Anyone know any thing about shovels?

[hagerman]

I found this in colorado a while back, exploring an old mine. It was standing straight up in some rocks. I am looking for age or any other info about it.

 

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[Montana Jim]

Hangerman - lemme get that sized down for you ... it';ll be easier to see...

Welcome to treasurenet... there might be someone who knows shovels here someplace!

 

[Old Rusty Nails]

I've found two out here in CA. I can tell you that it hasn't seen any real hard use. The tip still looks pretty sharp. If it was sticking straight up out of a pile of rocks, I'd be digging up those rocks! Any wood left on it?

 

[hagerman]

Thanks i will learn how to post pics eventually. I figued someone here might have seen a shovel before, i could be wrong though

 

[hagerman]

Heres another pic, just a little wood was left.

 

[Montana Jim]

 

[River Rat]

I think I know enough about shovels to know they don't make em like that anymore. I believe there's one around the tool shed, so I'm gonna date it to the late 1800-1920's. Judging from the old farm tools here, basing it on that...I could be wrong. It won't be the first time either.

RR

 

[Thomas007]

Hey Hagerman

You don't by chance have a closeup of the shovel do you?

Only kidding... it took me a while to get use to posting images also. It is a learning curve and we all get by it in varying way and to varying degrees.

As "Old Rusty Nails" said... that "the shovel" may have been marking a spot of some kind and that the rocks themselves would prohibit metal detecting that area and the shovel marks the rocks. So maybe there is something buried there beneath those rocks.

Welcome to TreasureNet

Happy Hunting (HH)

Sanat

 

[hagerman]

I pulled a newbie treasure hunter on this one, I was happy to find the shovel and didnt think to check if it was pointing to something. The more i think about it i wish i would have looked more(I can find the spot again). It wasnt in loose rocks, it was at the bottom of a valley at about 11,000+ ft. it was at the edge of some solid rock outcropings( granite?) standing in a crack, about 2-3 ft high. there was flat ground in front of it. A little ways away are some stone foundations.
I cant wait to get back to the area. there is an old mine close by that i am researching. even better is the cabin i found up on the mountain just above where the shovel was. There is much to be found. the stove is there but in pieces, there are pieces of glass everywhere. I found a few tops that are purple but no whole bottles yet. At the back of the cabin inside, there is what looks like a storage area that has caved in. its a small area about 3ft x 3ft that was built into the side of the hill. They bad part is the cabin was built at the edge of the cliff behind it. there is a good 800+ft verticle wall straight down behind it and the little storage area that i want to dig is inches away. The coolest find yet is a spoon.
I havent detected the valley below yet where the shovel was. I know there is much to find.
I have to wait to see it again. i live in oregon and this site is in colorado. I am waiting for a chance to get back soon and spend a few days looking. im sure there are some whole bottles to find at least.

 

[silverswede]

Nice old shovel, Hagerman. Being I live in an large old mining area that was prospected and worked hard in the late 1800's, I have seen quite a few shovels and picks around old mines and claims. I'm amazed at how much work the miners, especially the Chinese got out a Spade. Some have been resharpened till they're half the length of yours before being discarded. If your Colorado site is anything like here prospectors dug 100's if not 1000's of "test" holes before staking a claim and doing alot of excavation. You can speculate about event of his leaving the shove there. Maybe thats where he left off for the season, At 11,000 feet his season would be short. If you could get good location numbers of the site and some of the gold hunters on here would help you out on the "how" You could date it and have alot good information to help with your search. Try to find where the claim was recorded, If it was patented, Etc. Looks like you've got a great summer ahead of you. Keep the pictures coming of any size and H.H.

 

[Gypsy Heart]

Its a round mouth and looks to be a miners shovel probally had a shorter handle like the one pictured below