Free Topo Maps for all 50 States

For those who are needing topo maps here is a free online source. http://anyplaceamerica.com/ I will add it to the links section on the left side of the blog.

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

DIY Coin Rings

If these cold winter days have you cabin bound and you need a hobby to keep yourself entertained,  then try making a coin ring. The one pictured above is my first attempt at one. I used a copper Canadian large cent from the early 1900's. I'm not going to give a step by step process at how these are made since I still have a lot to learn myself, but to get a good idea of how to get started check out Ryan O'Shea and his blog. http://osheacoinrings.blogspot.com/ For those who don't want to tackle this challenging task, Ryan will custom make a ring for you. He's a fellow treasure hunter and coin enthusiast.

With practice and patience you can turn out these beautiful pieces of art yourself. There are so many choices of coins out there that it should be easy to find one to fit your taste. I highly recommend using cheap cull coins to practice with and as you advance you can move into using silver or gold coins.

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

DRS Ground Exper Pulse induction Detector for Serious Treasure Hunters

If you're serious about treasure hunting and want a detector that can give you extreme depth and high end performance then the DRS Ground Exper is the machine for you. It comes with three coils for all your detecting needs. The 40" coil should give you 30+ foot of depth. New updates are in the works to fix the few little issues I had with the unit, which includes bluetooth to eliminate the cable connecting the machine to the tablet. Besides extreme depth the ground exper offers easy ground balance and better discrimination than any other machine out there.

DRS also makes other pulse induction detectors for those who don't need extreme performance. Whether you are coinshooting, nugget hunting, or searching for an outlaw cache DRS makes a machine for you. Take the time to check out drselectronicsusa.com and if you mention Okie sent you you will get free shipping on the FXII and FX3000 or something useful for the Ground Exper.

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

Grandma's Metal Detector

In May of this year my Grandmother Juanita passed away. Her husband Don was kind enough to give me a metal detector she had used for decades. As a small kid she would let me play with her detectors and read her Oklahoma Treasures and Treasure Tales book. This of course planted the seed for my love of treasure hunting. Not surprisingly the old Sears metal detector, made by White's Electronics, still works. It didn't even need a new battery.

 It wasn't until 1992 that I bought my first new metal detector. It was a White's Spectrum Eagle and I must have been the only person on the island I was living on at the time, because I found so many coins that I was almost sick of digging holes.

Years later, in a moment of weakness, when I thought I needed a newer model, I sold the Spectrum to my aunt. I have regretted it ever since and she won't sell it back. I guess she knows a good thing when she gets it.

Just for kicks I took grandma's old Sears detector out and did a little coin shooting. The old machine doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles and depth was shallow, but it still pulled some change out of the ground. The dirty, old, beat up and battered detector now hangs in a place of honor among the newer and much more expensive machines. No matter how much technology advances this will always be my favorite machine. It was, and still is, part of my life. Just like my grandma has been.

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

Ancient Ghost Volumes 1-5

                                                www.ancientghost.net

If you are looking for something new to read concerning treasure hunting, my facebook friend Bart Jeppesen has just the thing for you. He has written a five volume series that is loaded with treasure signs and symbols. While our treasure hunting styles may differ, I always enjoy reading about what others find out in the field. Bart has included explanations of symbols and plenty of photos. I've read the first volume and look forward to delving into the next four in the series. Add these books to your library and compare what he has found to your own experiences out in the field!

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFBX0FcnRMM

A new show idea for tv producers

With the interest in President Lincoln as of late I have a show idea for tv producers. The lost week of John Wilkes Booth is a subject that has been overlooked for many years now. There's a story here on my blog dealing briefly with it. Thanks to a new friend from Maryland there is now enough research material and field finds to prove the location of where Booth hid out for five days while federal troops searched for him. We would be willing to discuss sharing our information with the right producer who would bring this part of history to life. You can contact me at okietreasurehunter@msn.com if you have an interest in this sort of production.

Texas Treasure Show

Just a friendly reminder of this weekends show in Longview Texas. I plan on being there Saturday if any of my fellow treasure hunters want to meet up.

Texas Screen Dig

Recently I was invited to the hill country of south Texas to participate in a screen dig for artifacts. This is a controversial topic when it comes to artifact hunting. I can see both sides of argument. There is a loss of archeological information, but on the other hand it is legal in Texas to dig on private land and what is found ends up being displayed in private collections instead of hidden away in museum storage.

