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Found 4-5 privies

CarsonChris

Elite Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2019
Messages
1,911
Location
Carson City, NV
I’ve been driving by a location that I’ve been thinking I should stop and check it out. Finally stopped today and found the remnant of an 1860’s-1870’s brick building. Swung the detector around by the bricks and old trees. Found a fleur de lis decoration for some type of clothing. As I walked on the hill adjacent to the brick I found a line of privies all spaced about 4-5 feet apart. 4 are indented a couple feet and overgrown with sagebrush. The fifth has a shallow depression. Not sure if these were ever dug as the brush has filled them in plus I don’t see dig piles. This land has a for sale sign located nearby. I’m tempted to dig but think I should obtain permission to dig.
 
My suggestion would be to probe the depressions to see if they are dug out and brick or stone lined . If so you want to dig them . If probing reveals undisturbed ground then don’t bother. Reason is not all privies are dug and lined ; some were shallow in which case the homeowners would not have thrown trash into them. I dig remote cellars all the time and they never have deep privies because people just dumped their trash in the ravine or over a hill. In cities they had no space to do that so the privy hole was a easy spot to throw out garbage. And it’s always better to ask for forgiveness than permission assuming it’s out of the way.
 
My suggestion would be to probe the depressions to see if they are dug out and brick or stone lined . If so you want to dig them . If probing reveals undisturbed ground then don’t bother. Reason is not all privies are dug and lined ; some were shallow in which case the homeowners would not have thrown trash into them. I dig remote cellars all the time and they never have deep privies because people just dumped their trash in the ravine or over a hill. In cities they had no space to do that so the privy hole was a easy spot to throw out garbage. And it’s always better to ask for forgiveness than permission assuming it’s out of the way.

There was a mill that sat there. I can find small pieces of quartz on the ground that are remnants of the crushing process. I found it on a map from 1872. I can’t find anything else out about the mill other than it’s name. Ore from Virginia City’s Comstock Load would have been hauled here via railroad.
 
Yes probing is the quick and easy way to determine what you have there. They may be trash pits and not privies. Probing lets you hear and feel the clunk of glass or other debris, and determines how wide each pit is.
 
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