# Hillside Dump - How to Proceed



## DeepSeaDan (Mar 30, 2020)

Greetings,

Contemplating my very first earthen dig ( always been an underwater hunter ), at a hillside dump location. It appears the area was used for dumping for many years, as my oldest initial find is a broken Ayers Sarsaparilla bottle, which was 3/4's of the way down the cliff face ( the cliff being an average height of about 20' ), on the surface. Nearby was the remnant of a ceramic ginger beer. A lot of newer items scattered about the surface of the hillside as well.

Question: How best to begin the dig? At the base of the cliff? Should I trench lateral to the cliff, dig upward in rows? How about digging tools - any "must have" or "great to have" tools for such a dig?

Thanks in advance!

DSD


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## yacorie (Mar 30, 2020)

So a 20 foot cliff and a 20 foot hillside are different.  Just hard to know how hard it is to traverse up and down.

generally the oldest stuff is at the bottom of a hillside dump because as they used it, the stuff would pile up over the years.

mid this was me, I’d start at the bottom and work my way back and forth along the bottom. When I found a pocket I would dig it.

if possible, I would dig the bottom across the entire length of the dump.  Then I would move up a bit more and continue.  Some of it you will have to decide based on the topography and how it looks and behaves as you dig.

1.  Be safe
2.  Have fun
3.  Be safe

some guys trench in and get in tunnels and holes.  I don’t do that.  I’d bench in if I have to go deeper.

post pics of your finds


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## DeepSeaDan (Mar 30, 2020)

yacorie said:


> So a 20 foot cliff and a 20 foot hillside are different.  Just hard to know how hard it is to traverse up and down.
> 
> generally the oldest stuff is at the bottom of a hillside dump because as they used it, the stuff would pile up over the years.
> 
> ...



 Ok, let's stick with calling it a Hillside, as the slope is about 45 degrees. I like the idea of trenching at the foot of the hill, as it makes sense that the older material would make it's way to the bottom. There is some concrete to deal with, so I expect a bit of slugging along the way.

Thanks, Yacorie!

DSD


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Mar 30, 2020)

Anyway to push a probe in and feel around?


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## DeepSeaDan (Mar 30, 2020)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> Anyway to push a probe in and feel around?



Certainly - where can I get a probe?


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## yacorie (Mar 31, 2020)

DeepSeaDan said:


> Certainly - where can I get a probe?


You can buy them or there are posts here on how to make one with a spring steel rod.

mid you already know it’s a dump with older stuff - I’d save probing until later when you’re trying to find additional pockets or see if you need to go deeper etc


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Mar 31, 2020)

Anyway you choose to proceed. I wish you the best of luck.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Mar 31, 2020)

Tools- shovel, small garden shovel, cultivater. Thats my choice. I have seen people using all kinds of things like mason trowels to garden hoes. Basically it is what ever works for you. Oh yeah i almost forgot the cutters for roots.


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Mar 31, 2020)

You can always watch videos online. See how others do it and the tools and way they approch a dig. Use caution be safe most importantly have fun!


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## DeepSeaDan (Mar 31, 2020)

ROBBYBOBBY64 said:


> You can always watch videos online. See how others do it and the tools and way they approch a dig. Use caution be safe most importantly have fun!



Thanks for the help, RB64!

As soon as the rain stops, I'll give it a go, and hopefully have somethings to show!

DSD


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## embe (Mar 31, 2020)

4x8 sheet of 5/8"  plywood to give you something to stand on (or if you're lighter than me you can probably get away with a smaller sheet)


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## DeepSeaDan (Apr 2, 2020)

Was out yesterday for a few hours ( regrettably, the dump is in an area popular with dog-walkers, joggers & the like, so keeping it on the down-low for now ).

The ground was frozen in some areas, but I found a spot where I could dig into the face of the slope. What I found in the first 2 feet was a few complete bottles near the surface, then a huge assortment of broken, melted & whole bottles, jars, cans and assorted refuse, with the lingering odour of combustion permeating the ground. Pretty well everything came from the 20's, 30's & 40's era.

I'll be back in the future to try & get down to the earliest layers, after the ground completely thaws, & C-19 is mostly in the history books.

Here's a couple of interesting sodas from the 20's / 30's:


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## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 2, 2020)

Always love the embossed ones. Thanks for posting. Appreciate the pictures.


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## PlaneDiggerCam (Apr 2, 2020)

Thise art deco sodas are cool! Never seen those designs before.


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## DeepSeaDan (Apr 2, 2020)

PlaneDiggerCam said:


> Thise art deco sodas are cool! Never seen those designs before.



Aren't they, though! 

Another member here - "RCO" found a Punch Dry bottle at an antique shop, & wrote about it here:





						Punch Dry Limited - Toronto Ont - Art deco soda bottle
					

didn't get this for Christmas , found it at an antique mall in southern Ontario a little while ago, just hadn't posted it yet .   didn't recall seeing it before but is a couple other bottles for Punch dry that seem to be more common , this one is very unique .     it features an embossing of...



					www.antique-bottles.net
				




Can't wait to dig deeper!

DSD


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## Foreshore9 (Apr 2, 2020)

So cool !


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## RCO (Apr 5, 2020)

that punch dry bottle is a good find , as mentioned I have one that I found at an antique store , not easy to find and for sure 20's / 30's era which helps to date the dump site 

I'd keep poking around as I'd imagine there is other stuff to find there 

if you find any other art deco sodas from Toronto I could likely help to date them or know more about them as I've seen most of them before , but might still be a few I haven't as some were only used for brief periods by smaller bottlers


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## DeepSeaDan (Apr 5, 2020)

RCO said:


> that punch dry bottle is a good find , as mentioned I have one that I found at an antique store , not easy to find and for sure 20's / 30's era which helps to date the dump site
> 
> I'd keep poking around as I'd imagine there is other stuff to find there
> 
> if you find any other art deco sodas from Toronto I could likely help to date them or know more about them as I've seen most of them before , but might still be a few I haven't as some were only used for brief periods by smaller bottlers



Thanks RCO. With C-19 running rampant about the land, I reckon I'll wait on this until the menace has officially passed; meantime, research goes on for more places to hunt!

Regards,
DSD


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## RCO (Apr 5, 2020)

DeepSeaDan said:


> Thanks RCO. With C-19 running rampant about the land, I reckon I'll wait on this until the menace has officially passed; meantime, research goes on for more places to hunt!
> 
> Regards,
> DSD



true I still plan to keep searching around but a lot of my locations are in isolated rural areas so I don't have to worry about other people being nearby , the snow is finally disappearing here so plan to poke around a bit in the next few days and see if I can find anything 

I'm sure there is more good stuff at the spot you found based on its description and what you've found so far , a lot is likely buried and hidden from view , some of it will be broken but make sense back then that they were more likely to toss a broken soda than a non broken one


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## hemihampton (Apr 5, 2020)

I think the tossing may be what breaks them?


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## DeepSeaDan (Apr 8, 2020)

hemihampton said:


> I think the tossing may be what breaks them?



My thinking is that back in the day, people weren't too discriminating as to what they tossed out, as evidenced in the Privy digs I've looked at, where the numbers of whole glass vs. broken seem to be proportional. Certainly, a portion of what was whole prior to disposal, gets damaged in the tossing.

DSD


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