# Where should I dig?



## Troutmaster08 (Apr 27, 2020)

Up until now I have only acquired the bottles in my collection through sales but want to start digging. Other than sanborn maps are there any other indicators of where a dump is?


----------



## bottlehunt! (Apr 27, 2020)

I would recommend digging(or looking) around old homesteads, structures, or farms. for farms, a lot of people worked there, and brought trash as well as drinking the contents of the bottles there. Mines are sometimes  good places, but the dumps can be hard to locate.


----------



## RelicRaker (Apr 27, 2020)

If you're near a creek shallow enough to walk safely, you can check for washouts. Old dumps were often on bottomland or hillsides..


----------



## ROBBYBOBBY64 (Apr 27, 2020)

Alot of people dumped in swamps usually by cemeteries. Both were usually placed in the same area because they were thought to harbor disease. I found in the woods an old resort from the late 1800s to very early 1900s. I found the concrete kidney shaped pool lined with stones and multiple foundations from the building no longer there. They dumped only 200 feet away from i would say the back of the facility. Look for areas in the woods that have older glass shards or old trash (rusty objects,porcelain etc.) Sometimes a depression in the soil sometimes a mound. I have found along rivers the eroding banks will expose old bottles. They used to dump right in the river. Streams away from town,swamps, and any woods could have been used. Look around, do research and don't ever give up. There is more trash out there than you think. Just always respect peoples private property. If need be ask for permission. All rivers and streams is usually public access. So use common sense and be safe. Good luck.


----------



## DFW Digger (Apr 27, 2020)

Here in Texas ,there often dumps close to cemetaries or on city parks with walking trails. City's bought the property cheap and built parks and walking trails on them. Walk the park creeks.


----------



## hemihampton (Apr 27, 2020)

Lots of Parks, Schools., Football fields, factories are built on dumps, most old dumps have long ago been buried & sometimes under a ton of dirt, so much that a shovel would barely scratch the surface & a bulldozer would be more appropriate. Good Luck.


----------



## hemihampton (Apr 27, 2020)

I can think of a few dumps near the river. Here's one built along side of river but with all the water eroding the banks it's now partly in the river. LEON.

P.S. Found some real good stuff here back into late 1800's possibly.


----------



## PlaneDiggerCam (Apr 27, 2020)

Sanborn maps rarely show dumps. Usually Sanborn maps are used to dig old privies.

To find dumps I suggest walking creeks where there were old houses around. Usually you'll find some good stuff. Also exploring old farm field boundaries can lead you to bottle dumps. You can use the historicaerials.com viewer to look at older imagery and topo maps of your area to pinpoint places you can explore. Lastly, be sure to check low lying areas to the back of old homes, this is where trash was sometimes dumped or discarded. Towns usually dumped within a mile of the town, usually on the poorer side and in a bad area of land. Again, where and how people dumped varies where you are and from town to town.

P.S. metal especially bucket or barrel bands is good indicators of a dump even if you can't visibly see signs of glass bottles.


----------

