Question.. About Oregon Trail

[Wrecka]

Or you can look at it as the largest migration of people in the history of mankind.

I would like to dispute this historically innacurate comment

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_human_migration

 

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[Wrecka]

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues: More Metal Detecting Along the Oregon Trail

 

[treasuresalvor]

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues: More Metal Detecting Along the Oregon Trail

WTF is this? Some troll steals treasurenet thread to write his article? The enemy is among us.

 

[RustyGold]

So is it theft when one takes artifacts to a museum so it can be on display for generations to see and understand the hardships these people went through?
There are tons of stuff in museums around the world where the way the artifacts were obtained could be questionable.

 

[eyemustdigtreasure]

If you've already deduced that you can detect in a certain area, then it's as stefen says: the "oregon trail" is nothing but a line on a map. So if you can detect at some point/spot along it, then .... go do it There is nothing uniform or across the board that disallows detecting on the "oregon trail", since that's an ambiguous nebulous line, crossing through a myriad of different entities.

Oh, and the best places to detect along the trail, would not simply be to find where the trail went, and start checking alongside of it. Instead, the best places, are where they STOPPED. Ie.: camped for the night, especially if there were some sort of commercial venture going on there (trading post, saloon, stage stop, etc....).

Tom in CA makes sense. Following a linear trail of metal - where in places the old Trail isn't always expressed by a swale, but can be located with the help of a metal detector! Research the diaries, find named places where water and good grass made it to be a great camp!
Ft. Hall in Idaho was the departure point for different routes off the Oregon Trail - a REAL HOTspot...!
Even on those historic emigrant routes, there were alternate routes up difficult sections, and seasonal "detours" for sure!
Get permissions, or...., well, you know what they do to cattle rustlers...?

 

[Goldfinger450]

Maybe some of you are Old and cranky like I am when it comes to the "States" Power, which they have TOO MUCH, Personally I tend to look very close at the Ridiculousness of many of Oregons laws. The "STATISTS" can stick it as far as I am concerned, I must have ODD= Obstinate Defiance Disorder, if not, am coming down with it.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues: More Metal Detecting Along the Oregon Trail

WTF is this? Some troll steals treasurenet thread to write his article? The enemy is among us.

Wrecka , please don't tell me that you posted this link, because you fear anything said in it ? Please tell me your posting it as an example of archie crap gone awry.

Stop and think who made that link : A PURIST ARCHIE . Well duh, go figure: They HATE md'rs. So what did you THINK the tone of any of their writings would be ? It will always be dire sounding stuff. (and ... humorously ... I see my name mentioned in that link, haha)

Let me give you an example of why links such as that have no bearing on actual reality: A similar analogy would be to ask a PETA representative (people for the ethical treatment of animals) the following question: "Hi. Can I leave my pet bunny in the car for a minute while I run into 7-11 to get a soda?". The animal rights wacko advocate will screech: "NNNEOOOO. The bunny will suffer in the hot sun. You can be arrested for animal cruelty. Your car can be confiscated", blah blah blah. Heck, they might even be able to cite actual chapter and verse that backs up their assertions.

BUT SERIOUSLY NOW : What did you EXPECT to come from an animal rights wacko ? SO TOO do I put very little stock into what some purist archies say about md'ing. Oh sure: Avoid off-limits sensitive monuments where perhaps true law or rule exists. But notice that this archie failed to address that the trail does indeed go through various types of land where no specific law would prohibit md'ing. Eg.: private farmers land, various lesser level public lands (ie.: not federal, let's say) where some of the trail stops are not something sensitive and obvious like Ft. Hall or whatever.

To even post links like that is poison on md'ing forums. Newbie skittish folks read that, and recoil in fear thinking "everyone hates us". But with a little logic and perspective, they fall apart.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Speaking of Fort Hall. The actual, original Fort Hall is on the Shoshone/Bannock Indian Reservation. It is illegal to trespass there without a permit. Obviously, that means no MD'ing. Most reservation lands do not allow trespass without a permit.
Hey Tom, I noticed my name prominently mentioned on that link, too. I wonder if we could sell autographs...LOL. I look like a real scofflaw on there.
Jim

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Speaking of Fort Hall. The actual, original Fort Hall is on the Shoshone/Bannock Indian Reservation. It is illegal to trespass there without a permit....

If you go to the fort hall museum, in nearby city of that name, I believe that escorted trips, out on to the indian reservation, to see the site, can be arranged. There's a historic plaque on the supposed site after all. There's no formal "permit". And there's actual public usable roads on the reservation . Perhaps not to the dead end of the portion of the reservation where the trading post used to be (I think you bump into a gate at a certain point on those particular roads).

