I'm considering spending some time this summer hunting the sites of former logging camps here in Michigan. Finding the locations has been rather easy, but what can I expect to find after 150 years? Most of these camps were only in operation for a year or two before being dismantled and rebuilt on the next stand of timber. For the most part they are now open farm fields, developed or new growth forests. Has anyone had any luck hunting logging camps? And if so what are your typical finds?
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Logging camps. Anyone hunting them? :detecting:
- Thread starter ZOFCHAK
- Start date
BarberBill
New member
I've hunted a few out here in the woods of N. Idaho. Finds were heavy to iron. Axe heads, and old horse shoes, odd pieces etc. Sometimes metal kitchen ware - dishes, tin cups etc. tobacco cans and misc. junk along with an old bottle from time to time. To date I've never found an old coin at a camp, but that doesn't mean it couldn't happen. Lots of nails where old buildings were.
BB
BB
david1962hd
New member
South Alabama seems to be the same as Idaho, no coins here either yet just lots of rusted iron.
MNCoinhunter
Active member
Yes, it is the same up here in northern MN. Lots of iron and rotten tin cans. But if you find a good spot like Gary said, with silverware etc.. you stand a chance of finding a coin or two if you clean most of the junk out first.
fowlercharles
Member
Here in S. Ms. a large part of the logging operations involved the narrow gauge train tracks, or "Dummy Lines" being put down for transporting logs and material as they cut from one timber tract to another. Besides the small communities that sprung up due to the need of housing for workers families, schools/churches and stores, there was also those smaller communities that lived in railcars that were moved from tract to tract, not really being in the same location for any long period of time as were some of the other "camps". It is rare to find these short lived locations but good to be aware of them if you happen to be in the more remote areas and run upon a dummy line , and begin finding several of the short gauge "spikes" all strung out in a line. Any broken glass found may be indication of one of the short lived sites, and can be a choice site for some tight grouped finds from an area not so cluttered with iron, nails and other debris usually found in the longer settled housed sites. I found a few tokens(Company Store money) from one such site, and realized right off that there was very little other iron debris there other than an abundance of spikes and glass.Have to mention that My Pa -in-law is 94 and remembers living in one of those rail camp boxcars when he was a little boy. Don't know if your logging activities were the same , but likely were. HH, Charlie
The areas I plan on hunting were some of the earlier Michigan camps in the 1840's-1850's. These were built close to major river systems, and at that time were not supported by the temporary rails. Later they came through some of the area again with the narrow gauge rails, so there may be some overlap from those camps as well. I'm hoping to get into a few of these spots before the fields are planted this Spring as many of the easily accessible camps I have found are in open plowed fields with little to no signs that they ever existed. Hopefully I'll have some finds to post here in the next few weeks! (Assuming this snow ever melts! 
)
)Here in the mountains of northern PA it is easy to find the location of old logging camps. Just look for old apple trees way back in the hollows. In season the cooks always made a ton of apple pies for the woodhicks and where they threw out their apple cores and peelings, apple trees would eventually sprout up. Usually long after the loggers had left as the loggers usually didn't stay around long at any one site. As soon as the timber was cut, it was on to the next camp. In my area it is unusual anymore to find a site that hasn't already been hit by relic hunters, but its still fun to see what you'll find. Don't know of anyone who has ever found a coin at any of the old logging camps, if they did they are keeping quiet about it. Where I've found some of the most interesting stuff is in and around the end of old railroad spurs. In my area every hollow had logging railroad tracks all the way to the head of each hollow and sometimes they would use switchbacks to go up over the top and down into the next hollow. For some reason around the ends of each railroad spur they often left behind some of the tools and parts they were using to lay the lines, chances are, they were just forgotten. Anyhow good hunting...
BarberBill
New member
Lot of good info in these threads. I don't think logging camps are likely locations for the serious coin shooter hoping to find lots of coins, but there's probably a good chance to find a nice older coin or two from time to time. However, for me at least, I do enjoy digging the axe heads, horse shoes, and other relics. It's amazing how much more depth your detector is capable of when over heavy iron versus small coins as well. Just another thought or two.
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Mike Scott
New member
Stamp hammers are coveted from these sites. Other old logging tools are pretty cool to find. The key is to find where the old living quarters was and dig it out or work the carpet of iron nails. Most of the loggers lived in one building and either lost coins through the floorboards or stashed them there when they went to work and then lost the stash. Find the trash dump for some nice old bottles.
Mike
Mike
salmonriverhotrock
New member
Back home in the Big Lost River Valley of south east Idaho, I once stumbled onto what I think now was an old CCC logging mill site. There was not much left, would have been a rather small saw set up (maybe an engine, belt, and Buzz saw) but decided to detect it and began finding a few hand tools, nuts and bolts, Prince Albert tobacco cans and such.
One thing I do when I find places like that is think outside of the box. I began to realize this location was not real modern so thought to myself if I was one of the guys working there, where would I take a break or sit to eat a lunch. I looked all around and spotted a pine tree though I was surrounded with them. There was just a gut feeling about that tree and it would have been the one I'd go sit under on a day like I had so I went over to it. I may not of gotten a third of the way around it and found two silver coins (1940's) and some other things. Never did go back to work that place over some more. All my Silver and oldest coins have been in the mountains and in places most would have passed up or not recognized as being something.
