Just beginning and a bit overwhelmed

[barbaloot]

I just started looking for various treasure on my land in Lee County in Texas. I have found LOTS of what I believe are pre-clovis tools and arrowheads as well as petrified wood. I have also found broken pieces of pottery that I believe to be from the 1800s. There are lots of enormous super old grapevines. There are multiple old barbed wire fence remains (I dated the barbed wire 1874). Plus, I understand a stagecoach route ran through my property and the remains of a trading post are on my next door neighbor's property. Another adjacent property had large ditches with massive amounts of what looked like moonshine/cider bottles. I am trying to find out more information about the land, but I am having difficulty finding anything. I hope to buy a metal detector in the near future, but don't know what kind. The majority of the land is sand, but some is clay and some blackland prairie. Almost no one has lived on this land for YEARS and the other land pretty much only has cattle. Any advice??

 

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[lockster99]

Keep at the research....then research some more. Then buddy up with some other Texans with detectors to come lend a hand, like good neighbors that are only a few hours away would do.

 

[RGINN]

Cool location. Research is the key, and don't give up on it. Texas is one of the best states in the union about documenting their history, so there's probably some info out there. If nothin else, corner up the oldtimers at the coffee shop and see what they have to say. Many good detectors out there so I won't advocate one brand. Go with a name brand lower price range to start, and figure that out. You can spend more, but there's nothin worse than buyin a computer on a stick and findin out you don't have a clue on how to make it work. First you need to buy a camera, cause it sounds like you got some interestin finds we'd all like to see.

 

[timemachine]

The best places for used detectors: pawn shops just to test them out first, Craig's list, Offer Up, and tweekers. If those sources don't work, eBay, or a detector dealer. A good dealer will let you try out his gear available and won't upsale ya. There are a few forums on this site that could probably point you in the right direction. Just my two cents.

 

[bzbadger]

If you're just starting out and you want a good name brand to start with and you don't want to put much into a detector till you see if you like it you cant go wrong with either a Fisher F2 or Garrett 250. Both are great starter machines and easy to work easy to learn. Kind of plug and play with either one. Personally im a Garrett man but I suggest the fisher as it has vdi(numeric values) that you can learn as you go or from data online as to what each number correlates to a target. There are other machines that do this but stick with name brand.

 

[AbTexEx]

To start with


Welcome to Treasurenet!!!


This is a must have source of information for anyone who lives in Texas.


Why Stop?: A Guide to Texas Roadside Historical Markers by Betty Dooley Awbrey.


Most local bookstores carry this one.




If you raise cattle you need horses.
If you have horses you have horse races and gambling.


Hobo camps usually about 100 yds from RR tracks.
More gamblers and bootleggers.




Google Earth is a wonderful thang.


Good Luck!!




AJones

 

[SusanMN]

Take your time. If it is your property you have plenty of time to choose a detector that fits your needs. After you do some online reading on detectors that might be in your price range, take a road trip to the nearest metal detector shop where you can actually hold and hear the detectors you are most interested in. It isn't all about bells and whistles. Like any other kind of tool, some just seem to fit (and sound) better to you than others.

 

[RGINN]

And www.texasbeyondhistory.net is a pretty good place to do research.