Discovered a Big, Juicy, (previously) Un-Dug TOC Dump Full of Peoria Bottles!

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RIBottleguy

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Congrats Steven! I remember when I was in a similar dump producing all sorts of locals. It's a great feeling! Keep finding those super rare and unlisted Peoria bottles!!!
 

splante

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awesome finds Iam still looking for my first toc undug dump..i know its coming..congrats
 

idigjars

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Plumb, congrats on your finds. Good luck with more digging. Looks like you have a start to a nice collection of Piso colors also. Take care & be careful with your tunneling. Paul :)
 

Plumbata

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Well dang, thanks for the good words everybody! I figured it was about time for one of my trademark long-winded digging/finding posts [:D].

I'd say that the overall moral of the story is that you should always keep your eyes open, and always keep searching. Go out of your comfort zone and ignore pessimistic thoughts or assumptions. It may take many hours of research and groundwork, or you may stumble on a trove randomly, but underlying it all is the fact that good spots won't come knocking on your door; ya gotta actively pursue them! Now I'm not kidding myself; this isn't a large 1860s dump loaded with squats and pontils, but as a digger I was nurtured and raised on a wonderful TOC dump and am 100% happy with that era of material. What the deposits may lack in significant age is more than compensated by quantity and variety. Druggists and sodas/hutches are my main interests so the spot suits me perfectly.

Basically, there are good dumps like this all over the place, and if you keep at it you will find one for yourself. Look at the tftfan team; they range far and wide in search of bottles and dumps, and from what I can tell have been well rewarded with finds plucked from river waters and new dump locations. Just gotta go looking.

It seems that the Kirwan & Tobin anchor hutch is a pretty popular fellow. I had dug through 3 broken ones before finding the keeper, and found shards in other layers, so it is probably safe to say that there are more to be had in the dump. All I need is one so if more surface then i'll offer them here.

Bottleworm - Thanks man! I'll definitely keep you in mind regarding duplicates. I pretty much exclusively collect Peoria stuff so am rather attached to all new additions, but I have a feeling that the dump will produce plenty of redundancies as well as stuff from all around Illinois that I'm not as personally interested in.

Jim - Thanks man, the jug is a strange one eh? And be assured that more quality posts will follow as more excavations are conducted.

Dan Salata and Frederic - Thanks! I really don't know what you believe I've given to all of ya, but I won't argue with the discovery being well-deserved, lol. [:D]

D.U.B. - Thanks!

Renee - It was a long initial post, that's for sure. More digs and pictures are on their way, sooner or later.

Joe - The whole "searching it out" aspect was a big part of what I was trying to communicate. You and your crew know well that it takes lots and lots of legwork to find good spots in the woods to dig. You have to keep pushing yourself, go out of your comfort zone, and always be observant, even in areas you've passed by many times before. Just because you don't see anything doesn't mean it isn't there.

My signature here, with a translation from the non-canonical gospel of Thomas, pretty well sums up my approach to exploration and finding things.

Jesus said: "Know what is in front of your face and what has been hidden from you will be revealed to you. For there is nothing hidden that will not be made clear, and nothing buried that will not be raised."

From a digger's perspective, the quote is true to the core. When I'm out searching, I set my intuitive abilities into overdrive and try to use all the disparate bits of observable information to paint a dynamic picture of the progression of events or influences through time. You layer the information 3 dimensionally and chronologically. I *knew* there had to be a dump in the area, perhaps the reason that I felt the need to check the area once again. To a non-digger, the shards here and there don't mean squat, but to a digger each shard represents what was once an intact bottle. Gather enough observable evidence (know what is in front of your face) and the reality of the hidden treasures below will be revealed (you realize you're standing on a big dump). With that knowledge, there will be nothing buried that won't be raised because you will proceed to dig the spot to death! [:)]

Rick - Hah, yes you do need to go and see some of it for yourself, then take pics and share with us! I should have taken more "ground-shots" (there were some cool looking jumbles of BIMs that would have been photogenic) but time spent photographing takes time away from digging! I'm not exactly sure how large the dump is, and I don't want to give away any clues that would be useful to dump vultures, but it is my guess that it covers at least 1/6th an acre and goes quite deep. It may cover a rather larger area but with more shallow deposits further from the "epicenter". I really can't tell without digging several peripheral test holes, and don't intend to do any uncertain exploratory digging while it is about 0 degrees outside, heh.

