How do I hunt a Small Ghost Town?

[Gimmie The Loot]

If I dug every target I wouldn't leave a 10ft area. I wouldn't be looking for iron, I mean think about it..what iron item would be worth more than .50 cents anyway.

Appreciate your advice, but I personally have no desire to spend the entire day digging iron.

To each his own - but who cares about .50 cents or 50bucks... how often do you find anything valuable? Sure we all do once in a while but we all love something with a story. I love a shiny silver or gold item as anyone would but some of my best finds are random one of a kind relics.

Happy Hunting

 

[OZARKS]

To each his own - but who cares about .50 cents or 50bucks... how often do you find anything valuable? Sure we all do once in a while but we all love something with a story. I love a shiny silver or gold item as anyone would but some of my best finds are random one of a kind relics.

Happy Hunting

I hear ya, just saying I can dig rusty iron anywhere... If I have a chance at a place like this, I am not going to dig 1000 rusty iron pieces and waste the entire day.

I'll be looking for coins and anything non-iron

I have two homestead foundations and two barn foundations in the holler behind my house, I have dug enough iron for every guy on the forum, I wouldn't waste a minute diggin iron at a place like we're talking about when time is limited.

Appreciate you and your tips!

 

[Gimmie The Loot]

I hear ya, just saying I can dig rusty iron anywhere... If I have a chance at a place like this, I am not going to dig 1000 rusty iron pieces and waste the entire day.

I'll be looking for coins and anything non-iron

I have two homestead foundations and two barn foundations in the holler behind my house, I have dug enough iron for every guy on the forum, I wouldn't waste a minute diggin iron at a place like we're talking about when time is limited.

Appreciate you and your tips!

I hear ya - you sound like an experienced hunter with plenty of time and locations... this conversation could go on forever

Without taking this thread off course any more than it has ---

OP: If you have limited time here dig the solid signals and hope for coins/tokens. If you have a lot of time, work slow and dig as much as you can.

Best advice does not compare with your own experience. Get out there and feel it out. Dig whatever you want. Then go back there if you can in a year and find the rest!

 

[OZARKS]

Ideally you'd dig it all, I agree... If I could go there any time I wanted I'd probably do that.

Like the OP, my chance may only be a one time thing so I'll have limited time. I may dig a couple iron signals just to see what I come up with.

 

[Gimmie The Loot]

Ideally you'd dig it all, I agree... If I could go there any time I wanted I'd probably do that.

Like the OP, my chance may only be a one time thing so I'll have limited time. I may dig a couple iron signals just to see what I come up with.

Word!

 

[RyanChappell]

Word!

Why would it be a one time thing?

I would coinshoot high traffic areas, and look for relics, buttons bullets, then go back and dig a bunch of iron, and dig and sift areas that produced...

But keep in mind that the best area might be surrounded and covered by 10' by 2' pieces of steel roof...

 

[OZARKS]

Well for me, I only have verbal permission right now, we're going to meet at the property and he's going to show me where all of the old buildings were.

I suppose if he likes me or doesn't mind he will offer me to come back, if not, I'll appreciate the chance to get on that property.

I have been drooling about this property for 3 years, just wishing I had a chance to get on that area with my detector. Maybe if I bring a nice gift or something it'll show that his kindness is appreciated.

Talked to him yesterday and I may get to go this Saturday. He's a busy man, so we're still trying to get our schedules to match up.

I wish he'd just trust me to go hit the area, but I understand that he hasn't met me yet, so he doesn't know what kind of person I am. Maybe after we meet he'll realize that I'm no threat to anything.

 

[Grumpysrb]

Weren't any saloons in this town. They may have hung around the general store or the post office, for the 3 years that there was a post office.

 

[collector]

grumpy, maybe you could try Google earth, you might be able to see depressions in the ground from foundations or out houses/buildings. Maybe be able to see spot flattened out for buildings or roads/alleys. Just a thought, it might help GL...

 

[Tin-Tin]

Well for me, I only have verbal permission right now, we're going to meet at the property and he's going to show me where all of the old buildings were.

I suppose if he likes me or doesn't mind he will offer me to come back, if not, I'll appreciate the chance to get on that property.

I have been drooling about this property for 3 years, just wishing I had a chance to get on that area with my detector. Maybe if I bring a nice gift or something it'll show that his kindness is appreciated.

Talked to him yesterday and I may get to go this Saturday. He's a busy man, so we're still trying to get our schedules to match up.

