Sean C. Morgan
A group of local treasure hunters are inviting others to join them in the pursuit of buried treasure and coins.
The East Linn Treasure Seekers metal detecting club will hold its first meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 19 at 1045 Main St., Oregon Prospecting and Rita’s Relics.
“They decided to start a club and roped me into it,” said Nick Cross, vice president and owner of South Fork Trading Co. “And then after we got serious talking about it, we thought it would be a good idea.”
The club is a way for treasure hunters to get together, a way to teach new metal detector enthusiasts and an opportunity for fun – and the fun will support local charities.
Club members hope to teach people digging techniques and detecting etiquette, share experiences and help others learn to use their detectors, Cross said. Treasure hunters need to be careful when detecting. As with anything, poor behavior from one person or a few people can affect the reputation and cause problems for everyone.
The members of this club can show those new to detecting how to responsibly dig holes and retrieve treasures, Cross said. “You could dig in a grassy area all day long, and nobody would know you’ve been there.”
KEN KEENON holds up a 14-karat gold broach he found with a metal detector.
“Education is our main reason behind forming a local club,” said Oregon Prospecting owner Rita Houston, events coordinator. “As enthusiasts we want to share what we have learned. We want to be able to spend the time needed to properly teach the use of metal detectors and what the proper removal of targets is with minimal damage.”
Economically, the activity doesn’t seem to be growing, Houston said. “We’ve seen declines in all mining areas, but I’ve seen more families getting interested for something to do close to home. I think families are doing more staycations.”
It’s a great activity for camping trips, Cross said. He is amazed when he’s camping and pulls out his detector how many other people pull out their detectors.
“Our emphasis for the club is treasure or coin hunting,” Cross said. Club members also hunt gold, which is more advanced and is not a club focus. It’s just a group of friends going out and hunting. “We are bringing like-minded people into the field and sharing places to go detecting, sharing knowledge.”
And Sweet Home has plenty of places to hunt, said Ken Keenon, a club board member. Coins may be found in any gravel parking lot.
County and city parks, beaches and swimming holes can be good places to hunt, Keenon said. Detecting is allowed in some state parks, but some are off limits or require permits. Detecting is prohibited at Cascadia State Park.
Houston and her husband, Steve, president of the club, have been detecting the longest among the members of the club.
Steve Houston has done it for decades, and he interested his wife in the activity more than 20 years ago. She got started in an unusual way.
“We got called to participate in a murder investigation,” Rita Houston said. “They didn’t tell us what we were looking for.”
Eventually, the police arrested a suspect, who was convicted, she said. After that, she was invited to an archaeological dig.
Cross and Keenon have been at it for five or six years.
Among their favorite finds, Cross pointed to a Chinese coin he found near Camp Sherman and an 1868 shield nickel.
Keenon enjoys a silver ring he found near Roseburg and a 1943 half-dollar he found near Sweet Home. He also likes a 14-karat gold brooch.
“You never know what you’re going to find,” Keenon said.
Beyond coins, hunters can find historical items, Cross said, holding up a flap of metal with a “60” on it.
Keenon found a lid for an old jar. Inside it was lined with porcelain.
Coins found metal detecting collect in a bowl
A big part of the fun is figuring out the story behind the item.
Rita Houston’s best find was a wedding set in the Quartzville area, she said, and Steve Houston found a woman’s ring, which she had lost while her husband was deployed to Iraq.
Hunters are sometimes contacted to find lost wedding rings, keys and other items with good results, Rita Houston said.
But Steve Houston’s favorite find was a 3.25-ounce nugget of gold he sold for $6,500, he said.
“Metal detecting can be as low key as a person wants or as intensive as a person wants,” Rita Houston said. “That’s one of the reasons metal detecting is such a great hobby to get into. We hope families join the club. We have teens in our area now who enjoy gold and treasure seeking already, and we hope to add to that growing interest and give them something more to do and to get them outdoors.”
The club is hoping to host events as well as give demonstrations.
The club is just now getting up and running, Cross said, so no events are planned yet.
The group will hold its first demonstration for a senior citizens group in Lebanon.
Events will be cooperative, with a training component, Cross said, and contests with prizes are likely.
“When we do these, we’ll do them as a fundraiser, so we can raise some money to support local organizations,” Cross said. Those will probably be oriented toward children and school programs.
“Primarily, we will be out detecting for treasures, but in time, we hope to make at least one trip in the year a gold-detecting trip,” Houston said. “We also plan on hosting a competition hunt at some point. These bring people in from out of the area, and they spend money here for fuel, food, lodging, etc.”
Other members include Secretary-Treasurer Kim Garza, board member Rudy Garza, Chris Pinto, Page Thomas and Clint McCraven.
Membership costs $20 per year for individuals and $30 for families of up to five.
For more information, call (541) 367-2237, like East Linn Treasure Seekers on Facebook, email [email protected] or visit Oregon Prospecting.
EAST LINN TREASURE SEEKERS gather at Oregon Prospecting and discuss their new club. From left, in front, are Rita and Steven Houston. In back are Ken Keenon, Nick Cross and Chris Pinto.Photo by Sean C. Morgan