Ghost town hunting ethics question

[Libralabsoldier]

I went by Stecker, Boone, and Hatchetville yesterday. I could not even find Hatchetville. Stecker was still slightly populated. It was sad, actually. Boone was not too bad, but everything was boarded with NO TRESPASSING signs.

 

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[Mackaydon]

Hatchetville was (early 1900s) around the intersection of E. 1430 Rd. and N 2550 Rd.
Just east of that intersection, in the NE quadrant appears from an aerial photo to be an occupied home.
You might wish to knock on their door next time you're in the area and inquire about Hatchetville.
Don.....

 

[Libralabsoldier]

I am going to combine my abandoned house/ghost town hunts with my daughter's newfound interest in Native American artifacts. She found some sort of small stone blade on her playground, and I have been searching for tips on how to hunt for points.

Stecker had this creepy, horror movie feel to it. Driving towards the town there is a huge abandoned house on an unlicensed junkyard, both filled with trash. Cow skulls decorated fence posts. We were stared at with open hostility.

As we drove the circular gravel road around the little town, taking pictures of the church and the other abandoned buildings, I caught glimpses of people watching us. The old Post Office, complete with an iron bell out front, looked depressing.

I am starting to wonder how these little pockets of people endure.

 

[zerojinx]

I am going to combine my abandoned house/ghost town hunts with my daughter's newfound interest in Native American artifacts. She found some sort of small stone blade on her playground, and I have been searching for tips on how to hunt for points.

A good rule of thumb on arrow heads is high ground near water. Especially area's of a plowed field that are adjacent to water. Thats where I find 99% of all the arrowheads i run across.

 

[lastleg]

Libra, I get a funny feeling about that Stecker place, like stay away

 

[Libralabsoldier]

Me too. I did not even get out of the car. I am going to try to make a weekend trip up to Bridgeport when the weather gets better, or perhaps check out some of the areas around Fort Cobb...but if I go to Fort Cobb I am bringing my shotgun to pop some crows.

 

[zerojinx]

Libra, I get a funny feeling about that Stecker place, like stay away

Sounds kinda like "the children of the corn". I've run across hostile towns, but never that bad.

 

[Libralabsoldier]

There has been a general malaise and feeling of despair in Oklahoma for quite some time.....People are getting more and more distrustful of outsiders, brown people, strangers. I love to go exploring. I used to get myself lost on purpose just to see what there was to see.

I am not so sure I will be able to do this here too much. I would hate to surprise some squatters or the ubiquitous meth cookers.

 

[airborne1092]

DO well in finding and hunting your ghost towns! ( I do not believe in luck.)

Abe Lincoln said "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend the first four hours sharpening the axe."

invest in that pearl of wisdom!

 

[Brian C.]

I have been doing a lot of research on ghost towns and outlaw gold here in Oklahoma. After reading how territorial some of the THers looking for the James and Dalton gangs loot, I have decided to go a safer route.

After all, MDing with my Smith and Wesson strapped to my leg would get tiring pretty quick!

Now, evidently there are several ghost towns within a short drive of my house. Two are mining company towns (gypsum and limestone, not gold). A few others just dried up during the Dust Bowl years.

Now, if I can locate banks or stores in these areas, what are the ethics and legalities of hunting through them for coins and artifacts?

I always get the land owners okay before I enter any land. I am always a little Leary about old hidden wells that one could fall into. I know of one person that did come close to falling in an old well, he was lucky there was another person with him. Brian C.

 

[RGINN]

I'll bump this up. Gotebo and Bridgeport aren't really what you could call ghost towns, as lots of folks still live there, and would take offense to that label. That diner along old rte. 66 south of Bridgeport that used to be run by Milo Karl would be a cool place to detect. You wanna detect around Boone, look up my brother Jack Koontz, Commanche/German, relative of Blackbear Bosin and Dixon Palmer. Mention me, you're in. The crows don't come to Ft. Cobb like they used to, but you're welcome to what's there. They've been replaced as a bane to farmers by white-tailed deer and wild hogs these days. Dirty Shame, or Gage's Station south of Carnegie would be cool to detect. Tia-Piah campground south of Carnegie on Wiser Tongkeahmah's place would be a dream to detect, I think. Make some NDN friends. Also, check into Zodletone. I will not tell you about that right now. See what you come up with in your research. Good huntin, in a very history rich part of Oklahoma.

 

[mikusek]

Besides fields, I also hunt for arrowheads on the sandbars/rockbars in the creeks and rivers where the rocks settle out. I have found some beauties with that style of hunting, even paleo points.

 

[Post-Apocalypse_Punk]

Can any of the ownership info be found online? If so, where, or what kind of site?

There's a ghost town within walking distance (about 6 miles - over an hour, but I consider that walking distance.) However, it has a somewhat unfortunate name, and I can't find squat about the actual town, save location. It comes up on maps (sometimes), but I can only zoom in so much.