January picture of our dump.

[S.C. Warner]

I stopped by to take a look today and snapped this pic. kind of cloudy out and we are supposed to have more freezing rain coming in. Back in '65 or six, I was walking along the creek (probably squirrel hunting as i used to ride the country roads at 12 years old on my stringray bike with a 4-10 shotgun over my shoulder. Those days are long gone hey?) I had already been intro'd to old bottles so knew what I was looking at when I saw all the stuff sticking out. My immediate finds were two candy containers. One a glass military tank and the other a glass dirigible (zeppelin). In the picture where I've placed a red arrow is where the main part of dump is. Sometimes in the Spring the creek gets bank full. After it goes down then we find some new stuff and do some digging too. The stump near the center of stream is that of a very old cottonwood tree. When I first found the dump it was much larger. Remnants of the dump surround it and lead to the opposite shore. This is why I think it was built up (pre-automobile) as a crossing. I'm taking the picture from what is now the new bridge. We get some funny looks from people passing by, and sometimes they will ask us if we are catching any fish. Although the creek is pretty shallow in most places, right in front of the main section is one very deep hole, next summer I think I'll muster up the nerve to check out the bottom. One thing for sure I found, is I know where the previous residents found their clay for pottery and will try to post some pics of those relics we have found here.
sorry for the long post. Hope you folks in warm regions know how lucky you are. It's hard to dig here in the Tundra!
sc

 

[David E]

I show a picture of a glass (candy) Clear 4" long (1993 price) $8.00 to $12.00.(Tank)
Not for sure but seems to me that these glass candies were made in the 1940's

Dave

 

[S.C. Warner]

Hi Dave !
Yes that would seem about right, from what I remember about researching it at that time. It may have even went up a couple bucks since then. When I found it, it was on one of the upper layers tangled up in tree roots that probably prevented it from washing away. Because of the erosion the layers were easy to read. To me that is fun of digging, every layer deeper is history and addictive.
I kind of miss both tank and dirigible. The first Zeppelin's invented around 1900 and then tanks a bit later. These candy's prob popular around WWII, eh? Mom and Dad did have a candy that was still full, it was man with top hat on, about same period, little red white and blue balls.

(Thanks Dave!)

sc
p.s. Dave it you could send me that link I'd like to take a look. I remember parents were not to excited at the time, but as a 12 year old kid I was! Much later in life when I got down into the 1800's stuff they were. []

 

[diginit]

Hi S.C.
Have you thought of damming off that cove and bucketing the water out?

 

[S.C. Warner]

Hi Diginit! Wow, have I ever. We tried last year, that's why it kind of looks like a little waterfall going across it. But he is only seven and they don't call it Spring Creek for nothing! [] That was the day he got stuck in the mud, just a few feet up from the cove, and the warner's came up after I pulled him out. I know a lot of bottles from my old days fell in there when the bank would suddenly give way. Surly that happened naturally too. So I would really like to get down to base of the Cottonwood stump. You definitely have the right idea. And maybe this year we can get serious about it. The creek is spring fed and the springs are very visible coming out of the banks and cold when you step in them under water. It gets very clear in summer, and sometimes pretty low. I wasn't living back here when they had the big drought (think I was in Topanga Cyn. then) but that would have been ideal time. On a funny note, I read where one farmer out here got a letter from EPA about damning up the creek that ran across his property. Evidently in violation of some ordinance. It was a beaver dam. []
You have Great Day Too!
Thanks!
s.c.