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Sandwich Illinois

stugpanzer

Junior Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2013
Messages
85
Location
Northern Illinois
Just outside Sandwich Illinois there used to be a natural lake called Davis Lake. I am securing permission from the current land owners to metal detect along what were the shores of this 100 acre lake which was drained in 1912~1913. It did not have a sand beach/shore but the lake was used for boating, fishing, swimming, hunting and trapping. Much of what used to be the shore line is wooded and I am excited about the possibility of finding some items along that shore.

Also, outside Sandwich is a small forest preserve that my father tells me was once a golf course, complete with a club house. According to him (he is 82 years old) when he was younger, an old gentleman that he knew who was a realtor in the area told him that it was, in fact, a golf course but it closed during the Depression and sat dormant for some time until it was converted into a county forest preserve. this is another place I will be going to hunt with my metal detector.

Is there anyone interested in coming to Sandwich Illinois to hunt with me at these locations? Please post in this thread or PM me if interested. Warmer weather is just around the corner and I am chomping at the bit to explore these locations!

David
 
I'd be up for a cool hunt there! I know there are a few others closer to you!

Let me know! THANKS

Hey DirtyRob, thanks for the fast reply! I sure could learn a lot from you and others with much more experience!

I will post dates once the snow is gone (40 degrees in less than a week!)

I will be using my new Garrett AT Pro!
 
Count me in, it sounds like a fun outing!
You might want to wait and ask closer to the time when you will be hunting, lest they change their minds:yes:
 
Just outside Sandwich Illinois there used to be a natural lake called Davis Lake. I am securing permission from the current land owners to metal detect along what were the shores of this 100 acre lake which was drained in 1912~1913. It did not have a sand beach/shore but the lake was used for boating, fishing, swimming, hunting and trapping. Much of what used to be the shore line is wooded and I am excited about the possibility of finding some items along that shore.

Also, outside Sandwich is a small forest preserve that my father tells me was once a golf course, complete with a club house. According to him (he is 82 years old) when he was younger, an old gentleman that he knew who was a realtor in the area told him that it was, in fact, a golf course but it closed during the Depression and sat dormant for some time until it was converted into a county forest preserve. this is another place I will be going to hunt with my metal detector.

Is there anyone interested in coming to Sandwich Illinois to hunt with me at these locations? Please post in this thread or PM me if interested. Warmer weather is just around the corner and I am chomping at the bit to explore these locations!

David

I will follow-up with this: When I get the permission, and I believe I will, then I will throw some dates and times out there. I will update this thread and I will PM those that have PMed me.
 
Update!

I am very excited for all the interest. Coin Chaser and I have been working some maps and we have some really great info. I think we have identified the shoreline for the lake. Most of it is on private property so I am working to get permission to detect there. Some of it is in a city park and in fact that is probably where the locals swam and launched there boats so it might be a good place to start!

Regarding the golf course, we found some great info on that as well. I found a 1929 plat map and it shows 'Somonauk Country Club' where the forest preserve is now. I then found a 1930 plat map and the country club is gone. That jives with the depression closing the country club as the depression hit in 1929! Finally I found a plat map from 1940 and the former Country Club shows as a county park so we can detect there anytime as well.

I am going to throw a date out and see what y'all think. I had been thinking Saturday April 4, but that is Easter weekend so that might not work so well for some. So, how does Saturday, April 11 sound for doing some detecting at these locations? If I don't have permission from landowners for the lake, we can still do the city park and the forest preserve.
 
Need a couple of WARMER days and some rain to get rid of ALL of this snow!

Seriously, I used to go to Braidwood opening day every year to fish. The only snow I would see on the way was on the shady sides of hills and ditches. And that was only a couple of years!

I cannot remember this much snow still on the ground by this date!

Global warming my arse!
 
Need a couple of WARMER days and some rain to get rid of ALL of this snow!......
I cannot remember this much snow still on the ground by this date!

Global warming my arse!

So true! I still have three feet of snow at my curb. Hope it's all gone by June.
 
The 11th is good but it's not up to me. I'm very thankful that you would open up such a good hunting location to a bunch of hooligans like us. On that note, if you're looking for permission, make sure they are aware there would be others besides yourself. There's a big difference between permission for one and permission for 25.

If we can be of any help with the research, just ask. :grin:
 
The 11th is good but it's not up to me. I'm very thankful that you would open up such a good hunting location to a bunch of hooligans like us. On that note, if you're looking for permission, make sure they are aware there would be others besides yourself. There's a big difference between permission for one and permission for 25.

If we can be of any help with the research, just ask. :grin:

Yep...if there is a park then great but it would be sad to ruin a permission with a group hunt.

Let's get the weather to cooperate first!
 
The 11th is good but it's not up to me. I'm very thankful that you would open up such a good hunting location to a bunch of hooligans like us. On that note, if you're looking for permission, make sure they are aware there would be others besides yourself. There's a big difference between permission for one and permission for 25.

If we can be of any help with the research, just ask. :grin:

I am the noob here and this will be a day for me to learn from you hooligans! The county park (former country club) is 63 acres! Much more than one person can cover for sure! It may be a bust but there is a lot of ground to cover!
 
I am the noob here and this will be a day for me to learn from you hooligans! The county park (former country club) is 63 acres! Much more than one person can cover for sure! It may be a bust but there is a lot of ground to cover!

Have you been over to that park yet?
 
I spoke to the person that is in charge of all DeKalb County Forest preserves and the only thing he said about metal detecting is to please keep things clean and put it all back together nicely when done.

Weather permitting, April 11 is the date for this hunt. My thoughts are as follows; it is possible I will not have permission to explore private property so exploring around the old lake shore may not happen. I believe there is a lot of acreage to explore between the 63 acre former golf course, now Forest Preserve and the small city park on the edge of the drained lake.

Mark your calendars for SATURDAY APRIL 11.

As we get closer I will update with a plan for us all to meet-up and McDonalds and caravan to the locations.
 
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