Ever since buying our winter home in Southern Nevada I've been fascinated with Hoover Dam. If you've never been, the dam tour is incredible!
Anyways, I've read several books about it, and being a md'ing addict I thought of what would be the ultimate dam-related find. Boulder City was fenced off and gated with armed guards during dam construction and workers were issued badges to allow them to come and go to Vegas and elsewhere. The badges were carefully accounted for by the government and the contractor (Six Companies Inc.).
Long story short, I figured it would be next to impossible to ever find one, but made it my lofty goal. My wife's uncle lives in Boulder City and knows a great many people. He secured me a permission to hunt a very tiny yard in one of the first houses built for workers. I searched that yard for hours listening for the tiniest blip. Pulling a handful of clad and modern junk it didn't seem like I was going to get any of the old coins I was expecting.
Then I got this barely repeating signal that was high one way, but low at 90 degrees. A nail, right? Well, I dug that nail signal and low and behold, at about 12 inches down...
Holy moley, I could hardly believe my eyes!
The pin is broken off at both ends and the back was really crusted over (I know, I know, shouldn't have cleaned it so aggressively, but it's mine and I'm not selling!) but it is perfect in my mind.
I guess you gotta dream big. I'm thinking my new white whale is gonna be a $20 gold piece!
Anyways, I've read several books about it, and being a md'ing addict I thought of what would be the ultimate dam-related find. Boulder City was fenced off and gated with armed guards during dam construction and workers were issued badges to allow them to come and go to Vegas and elsewhere. The badges were carefully accounted for by the government and the contractor (Six Companies Inc.).
Long story short, I figured it would be next to impossible to ever find one, but made it my lofty goal. My wife's uncle lives in Boulder City and knows a great many people. He secured me a permission to hunt a very tiny yard in one of the first houses built for workers. I searched that yard for hours listening for the tiniest blip. Pulling a handful of clad and modern junk it didn't seem like I was going to get any of the old coins I was expecting.
Then I got this barely repeating signal that was high one way, but low at 90 degrees. A nail, right? Well, I dug that nail signal and low and behold, at about 12 inches down...
Holy moley, I could hardly believe my eyes!
The pin is broken off at both ends and the back was really crusted over (I know, I know, shouldn't have cleaned it so aggressively, but it's mine and I'm not selling!) but it is perfect in my mind.
I guess you gotta dream big. I'm thinking my new white whale is gonna be a $20 gold piece!
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