If you know of and have places you can hunt, I'd do it.
I guess I should qualify the statement about "better still" because while a good logging town might produce more than most logging camps, you have to remember that the nature of the work and times means that the town will also have much more period junk. 
I first worked some logging camps back in '71 to '76 and it was tough. Not only was I lacking some of the more sophisticated detectors we have today, but some were still seeing some logging traffic. Actually, that was pretty good because I had the opportunity to talk with loggers who had been active when the sites were busy camps. I was also able to see how the ever-changing logging roads could encroach on a camp site and alter it a little, or a lot.
I did find coins, but they were a bit scarce back then. I might have done better with a detector we have now or during the past decade or so, compared to my equipment back 35-40 years ago. There was all of the expected junk. The camps were also somewhat short-lived and that meant they were less likely to offer much. Many of the loggers were transient, but a good number of them lived fairly close and worked in the woods all week long.
Some of those more distant towns had populations of about 250-700 or so back in the '70s, but today they have grown. I worked some of those old towns that were close to the logging activity and logging camps and did reasonably well. Again, that was back 35 to 40 years ago and there were still many older dwellings and businesses, parks and small open areas that were huntable. People were also more open to what I was doing. Today, many of those towns have grown and absorbed the older huntable areas. New homes have overtaken the old dwellings.
By about 1995 to 2000 I started concentrating more on actual our logging towns. The towns were much more established and had more dwellings, some businesses, railroad depot, a saloon or two, and, if lucky, the areas were not too grossly altered after the old towns were either razed or lost in forest fires. I've worked a few in other states, hit and miss, but most of my concentration has been on older logging camps and towns here in Oregon.
They are in the coast range which, right now, has enough snow to help flatten the tall grasses and some smaller brush. Some sites have been very altered. Some are unavailable or unhuntable. Most of the better ones were lost in one of three big fires that destroyed huge land masses leaving only scattered remains.
Anyway, they are there and often huntable, but they are also going to have a lot of metal junk. All sorts of targets, small to large in size, and very seldom in the form of coins or trade tokens or jewelry. Logging activity since the period when they were originally logged has changed the contour and roads. Just like those you mentioned which WERE once logged, they were built and then torn down (tear-down = nails and junk), and since might be plowed fields.
Plowing will turn the ground and move targets around. Developed means most opportunities are gone. And 'new growth' forests mean they might be good, might not be good, or might have been forested long, long ago, then harvested again, and have grown back.
Still, when you have the opportunity to hunt any old activity site you have the chance to luck upon silver coins, other old coins, trade tokens or just a few neat finds. I'd never pass the opportunity up. I never set my goals too high at them, but I enjoy the search nonetheless. Best of luck to you if you go work them.
Monte
I first worked some logging camps back in '71 to '76 and it was tough. Not only was I lacking some of the more sophisticated detectors we have today, but some were still seeing some logging traffic. Actually, that was pretty good because I had the opportunity to talk with loggers who had been active when the sites were busy camps. I was also able to see how the ever-changing logging roads could encroach on a camp site and alter it a little, or a lot.
I did find coins, but they were a bit scarce back then. I might have done better with a detector we have now or during the past decade or so, compared to my equipment back 35-40 years ago. There was all of the expected junk. The camps were also somewhat short-lived and that meant they were less likely to offer much. Many of the loggers were transient, but a good number of them lived fairly close and worked in the woods all week long.
Some of those more distant towns had populations of about 250-700 or so back in the '70s, but today they have grown. I worked some of those old towns that were close to the logging activity and logging camps and did reasonably well. Again, that was back 35 to 40 years ago and there were still many older dwellings and businesses, parks and small open areas that were huntable. People were also more open to what I was doing. Today, many of those towns have grown and absorbed the older huntable areas. New homes have overtaken the old dwellings.
By about 1995 to 2000 I started concentrating more on actual our logging towns. The towns were much more established and had more dwellings, some businesses, railroad depot, a saloon or two, and, if lucky, the areas were not too grossly altered after the old towns were either razed or lost in forest fires. I've worked a few in other states, hit and miss, but most of my concentration has been on older logging camps and towns here in Oregon.
They are in the coast range which, right now, has enough snow to help flatten the tall grasses and some smaller brush. Some sites have been very altered. Some are unavailable or unhuntable. Most of the better ones were lost in one of three big fires that destroyed huge land masses leaving only scattered remains.
Anyway, they are there and often huntable, but they are also going to have a lot of metal junk. All sorts of targets, small to large in size, and very seldom in the form of coins or trade tokens or jewelry. Logging activity since the period when they were originally logged has changed the contour and roads. Just like those you mentioned which WERE once logged, they were built and then torn down (tear-down = nails and junk), and since might be plowed fields.
Plowing will turn the ground and move targets around. Developed means most opportunities are gone. And 'new growth' forests mean they might be good, might not be good, or might have been forested long, long ago, then harvested again, and have grown back.
Still, when you have the opportunity to hunt any old activity site you have the chance to luck upon silver coins, other old coins, trade tokens or just a few neat finds. I'd never pass the opportunity up. I never set my goals too high at them, but I enjoy the search nonetheless. Best of luck to you if you go work them.
Monte