Big Boys Hobbies

Detecting along the I & M Canal Question

I

IllinoisDigger

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2013
Messages
98
Location
Chicago
Hi, I had a couple of questions about the I and M Canal here in the Chicago area. I've been looking for places to detect but they're all hunted out. We really don't have any old parks around here. I thought that maybe searching around the Canal would produce old coins. What do you think? Where would I look for old coins along this canal? There has to be some old coins there, considering it goes back to the 1850s, right? What kinds of things should I look for, old rocks that would indicate activity? Please help me out on this one. Thanks. Drew.
 
Your gonna have to do some research to find the old Lock Stations along the canal. That research should also show you where settlements or villages were also located, or at least the locktender's shack. Portions of the canal really don't exist anymore except as shallow ditches, other portions are maintained very well with moving water and restored Lock gates. I grew up in LaSalle/Peru so I had access to the canal where it emptied into the Illinois River.
 
Anywhere near the canal is off limits to detecting. The canal is registered as a state and or federal historic site. Some stiff fines and confiscation of equipment can happen to you if caught. There are a ton of spots around the canal I would love to hunt in the will and Grundy area, but I wouldn't want to chance it. ..
 
Wow!, I did not realize that about the old canal. By Morris Illinois the canal is intact and part of a park/preserve area, (Gephart Woods) I believe. Yet to the West of Ottawa it's just a tree filled ditch, you can still walk on the "towpath" though.
 
hiluxyota said:
Anywhere near the canal is off limits to detecting. ..
Click to expand...

How do you figure ? Did you see Mick56's youtube video link ? If it's that illegal, then I suppose it would be an easy task for LEO investigators to watch that youtube video, and identify them easily. Eh ? And then throw the book at them ? Do you think that's happened in all the years since that video was put on youtube ?
 
Tom_in_CA said:
How do you figure ? Did you see Mick56's youtube video link ? If it's that illegal, then I suppose it would be an easy task for LEO investigators to watch that youtube video, and identify them easily. Eh ? And then throw the book at them ? Do you think that's happened in all the years since that video was put on youtube ?
Click to expand...

He wasn't saying he has never hunted by it and I'm not saying I've never hunted by it. But he did tell him the law.... It's controlled by the Illinois department of natural resources and is state property. It is against the law to collect artifacts on any state property and metal detecting is only allowed on designated state parks in certain areas. Don't make this one of your "shows" Tom he told the guy the truth and what he does with it is up to him. I know I would never want to be "caught" detecting it. Their modo is "Leave only foot prints and take only memories" not exactly md friendly. Heck all Will, Cook, and Dupage counties forest preserves are off limits except for a few with permit and that's in designated areas. You have to be carful in this state.....
 
I watched that video a few times because I know the area he was in. And yes he most likely knows the canal site is off limits , because he was a member of the same club that I am a member of. And I used to hunt the tow path before d.o.c. Took it over and built the bike path. And had no idea it was off limits until the president of my club told me. We only have access as club members to hunt the mowed areas of certain preserves that our club has permits for. All the wooded areas are off limits , along with the canal. The forest preserve district has stated that hunting along the canal can carry fines or confiscation of equipment. I know of one person who was just ran off with no fines , just a warning that he couldn't detect there. So guess it's up to the officer who catches you!! I personally would not chance it ..
 
coin-chaser & hiluxyota, I was able to find the Ill DNR thing about "artifacts". As you know, it doesn't specifically say "no md'ing". It just list "artifacts" amongst a long list of things you are not to remove.

Also in that list of things you can't remove is things like: "stone", "soil", "natural object", etc.... Thus your grade school daughter could not technically remove a seashell for her art school art project.

We probably have the same boiler-plate minutia for our CA state beaches & parks too. But .... for some reason .... no one's ever thought to "connect the dots" and figure this means "no md'ing". Isn't an artifact something over xx years old ? Thus meaning that detecting for modern stuff is not then forbidden ?
 
If you looked at their website , they had specific locations for permit only detecting. The canal and tow path is not one of them. I get what your saying, that it's not basiclly written in (black and white), but if they give you permits to hunt land with a,b, and c. And permits are only for a and b, is it still ok to hunt c??even tho there's no posting in black and white?? That's where you have to use common sense!obviously if spot c was allowed they would have issued a permit.. Yes the canal is a historic site. And if you read the only time it is allowed is if you lost a car key , ring ,ect. And then you would have to have a conservation officer with you. That alone would tell me that it is off limits to detecting. Or you could just call and ask .. That video was obviously made without him knowing the detecting law of that site... People drive sports cars and bikes over 100 mph on you tube. I'm sure the law could figure out who they are and ticket them for reckless driving... But yes I get what your saying but I wouldn't chance it and ruin detecting at the legal sites for other detectorists.
 
Tom_in_CA said:
coin-chaser & hiluxyota, I was able to find the Ill DNR thing about "artifacts". As you know, it doesn't specifically say "no md'ing". It just list "artifacts" amongst a long list of things you are not to remove.

Also in that list of things you can't remove is things like: "stone", "soil", "natural object", etc.... Thus your grade school daughter could not technically remove a seashell for her art school art project.

