I usually pass) I will stumble on to a cache some day I suppose And the few caches (scattered or commissioned or have close-friends that have found) were all "accidental". Ie.: not following any legends/stories. But merely digging a big signal out of the way. Doh! Or commissioned by next-of-kin, yet ..... had no legend attached to them. And no un-canny squiggles on rocks, or symmetrical patterns. Nor where they "6 meters deep", blah blah.

C'mon Tom, let's leave a little "wiggle room" for dreaming. Sure, most stories are just that, stories, hype, conjecture. But in there, somewhere, are the "treasure" stories that have been found.... enough to keep us looking for more. RESEARCH separates the fact from fiction. You know that. The chance to find SOMETHING keeps the searching going. You, me, and others have been at this game for decades. Someday...... ╦╦Ç

 

[jeff of pa]

C'mon Tom, let's leave a little "wiggle room" for dreaming. Sure, most stories are just that, stories, hype, conjecture. But in there, somewhere, are the "treasure" stories that have been found.... enough to keep us looking for more. RESEARCH separates the fact from fiction. You know that. The chance to find SOMETHING keeps the searching going. You, me, and others have been at this game for decades. Someday...... ╦╦Ç

I'd say the Majority of Treasure stories are taken from Factual Events.

yes perhaps exaggerated & just changed due to bad Memories ,
but that is where the research takes over.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

An interesting topic

.... let's leave a little "wiggle room" for dreaming....

Yes. That's exactly why they're so believable. That's why the treasure magazines of the 1970s sold so well. They were packed full of "lost mine" and "stolen stagecoach" loot type stories. Anyone here been into md'ing long enough to remember those ?

.... RESEARCH separates the fact from fiction.....

I'd say the Majority of Treasure stories are taken from Factual Events. .... but that is where the research takes over.

Jeff & Terry: No doubt. But if one of the "fiction" parts of the story is whether or not there is a treasure, then the rest of the "facts" of the story don't lead to anything. Eh ?

Like in the real life examples of post #32 and post #65, you can see that if someone sat down to "sort the fact from fiction" 100 yrs. from now, they could most certainly find names, dates, locations, serial #'s, etc... But the problem is: If no treasure is buried, then the rest doesn't matter

 

[TerryC]

An interesting topic



Yes. That's exactly why they're so believable. That's why the treasure magazines of the 1970s sold so well. They were packed full of "lost mine" and "stolen stagecoach" loot type stories. Anyone here been into md'ing long enough to remember those ?






Jeff & Terry: No doubt. But if one of the "fiction" parts of the story is whether or not there is a treasure, then the rest of the "facts" of the story don't lead to anything. Eh ?

Like in the real life examples of post #32 and post #65, you can see that if someone sat down to "sort the fact from fiction" 100 yrs. from now, they could most certainly find names, dates, locations, serial #'s, etc... But the problem is: If no treasure is buried, then the rest doesn't matter

Very true, for sure. Many "stories" get published. Many finds do not. That's the nature of the Beast. And that's the way it should be. I remember the '70s mags. Some of the stories are still promoted by current mags. It sells subscriptions! ╦╦Ç

 

[TerryC]

I wonder if I take a small sandwich Baggie & fill it with dimes or Quarters & bury it.
If it acts like the cache I found it will sound like a possible coin or trash .
of course mine was in an almost rotted away tobacco tin, I'm thinking if a 150 Year old
Robber hurriedly hid a small Leather Sack all the coins would be lumped together,
but the detector would try to read the closest coin to the coil and be distracted by the rest
causing a Very Bad signal.

I haven't tested my Hunch. Perhaps one day I will

I think Would take a Large Jar Lid or other Large Metal container to get a Large signal

considering the Number of Gold Coins you come across ,
I'd say a Small Sack or rotted tin of Gold coins could exist near you.