Ron - Thanks, a new playground is exactly what it is! I would much rather go digging there than get paid 100 bucks to spend a day at any amusement park.

madman - Thanks, and don't be jealous man, just go hiking around! The good stuff is out there, and despite my assumption before the dump was found, it seems that not all the "low hanging fruit" has been picked. They may just be hiding behind some leaves. Ya just never know. [:)]

deenodean - Nope, not a writer or anything. Sometimes I like to take the time to frame and share tales of great digs or discoveries and clearly convey the personal and subjective, very human elements of excitement, joy, wonder, triumph and sometimes tragedy that serve to "complete" the story. Looking at sterile pictures of bottles isn't nearly as interesting as having it all put into a very human perspective. It is the process of digging and discovering more than just obtaining bottles that captivates me, and likely every other person who self-identifies primarily as a "digger".

antlerman - Nothing wrong with a 40s dump. I've got one from 1947-1949 and although very recent, it is still worth digging for milks, sodas, and WW2 related metal items. Minnesota didn't enjoy the benefits of high population density back in the day so old spots may be tough to locate, but travel around to nearby towns and do some exploration. Study the population statistics for various towns and ones showing a decline in recent decades are good candidates for exploration, as it is unlikely that the old town dumps will have been built over. Regarding me finding unlisted bottles, well, I hope so! My first dump produced some awesome pieces. Different undocumented sizes of druggists are nice, but finding an unknown Peoria baby feeder, unknown jug, and unknown citrate of magnesia was very special.

Doug - Thanks! The "finds to come" make me feel like a kid a few days before christmas, except the feeling will remain as long as the spot can be dug! It's like having a nest-egg or safety net. No need to concern myself with constantly scrambling around itching for a little bottle fix. Now I'm set for a good while and can rest easy [:)].

tftfan - Heh, thanks! You two know exactly what it takes to find goodies. Hope to see what you find come the 2013 digging season.

Andy - Thanks! I certainly hope it gets older, I have a feeling that some spots may be 12 or more feet deep so maybe I can bust clean into the 1800s! I can hope, anyway [:)].

Kenny - Glad you enjoyed the read! The intention was to share the experience with my fellow diggers. Thanks for the warm sentiments and if anything from Elgin materializes it will have your name on it [;)].

Matt - Thanks, there will be a great deal of digging without a doubt. Hopefully some silver coins like the super finds you've made lately will appear too.

Taylor - Thanks man, it is a great feeling indeed. No rare unlisteds yet but I can smell them down there, haha. Seems like you've done quite well lately in terms of finding spots to dig, I hope that 2013 will be as good a year for your collection as I hope it will be for me [:)].

S.Plante - Thanks, you might not have a TOC dump to yourself yet, but the more area you cover the better your chances are. All you need to know is that somewhere out there there is a worthy dump for you. It is quite likely that you drive right past good spots every week but have never thought to check, or that you have friends who have came across likely spots but haven't thought to bring it up. The awesome TOC dump I found in 2007 was practically underneath where several of my friends worked at the time, and one day my buddy Timmy showed me a hobbleskirt coke he found in the woods. I had him show me the spot and it was a huge 1920s-20s dump layer getting eaten away by a creek. Several days later I explored up the creek and in a narrow ravine-like passage between steep banks on either side I saw some shards and rust exposed. With literally the 1st or 2nd swipe of my claw out rolled a flawless Peoria hutch. The rest was history. [:)]

Jim - Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

Paul - And thank you! The shallow piso from the first dig was a "Piso Company" and the other two were the consumption cures, from the deeper layer I was following. Indicates early TOC to me. The tunneling isn't exactly a genius move, but when you have 6 or more inches of rock-hard frozen "ceiling" and excavate with attention paid to maintaining arches and load-bearing walls, and resist the temptation to follow the layer in all directions and undermine what one shouldn't, it is not only relatively safe, but particularly cozy when it is freezing outside. I backfilled the tunnel and the hole is now filled so I can't get back in there easily now, but if the itch gets bad enough I'll go out with a heavy mattock and bust through to the good stuff. I'll give it maybe 2 weeks, hah.
 

toddrandolph

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Thanks for the interesting and well written post, we will all look forward to many more posts from this dump. I know of a number of similar spots in my area, but the problem with this type of dump is that it requires a lot of excavation and these dumps are usually located in areas where excavation is likely to be noticed and get you in trouble, even with the lush vegetation of late summer. To find a spot like this that is secluded enough to dig even in winter is a good find indeed.
 

beendiggin

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Congrats on locating a plentiful site to dig! Looking forward to more great finds.
 

myersdiggers1998

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GREAT LOOKING DUMP , PLUMMY, HOPE YOU FIND SOME REALLY RARE BOTTLES IN THERE , NOW GO GIT-R-DUG.

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