In Oklahoma digging for artifacts is illegal, so we are limited to surface hunting. I decided to make the trip since this would be a new experience for me and one of the last digs that would take place on the site we were going to.

We started our eight hour trip early in the morning so that we would have enough daylight to do some surface hunting once we made it to Barksdale. The trip down was filled with stories of finding points and a few treasure stories thrown in for good measure. I was prepared to camp out, but we decided to get a hotel room instead. While the room was clean and comfortable it was little more than a place to sleep. No phone, tv, wi-fi, or shower in my room. Just a tub that thankfully had hot water.

Early the next morning we we headed to the next town over for a quick breakfast. We were planning on surface hunting during the lunch break instead of eating, so I ordered a big breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast, and hashbrowns. After stuffing my face we made the quick trip over to the dig site to unload our gear and claim our screen.

South Texas hill country has a rugged beauty all its own and the dig site was located beside the Nueces River. It would be a great place to build a vacation house but the $800,000+ price tag for the 100 acres seemed a bit steep for my wallet.

Nacho arrived with the skid loader and shortly after unloading it the fun began. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but once that first load of dirt hit my table I became aware that it was going to be a long day of hard work. You are constantly sifting dirt off the screen table in an effort to move through as many loads of dirt as possible.

My first find was a thin flake that had been worked into a point. Beginners luck was definitely working on my behalf. While it was slow going for those working around me, I was pulling some nice points out of my dirt. I had a nice variety of points collecting inside the protective case I brought along to put my points in.

Four hours later we stopped for lunch and a walk up the hill to surface hunt didn't seem like as good an idea as it was the night before. I made the decision to stay behind and clean up a few of the points I had found since there wasn't time to take a good look at them during the dig time. The quality of workmanship on some of the points was amazing. The rootbeer flint that is common to the area makes for translucent points.

Lunch was over and we went back at it. The area has been heavily dug so the last couple of hours provided very few points. Our dig time was soon over and I have to confess that I was ready to call it quits a bucket or two of dirt before that. I went down to the river to wash a few pounds of dirt off of my face. We knew that we had a long drive ahead of us and darkness was closing in, so we loaded up and headed out. 

Other than a stop for some good bbq and gas it was an uneventful trip back home. I have to thank Brad, Jake, and Mike for inviting me along. They were good company and I did learn a few things. It was really neat to look at the cuts in the earth and see the different layers of campsites that have been used over and over again for thousands of years.

If you are interested in screen digging in Texas there are a few people operating pay sites. Nacho treated us good, but do your own research and decide if this type of hunting is for you.

KLBC 106.3 The Buzz Treasure Story

A special thanks to Samantha Perera.

T.A.M.D.C. 2013 Treasure Show April 12-14

I am planning to attend the 2013 T.A.M.D.C. Treasure Show in Longview Texas. I hope to meet a number of my blog readers and fellow treasure hunters there.You can get all the details by going to www.tamdc.org or find them on facebook https://www.facebook.com/TAMDC2012

Larry Don Armstrong

It's with great sorrow that I tell of the passing of a friend and fellow treasure hunter, Larry Don Armstrong. Larry was a regular at our annual treasure hunter get together and stayed in contact through email. I could always count on him forwarding something interesting to my inbox. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Larry will be greatly missed.

Free Sanborn and Misc. Maps

Sanborn maps can be a valuable tool for cache hunters, coin shooters, and privy diggers. While most sites charge for these maps there are a few that you can get for free. You may also check with your local library to see if they may have a subscription to one of the pay sites so that you can access it for free.

http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps/FireInsurance/1_County%20Index.html  (Alabama)

http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/sanborn/sanborn.htm  (California)

http://library.ucsc.edu/maps/sanborn-fire-insurance-maps  (California)

http://ufdc.ufl.edu/?c=SANBORN  (Florida)

http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/sanborn/?Welcome&Welcome  (Georgia)

http://digicoll.manoa.hawaii.edu/maps/index.php?c=1  (Hawaii)

http://www.idaillinois.org/cdm/search/collection/aur  (Illinois)

http://kdl.kyvl.org/cgi/i/image/image-idx?page=index;c=beasanic;g=kdlmaps  (Kentucky)

