I was sort of bored and decided to get out. I was going to go out yesturday afternoon. But there were thrunderstorms in the Mountains. Yesturday, my buddy Torrey wanted to go. But couldn't today. So, I went alone. Anyway I went out with my detector just up in the foothills.
Well, I found a pit behind a cluster of three cabins. It was about 5 feet across and who knows how deep. There was a big peice of metal blocking the pit about a foot or so down. I need to go back with a come-a-long and some cable to move the metal that looks like a water tank bottom about 4 feet across. Or maybe my buddy can help me move it if comes along. It's thick metal like boiler plate.
But, I did find beer cans. No, no 30s cans in the pit yet. But I did get about 2 cases of one sided Coors from the 50s. I also found PBR. But, FINALLY, I found something besides Coors. Nothing too exciting. Just some cans from Chicago that are dark green. (Hint- this brewer also had a brewery in South Bend.) They're soaking in acid now. Yes citric. So they should be riddled with holds, right? LOL! Well we'll see. Maybe I'll post pictures later.
Vince
Lets see some Pictures Vince. LEON.
YES, Drewrys ML. I was hoping they'd be Stout this time. I've cleaned two and they're poor. Why is it the Coor survive and the Drewerys didn't LOL!
I'll try to show the two cleaned up so far. I'm hoping some of the mystery cans are also Drewerys and will clean much better. It looked like the pit was really never buried. But through time and erosion and tree falling it got covered. Since the Drewerys were right on the top layer after I removed the pine needles and twigs, I assume they got sun faded and hit by the elements.
I've gotten Drewerys ML here in Colorado once before, so I'm beginning to figure it was sold here.
Vince
Here ya go! Here's a picture of the rough n' tough Drewery's MLs.
Yah, I know they're in bad shape. But, they were just under the twigs and pine needles. See, this pit wasn't really buried. Nature covered it. About a foot under the top trash was a big round peice of riveted steel. Something like a boiler or tank bottom. Who knows what goodies lay beneath.
The above picture may be one of the last I find. I got one in a trade once. But, I'm not sure if this is ones we found or the one that came out of a collection. I was looking through my ebaY sale pix to see if I had a picture of one of my first found Drewrys ML. I've gotten Drewery's ML before here in Colorado. But mostly I find Coors, Coors, Coors. Next in line is probably Hi-Brau by Huber, Huber, Wisconsin Club, Schlitz, Bud, and national brands. Occassionally I find Tivoli and Walters. Sometimes even Rainier cones. I even found Manhattan last summer.
But this is about pits in Colorado. So, I found this pit at my FIRST stop of the day within minutes of my arrival in the foothills on Friday. No hours of searching. I was actually on the way to another location. I noticed this area that just begged for investigation.
Here's another brand that's turned up in Colorado. Me and a buddy have gotten this brand 3 times now. One was a quart found under a porch in Sterling CO.
Here is a flat top IRTP version found near Grand Junction.
Anyway, I think Drewry's ML may have been sold in Colorado. I'm pretty sure Horton's and Pilsers was too.
Vince
If it wasnt buried and just naturally covered is it a pit? If so there are tons of pits out east!
mike.....
That's a good point Mike,
I'd say yes. If you had to find it with a detector.
Even if you didn't does it matter? Let's say one cabin owner digs a pit, fills it and buries it. You need a detector to find it. But lets say someone fill his pit with trash and doesn't bury it, nature does. They BOTH take a detector to find.
That's how it is. Sometimes you can see the pit, other times you can't. You find the hidden ones by detector. The deal is, that someone purposely dug a hole to bury trash. I can't tell how far this one goes down. But, it looks typical of a cabin trash pit, hand dug for trash desposal.
You know, back in Michigan, Mark Tracy and I found this big pit across the street from these cabins. It wasn't buried. But obviously the cabin people used it.
