Old Base Housing; 750 homes, over 2,500 coins found!

[AlaskaAng]

Hi All,

This is the Most Fun I've Had with my XLT metal detector! The year was 2006, January thru June...

I was allowed to metal detect the old base housing units on my base in NM; the homes were scheduled to be demolished. Once the residents started to move out, I moved in. I basically had the place to myself, over 750 homes that were built in the mid 1940s! The lawns were dead (drought in 2005) so it was easy and fast digging! I invited members of my MD club to join me...we had a lot of fun!

Below are pictures of my finds, of course the large picture of finds is everything put together. I made about 7 trips to this area before I was sent to the Senior NCO Academy for 7 weeks. I detected upon my return but the rains came and finding an area without weeds was impossible. I managed to still finds some coins but had to work the areas where the grader just removed the top layer. Seems most of the coins were in the top 4" of soil.

All in all I found over 2500 coins, over 250 were wheaties, 36 silver including a walking liberty! I also found around 15 rings, one being a man's wedding band, and a very old 1940s class ring! The rest were mostly silver or silver and turquoise.

I detected from sun up to sun down, didn't take a break and wore a camelbak for water! I was exhausted each night...I even took two days leave just to work the area before it was closed off.

I'm not sure what the area looks like now, we moved to Alaska in oct 2006 (second tour); I'd love to get back there and see it now.

Hope you enjoyed my story as much as I enjoyed being there! Sure hope I can find another area like that again!

Ang

 

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[CrustyClad]

Wow what a nice collection

 

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[AlaskaAng]

Wow what a nice collection

Thanks! It was a lot of fun and the digging was easy in the soft dirt!

Ang

 

[AlaskaAng]

Very interesting! We had a very similar experience here in northen California. They closed down Hamilton Air Force Base and left about 400 abandoned 1940's style houses almost exactly like the ones you hunting around. I'm not exaggerating, thousands and thousands of coins, toys, rings, and everything imaginable were found. It was a blast hunting there while it lasted. We hunted the front and back yards for about 5 years until they tore them all down and put in condos. I believe there must be several more of these abandoned bases around the country?

Mike, it seems as though the bases haven't been detected like other more "accessable" places as a military ID card is required to access the base or post. These houses were heaven to detect; just wish I had had more time to work them. I lived just up the road in the new base housing so getting there was easy! It was also surrounded by a brick wall so no one bothered me either! I was having a ball! It seems like we found some of the same stuff... I now live between Eielson AFB (late 40s) and Fort Wainwright (Army & very old) and have a fun summer planned; I don't need to do much research to find the older housing areas. Many of the old homes on the bases are being torn down to put up new ones; I've seen this at every base I've been to so far (NC, ND, NM and here in AK.) We need to search the ones we can but it's easier if the homes are unoccupied.

Have fun!
Angie

 

[Cool Hand Fluke]

[
[/quote]
Mike, it seems as though the bases haven't been detected like other more "accessable" places as a military ID card is required to access the base or post. These houses were heaven to detect; just wish I had had more time to work them. I lived just up the road in the new base housing so getting there was easy! It was also surrounded by a brick wall so no one bothered me either! I was having a ball! It seems like we found some of the same stuff... I now live between Eielson AFB (late 40s) and Fort Wainwright (Army & very old) and have a fun summer planned; I don't need to do much research to find the older housing areas. Many of the old homes on the bases are being torn down to put up new ones; I've seen this at every base I've been to so far (NC, ND, NM and here in AK.) We need to search the ones we can but it's easier if the homes are unoccupied.

I had the chance when I was active duty Army National Guard in 1988 to hunt the old WWII barricks at Camp Roberts CA. I kick myself just thinking about the opportunity I missed. My ID card was kind of like a passport into territory that had seen very few detectors.

 

[crazyjarhead]

That's just awesome. I have a place just like that and it's a Military Base which I will be close to in a few months after I move. Can't wait. There's a lot of old housing still there but occupied. They tore up a whole bunch of units years ago but I wasn't into detecting at that time.

 

[KyDigger68]

That's dedication with all the time you put in!! Nice work

 

[traverdog]

What a haul you have. Great fun. Congrats!!

 

[allen]

i bet you was sore after all of that digging !

 

[AlaskaAng]

i bet you was sore after all of that digging !

Very sore but it was worth it! Wish I could go back and do it all over again! Because the ground was mostly dirt or dead grass and dirt, I was able to use a hand pick (flat side) to move the soil then just push everything back in with my foot, it made it easy to quickly recover the coin and move on. The dozers then came through and really messed things up when the houses came down!

Ang

 

[PikesPeakCharlie]

 

[Ronfrommichigan]

The photo of that House at Kirtand,I lived there from 1976-1978,lol probably still have oil spots on the sidewalk from my Triumph 500 Trophy.I was an active hunter in the old WW1 housing and did very well.Also hunted some old buildings near Manzano.Searched most parks in Albuquerque and Madrid when it was a real ghost town.Flew on the choppers a lot from Kirtland to T or C at least 1000 hrs USAF Vet. Would like to talk to some old hunters from the area. Thanks Ron