Fur Trade & Gold Rush Sites In One Day!

[Cal_Cobra]

TomCA and I decided to test out our new fat tire ebikes integrated into some detecting earlier this week.  The bikes are awesome, I can see these really being useful in the future for some of our adventures where you simply cannot drive, and may have several miles of ground to traverse before getting to your detecting objectives.

So we have a Fur Trading site and a Gold Rush era encampment that aren't too far apart from each other that we were able to get to.  No doubt that TomCA made the find of the day, but I was (fairly) happy with my take as well.  The Gold Rush era encampment we call the Buckle Village because we're found several Gold Rush era tongue and wreath style buckles that were prevalent to the Gold Rush 49'ers flooding into the west coast to make their fame and fortune.  They simply don't seem to be found at sites from different eras (I'm sure there's exceptions as always).  This encampment has produced several for us, as well as a beautifully decorated powder flask, buttons, TomCA got a nice reale, I got what's considered the first trade token minted in California from 1850, a stunning 1820 United States Militia one piece button, and plenty of other period relics.  At this site, Tom bested me with his prize and I'll let him have the honors of sharing that when he shares his finds.  My best find from this site was an 1840s and 1850s early United States Marines two piece button backmarked "SCOVILLS & CO / [dot] WATERBURY [dot]".  A few buckles, and what appears to be a knife or dagger hilt.  This site has really dried up since our first few visits, but there's still finds there if you work your a$$ off 🤠

The next site has been a fun one, early California fur trading post site that digs deep into early California history.  At this site you just never know what you'll find.  It was my day for green copper, I dug a butt load of it, possibly more then I've ever dug there before.  The larger pieces sound so good, beautiful high tones with high 20's to low 30's TID's on the EQX800, so you dig each and everyone anticipating a reale or bust coin, only to be let down with a green copper whatsit.  Still fun history BUT it's getting stingy with non green copper items.  This trip I managed to get a small, thin copper coin of some sort. I'm sure it's not a button or whatnot, but it's so corroded it's unlikely to ever be ID'd.  I also dug a period bronze wedding ring, which while not as showy as a gold or silver ring, is still fun to me as it was likely a very personal effect that someone wore from the old world to the new world in their great adventure only to leave it behind to be found centuries later.

Also got the obligatory black powder round ball drops and a few fired ones (I actually like finding those) and some later period rim-fire shells.   Dug a bunch of bronze nails/spikes.  I don't mind digging these, their not like square nails that litter most of our relic sites out west, these are hand forged bronze nails/spikes with old world forged rose heads.  Also a couple of interesting bits they made for some special purpose use. 

I'm sure Tom will proudly display his buffalo and war nickles 🤣 so I'll show my wheat cents and fluke clad too 😁

[Tom_in_CA]

Hey Brian, that was a fun hunt.  You got more targets than me, d/t you got in that green-copper zone.  And I like your dagger hilt and your anchor button.   I realize the scads of green copper and copper spikes are probably 'ho hum' to anyone else, but you and I know that these keep-us on the edge-of-our-seats.  Thinking that a wickedly old coin is just around the corner @ the next beep.   But I have to admit, by the end of the hunt, I was starting to get annoyed by this otherwise "fun age-indicators".  🤪  We paid too much in, and are deserving of a period coin by now !!  haha

Yes, these buckles have become sort of a "goal unto themselves".   They have gained a cult following in the recent decade or so here in CA.   We love finding them ... so ... I'll take the title of having the "best find" of this trek.  And I'll be humble about it too !  😏    It was especially gratifying since we've dubbed this spot the "buckle village".  How fitting, eh ? 

The item to the right of the buckle is ... I think ... some sort of gun part. 

[Tom_in_CA]

A view with the other period targets from this "buckle village" side of our site :  Camp lead, Toe-tap, keeper, pistol balls, gun part, thimble, underwear buttons, ball button, and 2 -piece button (nothing on either of them).    These are all fun history to our growing collection to the provenance of this site.   Nothing here has dated to after the mid to late 1850s, so :  Any find is an interesting find.   Even the junk is "fun junk", so-to-speak.

[Tom_in_CA]

a view of the rear of the buckle :

[F350Platinum]

Great run y'all, I really get a kick out of your stories and the stuff you find. 👍 Out of likes for today. 🙄 Been busy trapped inside all day by this pesky hurricane. 😵

The ebike thing is growing on me, but none of my permissions are miles to get to, so swinging a detector while walking there has produced some pretty interesting stuff. I do bring my golf cart on a trailer sometimes! 😀 It handles the farms well and is great as a refuge from the brutal winds we get from now to April. 🤬

You're definitely finding some pretty old buckles! The stamped ones are awesome, only place we find those here are civil war sites. I feel the same way about bronze rings, very cool.

Looking forward to future tales! 👍

[Valens Legacy]

Looks like the 2 of you had a very nice hunt together with some great finds.

Wish you more luck on your next outing.

[Cal_Cobra]

14 hours ago, Valens Legacy said:

Looks like the 2 of you had a very nice hunt together with some great finds.

Wish you more luck on your next outing.

Thanks!  We're in the midst of planning a potentially epic adventure that's coming up soon.  I remain cautiously optimistic about the sites we have lined up, as in previous experiences we tend to find that for every ten sites we recon, seven have been strip mined or didn't actually exist (have encountered a few of these), two have only a few scant leftovers, and one will might be great.  We shall see.

[strick]

Nice work fellas. Those naval anchor buttons are my favorites lots of detail. Brian I’ll need to pick your brain on the e bike as I’ve been looking at them also. Those star buckles were popular back then. Found a couple that were broken off stars... but never a whole one yet. 

Strick

[Rick N. MI]

A great hunt. Had to be a lot of fun there. How did the ebikes do?

[Tom_in_CA]

On 11/12/2022 at 6:07 AM, Rick N. MI said:

 ....  How did the ebikes do?

Worked great.  There is a .75 mile walk from where we had to park the car, to where we actually wanted to hunt.  In the past, that would be a 10 or 12 minute walk.  The Ebikes made that a 2 minute whirl.  

This was just a practice run, for an objective we have coming up, where a few spots involve several miles to get to.  One of them over landscape terra firma (poor trails, at best).  So we got the "fat tire" variety.   Already I can tell that's a benefit at our practice run.  Because in the particular case of where we were, it was grass at one point that we were crossing (cow-pasture type grass).  And it had just rained HARD the previous days.   So :  If we'd had regular street tires, I'm guessing they would have been more prone to "cut into the mud" (get stuck).  Versus fat tire where you have a better chance of traction in loose- or wet- terra-firma .   

Also : At the current price of gas, I find myself using mine for round-town errands (bank deposit, post office, etc....).   So it's beneficial in other ways besides the detecting purpose.