Do you have big hand dug trash pits in the east? I don't think it makes a huge difference, just the top cans may take a beating they wouldn't if they were covered.
Vince
Mike,
I call a pit a hole that was dug specifically to throw trash in, covered up physically by man. I have found some natural pit dumps, these are like holes from trees that have fallen over the years and people throwing trash into them and after many years of leaf debris a peat layer has formed over the cans. The problem with these natural "PIT" cans is they have a tendency to fade, color is not right, like the Drewrys that Vince shows. The big reason why we dig pits is because the colors of the cans are all there. Many times even the lustre of the can is present. Man dug hole, man thru cans in hole, man covered hole, thus no sunlight hits cans. Once in a great while you will find pit cans that have been faded, these were surface cans that were cleaned up at a later time and thrown into a pit.
Dan B
Dan B.
I agree with you on the fact there are "natural pits" and many aren't covered. I've seen those too. But, man made I've seen can also be left open.
How can you tell the difference? Well, usually a tree fall pit has no pile of dirt our mound near it. Also, as you dig the tree fall pit, you notice the shape is none discript. This pit and other cabin pits I've found in Colorado are usually at the back of cabin property. There's usually a mount of dirt on one side or the other if they're left open. They are usually round or rectangular. Tree pits don't have a shape like that. Also, hand dug pits usually go down staight. A tree fall pit is wide at the top and sort of funnels in and is sort of rounded at the bottom.
Also, here in Colorado, there are areas where the trees don't get very big. And these type of pine trees seem to have a root system that goes way out sideways along the top of the ground. When these trees fall over they make a big wide shallow pit. Much bigger than four or five feet. I'm not a tree expert, but, in Michigan and Washington, the trees seemed to have a different root structure. The holes they made were narrower and deeper. Of course there are different areas in Colorado and a wide variety of trees too.
This pit I found here in Colorado has a mound of dirt along one side. There's this piece of round plate or steel thing right now in the way. It's obviously round and from what I can tell goes straigt down.
Another thing I've seen is that people bury cans, then the dirt settles in aroung the cans re-exposing the trash somewhat.
In addition, you'll find stuff that has been covered up, then when the dirt settles, someone puts more trash on top. You'll see a sharp age drop in the first few feet.
What I think what happens is that people go to their cabin maybe once in a great while and are too busy having fun to worry about covering the pit.
Campers pits are almost always covered and buried. If the one camper didn't do it, likely the ranger or another camper did. I don't think I've seen a campground pit left uncovered.
Vince
I think we need to look at the different kinds of pits out there.
Above is a picture of a campers pit. Usually these are found near a campfire ring in the woods. They may be where ever someone camped or lit a campfire. Usually they are two feet by two feet by two feet deep. They are almost ALWAYS covered up. So, they take a metal detector to find.
Above is the campground pit. These are dug in official campground to dispose of trash. They are small like this one but can be several feet by several feet and several feet deep. This kind of pit is also found behind cabins. Often the ones behind cabins are wider and narrow. The ones in campgrounds are always covered, but the ones behind cabins may or may not be. You can tell these are pits they are deep. Often 3 feet deep or more.
Above is the what Dan B. is talking about. The tree fall pit. These pits are wide and only a couple feet deep. A tree falls over and makes a pit. Then, someone fill it in. This one was behind a gas station in Washington. There were a few pits like this with trash in them behind this station. All from large trees that had fallen over. My buddy Steve Southall is in holding the cans. Mostly 50s stuff.
Here we have my buddy Ray Smith digging an outhouse pit. These are behind cabins and cottages too. These pits are usually 3 foot by 3 foot and 2-1/2 to 4 feet deep. They are almost aways square. As you get toward the bottom the soil has wierd yellow-brown color and often has white powder in it. You can often finds these by looking for a sunken area behind cabins that are square. Often there will be three of four in a row. Or, if the outhouse is still over it, move it. Usually, people filled the hole with trash before buring the hole. These may or may not require a detector to find.