I wish he'd just trust me to go hit the area, but I understand that he hasn't met me yet, so he doesn't know what kind of person I am. Maybe after we meet he'll realize that I'm no threat to anything.

Ozarks, I would take an extra metal detector with me, if I had one and offer it to the owner/caretaker so he too could do a little hunting too. If nothing else offer him something you've found, or build him a shadowbox with some of the items.

You know you're going to find a lot of bullets, buckles and what not. It would show the owner you have enough respect for him and the land to offer him something for allowing you to hunt the property.

He may have other properties too you could hunt later. One never knows, when one door closes another opens.

GL&HH out there.

 

[OZARKS]

Ozarks, I would take an extra metal detector with me, if I had one and offer it to the owner/caretaker so he too could do a little hunting too. If nothing else offer him something you've found, or build him a shadowbox with some of the items.

You know you're going to find a lot of bullets, buckles and what not. It would show the owner you have enough respect for him and the land to offer him something for allowing you to hunt the property.

He may have other properties too you could hunt later. One never knows, when one door closes another opens.

GL&HH out there.

Right, I agree. I figured I would actually show him all of the finds so he can see what kind of hunter I am, and also that I am willing to be honest with him. Maybe he'll want one of the items.

Like you said, he owns a bunch of properties, this may open a new door for me

 

[tater]

If there is a creek there also has to be high ground to. This would be where the structures were. I would start there.

 

[OZARKS]

If there is a creek there also has to be high ground to. This would be where the structures were. I would start there.

There is a hill, then a small flat area where the whiskey distillery and general store was next to the creek. I can see from google that there are at least 3 footings/ foundations in one area... Might get rained out this weekend though, hoping not...

 

[montanamuzik]

"How do I hunt a Small Ghost Town?".....I guess with a small ghostbuster.

 

[Grumpysrb]

I used Google Earth Historical View and found what appears to be the remains of buildings. I marked them and need to transfer them to my gps. I have a feeling the guy that leases the property used to own it. The road running through the property shares the same name. I'm hoping he will give me ideas on where things were. Parts of buildings were supposed to be visible as late as 1980.

 

[Grumpysrb]

Talked to the person who manages the property and will meet him out there tomorrow. He says he can put me right on top of the general store. But, he says it has been hunted beofre and he doesn't believe there will be anything specific to the town. BUT, he says I may have a better machine. So who knows.

 

[KingTotsalot]

Look for the areas with the largest and oldest trees....they would be near the building sites for shade...try to figure the orientation of the buildings so you know the front porch area and the back door (leading to the outhouse!)...Also, don't know where you are, but here in the South rows of daffodils often lead to front of buildings, look for red bud trees...they are mostly also in the front yards. If you find that general store, it must have fronted on a through road or cross roads...check all corner lots. Finally, sometimes old buildings were built up high so see if you find any old concrete steps...the buildings may have been torn down, rotted down or burned...but the steps will give you some of this info...any compacted areas where grass still does not grow well?? Those are paths...and finally check out the headwater of any drainages to look for old trash dumps...potential for lots of bottles there!

Best of luck and keep us posted as to what ya find!

 

[collector]

Talked to the person who manages the property and will meet him out there tomorrow. He says he can put me right on top of the general store. But, he says it has been hunted beofre and he doesn't believe there will be anything specific to the town. BUT, he says I may have a better machine. So who knows.

Nobody can cover every square inch of ground. even if its been hunted a few times the vast majority of ground will be virgin.
cannot wait to see what you might find there good luck!...

 

[Grumpysrb]

Hunted the spot where the Merchantile Store was for several hours, rough. Over grown with weeds, saplings and trenches through the middle. Found some items. Pictures to be posted tomorrow.

 

[bamadigtab]

Start out by turning your detector on and start swinging .... Just kidding!!!!

Look for old chimney stumps, they will appear to be a pile of rocks in most places, also keep your eyes open for old well's they will usually be a hole in the ground around 4-6 feet across and deep (be careful cause if you fall in you can drown or get stuck and not able to get out). I would also look for vegetation that is out of place in the middle of the woods example, rose bushes, monkey grass, daffodils, tulips etc, and very unusually large trees that appear to be larger than the typical tree in the area. Most Ghost Town's are in the woods and the structures are no longer standing so you will have to look close for the signs of homes that once stood and are no longer there. If you find an area you suspect might have been an old structure start detecting and dig everything to start with until you find evidence that a building once was there and then you can chose what mode you prefer to hunt in.