# how?



## crowntopking (Aug 7, 2011)

i have been finding bottles in a creek bed since i was 7 years old, but now i am 13 and i want to start digging out  dumps and privy pit but, i dont know anything about digging those deep pits and staying safe while doing it. and i dont know how to find the locations of theese dumps. if anyone has some info for me please just leave a message to me.

 thanks      -- crowntopking


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## kwalker (Aug 7, 2011)

Hey there, welcome to the forums. First I'd recommend not posting in the displaying and photographing section for questions like these. I'd suggest going up one floor to the Digging and Finding section. You'll find lots of information from people around here, really helpful bunch for sure.

 As for dumps, most of mine are located along rivers or creeks. Seems people thought it made sense to dump into the water and let all their refuse float away. In creeks it's pretty easy. Look for broken glass and head upstream against the current. Any place that is a little clearing or just looks strange to you, dig a few test holes. Also, any place that has buckets, metal scraps and other stuff like that usually has bounty buried underneath. It's all a matter of feeling for it; be patient and make sure you dig deep enough! Just because there's nothing a foot down doesn't mean that another two feet there's not a stash of pontil-era bottles...

 Maps can help a lot too. Sanborn fire insurance maps I swear by. They help find all sorts of old places that are no longer there. Look for dead end roads, rivers with bridges over them, railroads, old houses ect. These places usually hold promise. One of my dumps is located next to the site of an old factory from the 1890s-1910s so check for factories, mills ect. People were pretty smart as to where they dumped their trash and how they eventually covered it up. Make sure you picture what the area looked like 100 years ago as landscapes change dramatically. Forests grow, rivers change and houses are built and destroyed. Half the battle is finding the dump, the other half is sweeeeeeet victory when you start finding stuff you like []

 Here's a link to Kentucky Sanborn maps for you
http://kdl.kyvl.org/sanborncounties.htm


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