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/view/search?q=Insurance+Fire&sort=Pub_Date,Pub_List_No,Series_No

http://nutrias.org/info/louinfo/sanbornindex/sanbornindex.htm  (Louisiana)

http://pds.lib.harvard.edu/pds/view/5959512?n=1&imagesize=600&jp2Res=0.125  (Massachusetts)

http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?page=index;c=umcscsanic  (Missouri)

http://www.co.missoula.mt.us/opgweb/HistPres/SanbornMaps.htm  (Montana)

http://www.blairhistory.com/archive/Sanborn_Maps/sanborn.htm  (Nebraska)

http://www.nesgs.org/~swngs/sanborn/sanborn_mccook.htm  (Nebraska)

http://www.delamare.unr.edu/maps/digitalcollections/nvmaps/sanborns/  (Nevada)

http://library.princeton.edu/libraries/firestone/rbsc/aids/sanborn/mercer/princeton.html (New Jersey)

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/explore/dgexplore.cfm?col_id=442  (New York)

http://www.lib.unc.edu/dc/ncmaps/sanborn.html  (North Carolina)

http://virtuallibrary.cincinnatilibrary.org/VirtualLibrary/vl_Maps.aspx  (Ohio)

http://www.orcity.org/planning/sanborn-maps-mcloughlin-and-downtown  (Oregon)

http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/digital/sanborn.html  (Pennsylvania)

http://library.sc.edu/digital/collections/sanborn.html  (South Carolina)

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/sanborn/texas.html  (Texas)

http://www.lib.utah.edu/collections/digitalCollections.php/sanborn/  (Utah)

http://gis.lib.virginia.edu/ (Virginia)

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trr016.html  (Library of Congress)

http://nationalmap.gov/historical/index.html

http://egsc.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/aerial/aerial.html

http://alabamamaps.ua.edu/historicalmaps/us_states/oklahoma/topos/index.html  (Oklahoma)

http://luna.library.okstate.edu:8180/luna/servlet/view/all/where/W98%C2%B030'-W98%C2%B015'/when/2009/  (Oklahoma)

WWATS: World Wide Association of Treasure Seekers

While many of us are aware that the current administration is busy working to take away our second amendment rights, few are aware that the EPA and BLM are working hard to strip away your right to gold prospect and treasure hunt. Daily battles are being being fought at the state level to preserve the simple hobby of metal detecting as well. While the NRA is a well organized and funded lobby group with a media presence, we treasure hunters have a voice crying in the wilderness as well.

WWATS is hard at work fighting for our rights to pursue the activities we enjoy. Wayne "NuggetBrain" Peterson is the new president and has taken an active roll in amping up the efforts in the fight that WWATS is engaged in on our behalf. Please take a look at their website http://www.wwats.org/ and find a way to help in any manner that you can.

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

How to Research for Treasure Hunting & Metal Detecting

This book should be required reading for the beginning treasure hunter or the seasoned veteran. Long overdue in the field of metal detecting and treasure hunting. It's refreshingly straight forward and politically incorrect. I would have recommended it just for the chapter dealing with the KGC alone, but this book has so much more to offer.

I actually have mixed feelings about reviewing this book. The author has revealed many of the research links and methods that I have held as closely guarded secrets for my own research over the years, but the purpose of this blog is to be a tool for other treasure hunters and this is one tool you shouldn't be without.

With 25 chapters dealing with everything from obtaining treasure leads, map resources, common sense & treasure sense, and internet searching you can't help but learn something new. Otto Von Helsing gives you the formula and methods to be a successful researcher and this is a book I will be using myself in a never ceasing effort to become a better treasure hunter. Available at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480186775/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=treasurehuntingresearch-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1480186775 and reasonably priced. This book will pay for itself many times over by saving you time, money, and helping you find the good stuff. You may want to check out the authors website at www.treasurehuntingresearch.com

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

Meadows Gang Treasure

Pyror, Oklahoma

Near the site of the Pryor Creek Creek water tank on the Missouri, Kansas, & Texas Railroad lies a $135,000 cache hidden by the Meadows Gang. The gang had accumulated the approximately four hundred pounds of gold and silver coins from several hold ups they had pulled in the area.

While resting near the water tank they decided to bury the cumbersome load for safe keeping. Shortly after this this the gang was captured with several gang members turning states evidence against Meadows, who ended up serving 18 years in prison.

After his release he came back to the Pryor area searching for his hidden loot but there was a lot of area around the tank and the area had changed during his nearly two decade prison term. Meadows was sure the money was still there but had sunken to bedrock in the soft soil.

