Detecting with White's MXT Metal Detector at Ghost Town and Cabin Sites

Detecting with the MXT at Ghost Town and Cabin Sites

Special Note: Hunting on US government property at old ghost town sites can be dicey. Detecting at US National parks and historical sites is illegal. Detecting on otherwise unallocated BLM or Forrest service land is legal, but certain items may be protected by the 1979 Archeological Resources Act. While that act covers nearly anything that has been made or handled by humans, its does specifically exempt coins, and all items less than 100 years old are also exempted. It is important to do your research, know what and where you are hunting and your legal rights. In recent years, US government agents have become very zealous about protecting publicly owned relics - so do your homework first. It may even be worthwhile to carry a copy of the 1979 Act with you in the field as many agents are not really aware of what is protected and what is not. I could save you quite a headache.

Site No. 1: Local Ghost Town - Virginia City Virginia City is only about 35 minutes from my home, so I detect there from time to time. It was once the second largest town west of the Mississippi - and full of wealthy residents. Property access can be an issue - most of Virginia City is private property and there are a number of homes and tourist businesses there. The other big thing there is the trash. Its been lived in for nearly 150 years and it seems like every citizen did more than his share to spread the trash. Keep an eye on where you are prospecting - this is an interesting location. What I am really hoping for is old silver or gold coins - I have yet to find a CC mint mark coin here but that's where they should be. HUNTING THIS SITE WITH THE MXT: The soil here is heavily mineralized. Years ago I detected here with an old VLF/TR machine - the mineralization drove it nuts. However, with the auto ground balance of the MXT, that is no longer a problem. The mineralization may cause the MXT, to chatter a fair amount, but it can handle its own. As there is loads of trash, my preferred setting on the MXT is to use the relic mode, alternate mode trigger forward, discrimination setting at just under 4. The little 6x3 DD is preferred over the standard 950 because of its ability to pick coins and other good targets out from between iron junk and hotrocks. Because coins do not sink down too far here, I have only set the gain at about 9.

Site No. 2: Old Mountain Or Desert Cabins In both the goldfields of the Sierra and out in the Northern Nevada, there are numerous old cabin and home sites. These are not so well published as the ghost town locations. Often there are only minor foundations or other minor remains to locate the sites. Because the are lesser known, these sites can represent some good potential locations for lost coins as well as money or even gold nugget caches. When I find old cabins like these whether its in the woods or out on the desert, I almost always make sure to hunt there. Don't forget to search inside the cabin if possible as these sites usually had dirt floors and coins or treasure can be buried in the ground inside the building (as inside was often considered safer by the old timers). HUNTING THIS SITE WITH THE MXT: Depending on the location, the soils can vary quite a bit. The common theme here is trash. There is always some, but it can range from mild to excessive. My preferred setting on the MXT is to use the relic mode, alternate mode trigger forward, discrimination setting at just under 4. The 9x6 DD is preferred over the standard 950 because of its ability to pick coins out between iron junk, foil and hotrocks, while still giving decent ground coverage. The coin / jewelry program is also a possibility, but I just prefer the relic mode for easy hunting in this type of place.