Any diggers in WA?

grugirl · Mar 26, 2011

I am brand new to digging, only dug in my front yard but am hooked and want to learn everything I can about this fantastic hobby. I have collected bottles for years and antique glass and am dying to learn.
Is WA even viable for digging at all? I hope so, I live in farm country. Lots of old farms out here.

JOETHECROW · Mar 26, 2011

Hi , and welcome grugirl...If you could get permission to even walk the property and explain what you're looking for, maybe start by walking the creeks, fencelines and gullies of whatever farm you could get on...usually look for obvious things like glass and pottery shards, old metal, old cars and parts, spatterware type bowls, pieces of crocks,...purpled glass,etc.. and sometimes old dumps are under or near newer dumps...usually folks would dump down over a bank or in a not so usable part of the property back behind the buildings and main house or barns...perhaps a low spot or convienient hole. When I had a dog, sometimes I'd walk her as a semi-legitimate reason to be where I was....Asking is always better unless it's obviously not posted or clearly owned land...That way if you do locate a promising spot you can dig a few test holes, or take a potato rake and scratch away the leaves and upper debris to see if anythings under there....Is there a person that could join you?....It's always safer and wiser to take someone along. Good luck.

RedGinger · Mar 26, 2011

There are some members from your state on here. Welcome, grugirl. Your state has a long history, with many places to dig, I'm sure. I saw a show where they built one or two cities on top of another after fires. You can still go below and look at the old city from the 1800's. Pretty cool, to me. For some reason, I'm thinking it was in Washington state. I might be wrong. Any ghost towns out there? I'll take a look in my ghost towns book and let you know what I find there.

RedGinger · Mar 26, 2011

I have out my ginormous ghost town book. There are plenty of them in your state. Thirty three are listed in my book. Let me know where you are, if you'd like and I can look them up. I don't know the rules about digging at them, but they look like fun places to scout out, and find some relics, as long as you find out their rules.

donalddarneille · Mar 26, 2011

ORIGINAL: grugirl
Is WA even viable for digging at all?

Hello, welcome to the forum. There is a lot of great digging to be done in Washington state. What part of the state are you in? I am in the Portland OR area and make frequent trips into Washington for digging and bottle shows. If you want, send me a pm and I'll see if you are close enough to dig with us sometime, or let you know who is in your area.

grugirl · Mar 27, 2011

I am so excited. I live near Puyallup in WA, but am willing to go anywhere in the state of WA or maybe OR for a dig. I am in the southern part of the state and can day trip to many locations.
Give me a few ghost towns in Southern, WA please so I can start looking.
I have to get a metal detector.

donalddarneille · Mar 27, 2011

Replied you a pm, always happy to help a new digger!

westernglassaddict · Mar 27, 2011

Please be VERY careful in discussing digging in either Washington, or Oregon. Especially in any public forum. Both states are not only unfriendly overall towards bottle digging, but have strict laws which absolutely prohibit any digging, even on private property. You have to be living under a rock not to know this. As recently as last week in my town, there was a front page story in our newspaper regarding an upcoming construction on private property, and the Oregon law requiring a "permit" and on site Arc... The focus is on the privies, and their historical artifacts. The propertyowners are now held hostage to this "law".

I can tell you all from experience that so much as discussing the possibility of bottle digging in either state is beyond dangerous. Do not underestimate the seriousness of this.

grugirl · Mar 27, 2011

Not Living Under a Rock... just asking questions to be informed and to learn about the laws and the techniques. Research is the key to obtaining the right information.
Thank you for your insight.

RedGinger · Mar 28, 2011

I must be living under a rock lol, although I'm not familiar with that area of the country. It would be nice to have a fellow digger warn me, if need be. I'll give you some sites from my book, grugirl, so you can check with the proper authorities.

I'm having a little trouble with the small map in this book. I'll have to pm you.

Any diggers in WA?

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grugirl

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grugirl

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