A search of old MK&T RR maps may show the location of the water tank or a trip to the county courthouse to research what records they may have. With todays pulse induction detectors and other equipment this is one that someone with time and energycan recover and with todays gold and silver prices would be well worth the effort.

Pine Knot Crossing Treasure

Just a few miles north of Ringold Oklahoma near the McCurtain/Pushmataha county line is a cave that was found and then lost a little over a century ago. This is one of those treasures I think is really there to find. The story goes that three men were camping on the west side of Little River at the Pine Knot Crossing. It was getting towards evening on a hot July day in 1900. Storm clouds were building to the north of the camp but one of the men decided to do a little squirrel hunting to before dark. Taking his dog and shotgun he crossed the river and then headed southeast into the dense forest.

About an hour or so later the man had bagged a couple of squirrels and decided to head back to camp. All of a sudden the dog spied a rabbit and gave chase. With darkness coming on and a storm rolling in the man knew he had to find his dog and get back to camp. Taking off in the direction of his barking dog he began to descend into a small valley with high walls but had to stop because a rock wall was blocking the trail.

A large flat rock caught his attention and upon moving it he could feel a cool breeze. Clearing more rocks out of the way revealed a small opening into a cave. Just then lightning struck a tree behind him. The man decided it would be better to be inside the cave than outside it. After crawling into the cave for a ways it opened up so that a man could stand upright. Finding some branches inside the cave the man decided to build a small fire. The fire lit up the interior of the cave and this is when the man discovered a stack of narrow wooden boxes against one wall. There were also three large trunks along with other wooden crates. Prying open one crate he found six new Winchester repeating rifles chambered in 45-70. Other crates contained rifles, pistols, and Sharps .50 cal buffalo rifles. There was also a scattering of saddles, kegs, and cooking utensils, but it was the three large trunks that held his attention.

Two of the trunks were locked but he was able to pry the third one open. The top tray contained an assortment of gold pocket watches. The bottom of the trunk was covered several inches deep in gold and silver coins. There was also a stack of paper money, more watches, revolvers, bags of gold dust, rings, and hunting knives. It was past midnight by the time the man had recovered from the shock of what he had found. Knowing his friends would be worried he made the decision to head back to camp. Stuffing his pockets full of gold and silver coins along with four pocket watches and a Colt pistol with a patent date of July 12, 1872 he crawled out of the cave into the darkness and rain. 

Of course as with any good treasure story this is where the man becomes lost and is eventually found early the next morning about a half mile south of the camp but on the east side of the river. Excitedly he showed the other two men the treasure he had collected. For the next three days the men searched for the cave with no luck. Each year the man returned to the crossing searching for the cave until his death in 1950 at the age of 75.

I think by taking a few of the clues that are provided you can cut the search area down to a manageable size. The first thing that comes to mind is that the large trunks and crates of rifles were probably transported by wagon. Using a very detailed survey plat from 1898 I found that two of the wagon roads from that time frame are still in use. I have marked the old trails in red. They would have used one of the roads to get as close to the cave as possible.

The second thing is the amount of time he spent traveling before deciding to return to camp. At a moderate pace you can easily travel four miles in an hour, but he was hunting in dense tree cover on hilly terrain. Due to the time of day, approach of the storm, and the risk of being cut off from camp from rising river waters I doubt he traveled more than two miles. He was moving in an southeasterly direction after crossing the river which would put him closer to the road south of Terrapin Creek. He was also found the next morning near the junction of Terrapin Creek and Little River. 

He was descending into a small valley which puts him at a higher elevation. This also plays well with the part about lightning striking a tree behind him while at the cave entrance. There would have been a higher chance of strikes at the top part of the hill. He would have been traveling in a westerly direction for his return trip. He was on some sort of trail which could still be there today. 

The cave itself is sort of a clue. Obviously it was being used as some sort of headquarters. Since there was a cool breeze coming out of it this should indicate a second opening. Whoever was using it would have needed water and a place to keep the horses close at hand.

One thing that caught my eye on the 1898 survey plat were two small lines in a bend on Terrapin Creek  " marked in red on my map" that were traces of a wagon trail. This wasn't part of the main road and the creek can be crossed on the east side of the bend. If I were to search for the cave this is the area I would search first. You can find the old survey plat by using the links section on this blog.

Good Luck and Good Hunting!