Although US metal detecting agitators may attempt to claim that there is no evidence that metal detecting has been taking place on sensitive and legally protected sites along the Oregon Trail, there would be nothing at all surprising in this. Artefact hunting is demonstrably going on in the immediate vicinity, and quite openly. For example there is the "Oregon Treasure Trails Society" ("uniting individuals who share a common interest in the sport and pastime of using metal detectors to search for coins, jewelry and relics from the past"). Then on a metal detecting forum near you (one of the members of which is the same metal detectorist denying the connection between holes in the Oregon Trail and metal detecting) we can read about "A strong box recovered on the Oregon Trail". It was being sold by Ira & Larry Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, Inc. ("our consignor was poking around in the area around Twin Falls, Idaho, near a known stage coach stop along the Oregon Trail with a metal detector..."). Someone asks "Has Anyone Tried MDing Emigrant Trails?", and receives the answer "Many people, including myself have been detecting along these old trails for years and years. research is key. good luck!" The point about "research" of course is to locate specific sites along the route that might contain a concentration of collectable artefacts due to the nature of the activities taking place there. in other words, these artefact hunters are targeting known historical sites to remove from them the material evidence of past activity (in other words looting its archaeological record in the search for collectables for personal entertainment and profit). An example of this is the thread on an "emigrant camp site off the Oregon trail". A mixed up accumulation of decontextualised collectables from a number of different sites on the Oregon Trail can be seen here: "Oregon Trail Finds from the last few years" showing the sort of things being removed from the historical record by artefact hunters in the US targeting known historical sites.
The thread "Question.. About Oregon Trail" concerning artefact hunting of a section of the Oregon Trail on BLM land in Idaho is pretty enlightening about attitudes and actual knowledge of the legislation. It's quite frightening. Jim in Idaho (Mar 06, 2013, 06:32 PM) reckons:
Just do it. It isn't a big deal. If you ask somebody, you might get told NO.. even if that's wrong. Just go and enjoy the BLM lands. I've spent a huge portion of my life, prospecting and metal detecting on BLM. Have NEVER had anybody ask me what i was doing.So BLM staff are not very vigilant then? Wyomingmedic sees no problem: "I have been collecting artifacts [there]" Then we have this joker (Tom_in_CA Mar 06, 2013, 02:00 PM):
the best places to detect along the trail, would not simply be to find where the trail went, and start checking alongside of it. Instead, the best places, are where they STOPPED. Ie.: camped for the night, especially if there were some sort of commercial venture going on there (trading post, saloon, stage stop, etc....).So, basically anywhere where there is any archaeological evidence of past activity you mean?
Member Duffala who asked the original question is heartened by all this talk and (Mar 09, 2013, 09:02 PM) and announces:
Thanks everyone for the responses. I think I'm going to hit up a area tomorrow that thru research is a old campsite....and no doubt will well and truly wreck it by hoiking out any shallowly buried diagnostic (collectable) artefacts, totally ruining the site for later investigators. There were no other posts in that thread, until
Aug 26, 2013, 08:16 PM when new member Othist pointed out (not, I believe, 100% accurately):
Stop. You need to learn the laws of not only Idaho, but the rest of the country as well. It is a federal offense to collect artifacts from the Oregon Trail or any other historic resource of the country. The penalties are stiff. Not just in Idaho, but everywhere. It is also against the law to collect historic artifacts on BLM or other federally owned land. This includes Indian artifacts such as arrowheads, etc., as well as Oregon Trail artifacts. The emigrant trails are a great resource. Please don't destroy them by digging for artifacts on them. Somebody just did that on a stretch by Burley and destroyed a pristine section of trail. Learn the history of the trails, read the diaries of the travellers, hike on them and share the struggles that thousands of emigrants went through. But please don't dig them up and steal artifacts for your personal collection.Ironically (see above) "Jim in Idaho likes this". This is followed by a couple of "cold-dead hands"- type arguments applied to archaeologists "telling us what to do" of the sort that you'd find among any group of anti-preservationist artefact hunters.
But for more denials see the comments here:"Historic OR trail site damage blamed on treasure hunters with MD's