Above is the adobe mud hole. These can be 10 to 20 feet deep. They are usually found in the west and are used to find clay mud to build adobe buildings. This one has produced some good cans through the years. These often take team work of a bunch of guys to dig. Ray is in the bottom of this one in So. Cal.
Above is a virgin well. This is how a well full of trash looks when you find it.
But as you dig one of these babies out over months of work. They may get over 100 feet deep. This is one me and four buddies worked on for a few months every week end. It got to well over 100 feet deep when we left it. But, we got grade 1 cans out of it. Stuff like Tahoe by Maier, Golden Grain, Old Dutch, and some other cheap Maier stuff.
Anyway. If you think a hole has to be covered to be a "pit." Okay then, that's your definition. I think that all of the above are far more than a "scatter dump."
Vince
Who cares what you call it. As long as you get nice cans.
Okay, you find a well, and the first few feet are shot. Who cares if the next hundred are good?
Buried, unburied, to me it's a trash pit if its dug for trash and it's deeper than wide. You think it has to be buried or cover by man.
PotAto, po-tot-toe who, cares? As long as you find cans.
Vince
Vince,
One more time.... Man digs hole, man throws trash in hole, man covers trash in hole with dirt, man stomps on hold to compact= PIT.
Dan B comes by with Gold Bug metal detector, Dan B gets signal, Dan B grabs shovel and digs pit which was made by man, Dan B does dance because he finds clean Silver Springs, Hop Golds, and Town Clubs
Dan B
Okay,
But let's say the pit was dug by a 8 year old boy, and buried by a woman who threw her drunk husband out of the tent. And she stomped the dirt down in anger. Is that still a pit?
What if you can see lipstick stains on the Hop Golds. Is that okay? Because the Hop Golds were consumed by the woman?
Let's suppose your Gold Bug breaks down. And you find the location of the pit with a White's Coinmaster. Is that okay, or will your friends shun you for a month?
Vince
Vince,
If my Gold Bug breaks down, then I just reach for my back up gold bug. I am sure other detectors work as well? I use a Gold Bug so I can only speak on what I use.
If you find lip stick on a Hop Gold then you are certain to have a can that is stunning condition.
If a 8 year old boy dug the pit then yes its still a pit.
O.K Vince last time... Lamens term
Any human who digs a hole to dispose of garbage, throws or puts or shoves garbage in hole, covers or buries, or mounds dirt, soil, sand, rock, or any other material to fill in hole, then stomps on hole to compact. The compacting part is only optional, if for any reason human has a sprained or broken leg, then stomping is optional.
Dan B
Bryan writes.....These pics look to be from the 70's looking at hairstyles and clothes
Actually Bryan that picture was taken last weekend,when Vince scored the Drewrys M.L
Dan B
More clarification please on the outhouse pit! "weird yellowish-brown color"??? The white powder is almost certinly lyme, careful not to breathe that dust in, but the other???
Still some cool info! Thanks for sharing.
Braver than me to go down an old well like that.
Ive done a fair bit of caving in W.V. and plan to go back this fall for more but you wouldnt get me down that well. hope you found some good stuff in it!
you are Right! im too scared to go down a man made hole, here is some pics from a nature made hole,
i have been down allmost a mile, and still have a mile and a half of mapped passage to go, really cool!! gotta keep an eye on the weather though, thunderstorms flood the main passage. never found any cans down here but the formations are way cool! you guys are hardcore going down old mines like that!! I trust nature more than man. take care and be safe!!!
Those are cool pictures of caves. I've only been in a few caves in my life. They do seem to have a surreal aspect to them.
Wasn't there a story in the BCCA or Rusty Bunch a few years ago about some guy who found Gold Crest cones and Red Top flats in an entrance to a cave in Tennesee? They were some sort of natural depression he found these cans in. As I remember, they came out in decent shape too.
Vince