We probably have the same boiler-plate minutia for our CA state beaches & parks too. But .... for some reason .... no one's ever thought to "connect the dots" and figure this means "no md'ing". Isn't an artifact something over xx years old ? Thus meaning that detecting for modern stuff is not then forbidden ?
Click to expand...

http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/programs/dayuse/metaldetect.htm
 
I did not take the canal path to be a "state park". State land yes, but a state "park" ? No, I didn't know canal paths were state parks. The list of places that allow it (yes I saw that) were various listings of their state parks. But I took the canals to be another form of state land. Thus having only the "artifact" verbage as the closest someone could connect with the question.
 
hiluxyota said:
http://www.mdhtalk.org/articles/legal-to-detect/legal-to-detect.htm

Read the 1966 act...
Click to expand...

So this canal's entire length is deemed to be a federal historic site? What a rip. Here's some more about the subject:

http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/i&m/main.htm

It appears that a multitude of different entities own or abutt up next to the canal, along its 96 mile length. But the canal itself (and I suppose the immediate walk-ways that border it), are the "national heritage corridor" talked about here:

http://dnr.state.il.us/lands/landmgt/parks/i&m/CORRIDOR/Home.htm

So if someone wanted to knock themselves silly with measuring the "right-of-way", then I suppose if you were off distant enough from it (where crossings used to be, stop-spots, cellar holes, or whatever), then you'd be outside the zone of the national thing.
 
Most of that "Canal Corridor" is a joke, a big money hole of unfulfilled promises by local and state politico's. The state of Illinois is notorious for putting a stranglehold on anything they deem historic/valuable, then storing it away in Illinois State University archives for a select few to have access to. An article years ago told of a confiscated ( by the state) collection of Indian artifacts. The state claimed the private owner could not have amassed such a collection by searching farm land and private woods, they argued he "HAD" to have gone on state land along the Illinois River basin----state park land. That is the mindset of Illinois, I grew up there and am glad I moved . FWIW
 
shuvelrider said:
Most of that "Canal Corridor" is a joke, a big money hole of unfulfilled promises by local and state politico's. The state of Illinois is notorious for putting a stranglehold on anything they deem historic/valuable, then storing it away in Illinois State University archives for a select few to have access to. An article years ago told of a confiscated ( by the state) collection of Indian artifacts. The state claimed the private owner could not have amassed such a collection by searching farm land and private woods, they argued he "HAD" to have gone on state land along the Illinois River basin----state park land. That is the mindset of Illinois, I grew up there and am glad I moved . FWIW
Click to expand...

Here here! And I will toast to that... All of cook county forest preserves suddenly were changed to no MD'ing allowed once there were some YouTube videos of people finding stuff. This states mindset is "if I can't have it no one can". They would rather it rot in the ground than allow others to find it.
 
All the more reason to be as little of a lightening rod as possible. The less they think of us, the better.
 
coin chaser said:
Here here! And I will toast to that... All of cook county forest preserves suddenly were changed to no MD'ing allowed once there were some YouTube videos of people finding stuff. This states mindset is "if I can't have it no one can". They would rather it rot in the ground than allow others to find it.
Click to expand...

Actually the speculation of the reason why cook banned detecting in their preserves was due to one person who thought it would be ok to hunt onto the golf course next to the wooded area of one of the preserves. This person was known to not fully fill his holes. I personally saw this guy at Jackson park in Chicago a few years ago hunting within a hundred feet or so in the neighboring golf course there. And when he saw us, he walked off. I won't say the guy's name on here,but that's all it takes is one complaint from them then all city Chicago parks will be off limits.. Just because of one person who doesn't care where he's at is all it takes.
 
hiluxyota said:
Actually the speculation of the reason why cook banned detecting in their preserves was due to one person who thought it would be ok to hunt onto the golf course next to the wooded area of one of the preserves. This person was known to not fully fill his holes. .....
Click to expand...

thanx for that update on that issue. Back when that was first circulating on the md'ing forums, I asked on several threads if anyone knew the genesis of it. It didn't seem that "holes" could be an issue, since we were .... afterall .... talking about the middle of woods for cryin' out loud :roll:

Was the golf course owned by the Cook county preserve ?

But either way, if your story is accurate, it just goes to show: The less visibility, and the less people think of us, the better.
 
Tom_in_CA said:
thanx for that update on that issue. Back when that was first circulating on the md'ing forums, I asked on several threads if anyone knew the genesis of it. It didn't seem that "holes" could be an issue, since we were .... afterall .... talking about the middle of woods for cryin' out loud :roll:

Was the golf course owned by the Cook county preserve ?

But either way, if your story is accurate, it just goes to show: The less visibility, and the less people think of us, the better.
Click to expand...

I believe it was, since there's a few areas that forest preserve has golf courses in them. But again it is speculation,that that specific person was believed to be the cause of them banning detectors. And after personally seeing him within the bounds of the city golf course in Jackson park, makes me believe it could of been. I met the guy once at a Chicago beach , before I knew of who he was ,and he seemed like a shady character to me then !!
 
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