BottleDragon
Well-Known Member
Slightly off-topic, but I found two new dumps today.
The first one is in a location I've been curious about for a while. It appears to have been a gravel pit at one time, so I figured a dump would be the next logical step in its evolution. I actually pass by it on my way to the main dump where I've been digging, though it's several miles away. I hadn't stopped to look before because there's normally a lot of traffic on that street. Anyway, I barely step off the shoulder of the road and I'm already seeing glass shards, and an intact milk glass jar sitting out in the open. The trees here are pretty thin, and I see mounds everywhere with cobalt glass scattered around, along with some intact but uninteresting bottles. I checked the dates on a few, and the general age of the stuff appears to be similar or slightly newer than where I'm digging now. But this dump is much smaller and more spotty. I notice that a few holes have been dug, but they don't appear to be recent. The local kids have turned part of the place into a BMX park, but no one was there at the time. This place doesn't appear to be an actual "dump", but more of an opportunistic dumping ground.
I left my digging tools in the car, but I did pull this somewhat older-looking jar from the side of an embankment. Not sure how old it is... it's machine-made, but check out the size of that bubble! The lip is also a little wonky.
The second dump I found is just half a mile down the road from my main dump, in a very similar-looking area. I actually found this dump in a report on closed landfills, which strangely had no mention of the dump I'm currently digging. Part of the dump is underneath the road, while the rest is in a narrow strip adjacent to the road. The part not covered by the road is covered with a layer of fill. What little glass I did find, didn't seem very old.
I checked the 1949 aerial photos and there was no evidence of this dump at that time. The report suggested the dump was last active in the early 70's, which seems accurate judging by what I could see. I also found a few of these Pepsi cans.
It was a pretty interesting day all in all, even though I doubt I will return to either of these places anytime soon. I have been back to my main dump twice since I last posted, and I've found some decent stuff. I will make another post about that sometime soon.
The first one is in a location I've been curious about for a while. It appears to have been a gravel pit at one time, so I figured a dump would be the next logical step in its evolution. I actually pass by it on my way to the main dump where I've been digging, though it's several miles away. I hadn't stopped to look before because there's normally a lot of traffic on that street. Anyway, I barely step off the shoulder of the road and I'm already seeing glass shards, and an intact milk glass jar sitting out in the open. The trees here are pretty thin, and I see mounds everywhere with cobalt glass scattered around, along with some intact but uninteresting bottles. I checked the dates on a few, and the general age of the stuff appears to be similar or slightly newer than where I'm digging now. But this dump is much smaller and more spotty. I notice that a few holes have been dug, but they don't appear to be recent. The local kids have turned part of the place into a BMX park, but no one was there at the time. This place doesn't appear to be an actual "dump", but more of an opportunistic dumping ground.
I left my digging tools in the car, but I did pull this somewhat older-looking jar from the side of an embankment. Not sure how old it is... it's machine-made, but check out the size of that bubble! The lip is also a little wonky.
The second dump I found is just half a mile down the road from my main dump, in a very similar-looking area. I actually found this dump in a report on closed landfills, which strangely had no mention of the dump I'm currently digging. Part of the dump is underneath the road, while the rest is in a narrow strip adjacent to the road. The part not covered by the road is covered with a layer of fill. What little glass I did find, didn't seem very old.
I checked the 1949 aerial photos and there was no evidence of this dump at that time. The report suggested the dump was last active in the early 70's, which seems accurate judging by what I could see. I also found a few of these Pepsi cans.
It was a pretty interesting day all in all, even though I doubt I will return to either of these places anytime soon. I have been back to my main dump twice since I last posted, and I've found some decent stuff. I will make another post about that sometime soon.