defunct wagon roads ... worth searching??

[Mi$$ouri Jim]

I have plat maps of my local area that date from 1875 to present ..... you can compare them & see a bunch of roads from 1875 that no longer exist on the more modern ones. Most of the defunt roads/trails probably even date older than 1875. And wagons/horse & buggies were probably still used up til the 1920s (not everyone could afford a model T). My question is..... are they worth hunting? I figure that any big old trees next to the trails are probably worth checking around. An odd thing..... I have checked out a few of these old roads visually & you cant even tell there was a road there once.... no depressions at all.

Anyone had any luck hunting old wagon trails?

 

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[bakergeol]

You bet. Just going over that virgin ground would be a thrill. Once I was going down one of those old roads which was just now a poorly preserved dirt road. I was going to an old mining town at the time to do some gold hunting. Well? I stopped at this clearing on the side of the road to have lunch. It was an inviting site with a stream nearby with cool big trees. Well I had nothing better to do so I dragged out my detector on the site. Apparently it had been used as a campsite by lots of folks traveling. Found lots of trash but sandwiched between the trash was old buttons, harmonica plates,? oxen shoes and several old coins including some seated silver. It was nothing to brag about but it made for a relaxing afternoon walking and detecting? lost items on the site where those early travelers also stopped to rest.

Just recently I detected an old mining camp but unfortunately it had been pounded to death. I came up blank until I started detecting the old dirt road. Just walking in the road and swinging my X-5. Found two old store tokens right in the road- they were missed by early detectorists as they were only an inch down. These old roads were compacted and if they have a lot of gravel the coins and crap don't move deep.


The point is that you never know until you look. Perhaps the greatest thrill is knowing that you are a pioneer and will swing your coil where no one has gone before.

Have fun
George

 

[stoney56]

Not from actual experience but research says that checking out areas that had good water might be worth looking into, as they still camped along streams and rivers.

 

[diggummup]

? ? ?An odd thing..... I have checked out a few of these old roads visually & you cant even tell there was a road there once.... no depressions at all.?

Anyone had any luck hunting old wagon trails?
An odd thing might be a good thing.No evidence of a trail probably means it's never been hunted.Your right about big old trees and stoney56 mentioned water sources also.It's definitely worth checking out.Any old railroad lines cross these?Maybe an old station,long forgotten?Do a little more research as to what the roads main use/s were,could give you another spot to hone in on.

 

[bk]

In my part of the country, there were numerous stage roads that ran between the larger towns/ city's. The stage made frequent stops along the way. Not all of these stopping places are as well known as others. They may have only gone 10 miles or so and then would stop to water the horses. I would check any area that may have been an interesting place to stop such as near a small stream, or on a hill top where there may have been a view. Certainly check out any sign of a building site as it may have been a relay station. I found one of my best coins at such a site. It was an 1877 Seated Lib. half dollar.
Good luck!

 

[paratrooper]

It would not hurt to find spots that look like a good spot for a fella to "drop trou" and leave some coins without realizing it . A wide spot for the wagon to be off the road and a rock or tree for a bit of privacy .

 

[Monty]

I lease some hunting property. There is an old WPA road through it that was built during the depression, not sure of the exact date. It has a gravel base covered by about a couple of inches of new soil. I have run the length of it with my detector and the only things I have found is a mule shoe and an old wagon wheel steel rim. The gravel is so compacted and the ground so hard it is nearly impossible to dig. Also, I keep getting solid hits at 4 to six inches that turn out to be .22 hulls! Believe it or not they really light up a detector. I just found out a couple of weeks ago that an old stage coach stop is located at the top of a hill near the property. If you get lined up just right you an see where the road ran by a slight impression and the trees that grew up in the road are much smaller than the surrounding area. There are only a few foundation stones remaining of the old station. The person who owns the property also says that there are a few graves nearby marked by some large stones. I haven't been able to locate them yet but I just recently found out about them. So, where am I going with this? If you intend to detect any of those old trails do a lot of research, especially if there are no remains such as ruts to help identify it. Look for an eroded gully running in the same approximate area. Many times the rain has run down the tracks and eroded out gullies where the old tracks were. An old timer who grew up in the area has helped me immensly. I plan to go detect the site when the weather cools off. I have a trailer on my hunting lease and it can easily be reached with my 4-wheel ATV. JIM