Possible Bottle Dump?

[TunnelRatJohnny]

Hello everyone, first of all I am happy to have found this forum! Somewhat new to collecting bottles, but have spent plenty of time digging around for fossils and collecting old stuff.

Anyways, have been hoping to find my first bottle dump, but have not had luck… yet. I live in a bigger city, but there are lots of old, small towns nearby, and there were TONS of old breweries in the area pre-prohibition. I was scouting around the woods near a lake in an area that was farmland since the mid-1800s, when I stumbled upon an old well pump and what appeared to be part of a foundation (pictures attached).

I would have to assume there is a bottle dump somewhere nearby? This place is in the middle of nowhere. And judging by the trees growing the house has been gone for some decades.

My question is, where should I start probing? There are no ravines, and the lake is a good 100 feet away with a solid couple miles of shoreline. Woods everywhere. I would imagine if there was one, it’s somewhere between the house and the lake.

Also, about a mile away, through the thick woods, I found some very old rusted cans sticking out of the mid near the lakeshore (lots of flooding lately). Also some modern garbage. Poked around the area but found no signs of any glass. Would it be worth digging around this area? I am almost wondering if these just washed up when the water was higher.

Appreciate any tips! I will keep looking. I found one cool old Hamms can and got a lot of mosquito bites, totally worth the trip

 

[Step Back In Time]

You might be able to Google the name on the well pump. Maybe you will get an approximate date if that helps. Other than that I can't really help you. There has to be a dump near by if there was a house there.

 

[Step Back In Time]

That can looks like it's from the late 60s or 70s.

 

[Hezezilla]

Hmm, I usually stick to gulches an that since nature does the digging for us but in your case, I'd do a "walking probe". Just feel into the ground about a foot or two every 10 feet. That way you can pinpoint a large dump or natural features. Finding an outhouse is super difficult without knowing where the house was. Too much ground to cover.

Just walk around in circles or loops and probe. Where the ground feels soft or devoid of rocks, stop and probe deeper. Keep a close eye on the ground, listen closely to the sound of the probe, and really think about everything you feel. Pay attention to the grade of the ground as well. Minor depressions can be a sign of a dump. But, also probe little mounds. A lot of the time folks were too lazy to dig a hole and just dumped stuff on top.

Then again. I ain't ever find crap probing, I'm terrible at it. My mentor said he didn't find anything for two years so don't feel bad if you don't find anything. Just keep doing it for as long as you have arms and you'll find something. I think you've got a good spot.