But even if you got a reservation personnel to show you the site, that still doesn't mean you'd be allowed to metal detect. And besides, there is broad debate over whether the marker is on the correct site. All evidence of the site is gone. Ie.: to my knowledge there's no adobe melt, or evidence on the landscape. So there's been some historical debate as to the correct spot.

Have you ever been out to the site just to look ? Have you ever heard of anyone who (in the company or permission of an indian reservation member) been allowed to detect there ?

 

[yardgoat]

I personally am not worried about some artifact or coin buried/lost along some long forgotten trail or homestead in the woods, especially when the BLM and US forest service goes around and burns down the remains of cabins these pioneers lived in.

 

[Goldfinger450]

Hehe, I got permission to hunt on the local Rez, but that was because I knew the chiefs Grand daughter, she put in the good word for me, fishing and metal detecting, No hunting though, I'm fine with that.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I personally am not worried about some artifact or coin buried/lost along some long forgotten trail or homestead in the woods, especially when the BLM and US forest service goes around and burns down the remains of cabins these pioneers lived in.

ahh, but your mistake is that you didn't go around asking enough bored archie pencil pushers "can I ?" .

 

[Tom_in_CA]

... I knew the chiefs Grand daughter, she put in the good word for me, fishing and metal detecting, ....

So let's clarify: you got to "metal detect" at "fort hall", right ? Ok, I'll bite: How'd you do ?

 

[Jim in Idaho]

If you go to the fort hall museum, in nearby city of that name, I believe that escorted trips, out on to the indian reservation, to see the site, can be arranged. There's a historic plaque on the supposed site after all. There's no formal "permit". And there's actual public usable roads on the reservation . Perhaps not to the dead end of the portion of the reservation where the trading post used to be (I think you bump into a gate at a certain point on those particular roads).

But even if you got a reservation personnel to show you the site, that still doesn't mean you'd be allowed to metal detect. And besides, there is broad debate over whether the marker is on the correct site. All evidence of the site is gone. Ie.: to my knowledge there's no adobe melt, or evidence on the landscape. So there's been some historical debate as to the correct spot.

Have you ever been out to the site just to look ? Have you ever heard of anyone who (in the company or permission of an indian reservation member) been allowed to detect there ?

I used to buy a fishing trespass permit every year. I've spent considerable time in the area near the old fort. There used to be a few adobe bricks laying around the site, but that was many years ago. The fort was on the bank of the Snake River. A person could get there easily by jet boat. I've been past the spot many times, while boating the river, but never stopped to look at it. (the site isn't marked at the river) The location isn't actively guarded, so if some scofflaw wanted to detect it, they could. Personally, I'm not interested. The best treasure I got from the reservation was a 7lb 2oz native cutthroat....caught it on a Whitlock Lemon Muddler I tied myself. That was in Nov. of '82, on a dark and stormy day.
Jim

 

[Tom_in_CA]

....the site isn't marked at the river ....

Are you saying that the plaque isn't at the right spot ?

 

[Jim in Idaho]

Nope...I have no idea where they are currently placing the monument. My opinion is that the fort was on the bank of the Snake and very close to Jimmy Creek. That's about 6 1/2 miles west of the current town of Fort Hall, and a little south, and 2 miles due east of McTucker Island on the Snake. That's also where the monument was located 35 years ago. There were a few adobe bricks at that location, too. One thing to keep in mind is that the Snake meanders all over the Fort Hall Bottoms, as that area is called. I've seen it move 1/2 mile in a single high-water season. When I said the site wasn't marked from the river, I meant that when on the river, you have no idea, by looking at the bank, where the site is. That area is heavily forested, along the river, with cottonwoods.
Jim

 

[Wrecka]

I posted it for no other reason than i thought some of you may be interested to read the total crud being blogged about MD'ers by the author

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Hey gang, Recall that Jim (Idaho) and I found ourselves quoted on the archie's blog. We were examples of how md'rs are horrible, etc....

Well, I couldn't help myself. I submitted a comment on that page (even though several years old). And got a reply ! The archie has been fair enough to dialog back and forth . Check it out. Scroll to the bottom comments portion, and see the back and forth. A fascinating look at purist archie's mindsets.

Portable Antiquity Collecting and Heritage Issues: More Metal Detecting Along the Oregon Trail

 

[RustyGold]

Interesting read Tom. Thanks. An Arch who is staid in his research.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Paul has dedicated a new page, of his blog. Specifically for the md'r enthusiast (me) who added to the page that was several years old. You can't say he hasn't been more than fair.

https://paul-barford.blogspot.com/2017/10/oregon-trail-wreckers-find-this-blog.html