I have dug MANY "silver" (display) targets only to find a tin can, license plate, stove pipe. Ya gotta dig 'em all or miss the cache! Very aggravating! The only saving grace of finding the trash is it shows human activity.... that means the possibility is there for the cache, large or small. It is hard to describe the really out of the way places I've found stuff! If there is water nearby and heavy forest, clearings and meadows are always of interest to me. Especially if apple trees are nearby. Even for just a relic or coin. ╦╦Ç

 

[Tiredman]

I just posted a monster sized treasure story in Montana, "Chased To Montana" complete with old newspaper articles. Formatting was not possible on the forum. Sometimes the story is the treasure. Enjoy

 

[45th_Johnny]

Julie wrote "Hi Johnny, I am a 59 year old lady treasure hunter in Southern Illinois. Do you have any lost treasure research for Hamilton, Saline, White, Franklin or other nearby counties? I use an AT Pro and have been hunting for around 4 years now since I retired and have been studying old plat maps, researching for ghost towns, old trails etc. I haven't found gold in Illinois (yet). My area had double the population in 1900 than it has now. Thanks, Julie"

Other them the "Treasure Stories" about: John Hill's Fort, John Hoffman Treasure, Cave-in-Rock, no I do not have anything other then just stories. I have hunted in Illinois for specific items that were found, but nothing more. I am sure If someone like Tom_in_Ca, or someone else knows they would be glad to point you in the right direction. !900 maps would be a good place to start.

 

[Tiredman]

She should get Thomas P Terry's treasure atlas for illionis for some leads.

 

[TerryC]

An interesting topic



Yes. That's exactly why they're so believable. That's why the treasure magazines of the 1970s sold so well. They were packed full of "lost mine" and "stolen stagecoach" loot type stories. Anyone here been into md'ing long enough to remember those ?






Jeff & Terry: No doubt. But if one of the "fiction" parts of the story is whether or not there is a treasure, then the rest of the "facts" of the story don't lead to anything. Eh ?

Like in the real life examples of post #32 and post #65, you can see that if someone sat down to "sort the fact from fiction" 100 yrs. from now, they could most certainly find names, dates, locations, serial #'s, etc... But the problem is: If no treasure is buried, then the rest doesn't matter

Allow me to add the following, for the sake of discussion: Even official papers may contain errata data. There is no disputing Waldemar Lindgren's credentials, yet it appears he too has reprinted false info. In at least one note attributed to Lindgren, the 1962 Paper "2", Calaveras county, seems to contain false info. I will not go into detail as to how to find this claim.... I leave that up to the reader to ascertain that. The "Eho" claim in Calaveras county is listed as a placer claim (hydraulic) containing two "claims", side by side. It is 3 miles east of Douglas Flat, listed as no."30" on plate (map) C, paper 2. I have been on Ponderosa Way and have seen these two "gravels" location. Up the gulch, from Camp Nine road, on Ponderosa can be seen two large piles of host rock, indicating this was a lode mine, not placer. The piles are clearly visible on Google Earth. These two piles have no vegetation covering the rock. May I add that I will assume this claim has been re-worked since the late 1800s. Possibly in the '30s or even recently with a metal detector. Lindgren was tasked with doing a paper on the mining districts of the southwest. He was given one month to collect data in the field and publishing the paper (I forget its name right now). This was prior to expressways, using a two-wheel drive vehicle. I believe he must have "borrowed" info from previous reports to complete his, causing some false data to be re-printed in his. I have no "proof" of this but it can be the reason I have found other false data attributed to other authors. Moral of the story: even official papers can re-print oft repeated errors (fiction). ╦╦Ç

 

[Tiredman]

There are lots of errors out there. Since working on my own books I have done years of research and have found a vast amount of books being released are word for word copies of Penfield's work. Some have copied Terry's to the point of including mistakes and typos!

 

[Tiredman]

Even old magazine articles have been copies of earlier works. Now the Terry and Penfield stuff since most is one or two lines or one or two paragraphs at most. Is the starting point for my books, rewritten and researched much further. In our books the stories are pages and pages long and most have topo maps showing terrain in the stories exists! The story I posted in Montana is historically basis, names, dates are real and in 6 by 9 is around 50 pages in lenght. Best of all it isn't even my work! My wife does the formatting and editing and has gotten to the point she came up with it. Taking the old works and seeing if there are truths behind them. Results are some are believable and some stories I doubt. But til you dig deep into them you really don't know.

 

[Tiredman]

And of course it all ends up being up to the reader to decide. I bet that massive treasure story :Chased To Montana: is too long and nobody read it to the end.