CCC Camps anyone?

[Steelhead]

Hello there. I am just getting back into the hobby after a 3 year hiatus. I was doing some research on the web and noticed that there seems to be a fair amount info. on CCC Camps. Has anyone found a decent site to try to pinpoint the actual sites or is it a waste of time due to State game lands/forest/parks regulations prohibting the removal of such artifacts like coins etc? I believe in Pa they state that you may not remove anything deemed "historical or archeological". That seems to be left open to intrepretation if you ask me. Anyone have any experience with CCC's or detecting SGL's, State parks etc?

Thanks,
Brent-PA

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Here in CA, there are CCC camp locations on what is now Fed, and state land both. When they fall under current fed. land (like on a military base, or fed park, etc..), I have been told by a passing ranger that I would need to turn in any coins older than 50 yrs. old He drove off and never even said where I was to turn them in to. Nor did/does anyone ever check. In other words, it appeared to be an honor system, and left up to the skills of your math

At CCC camps that were located on what is now state property, of course, that would vary from state to state. Personally, in CA (just to use that as an example), I'm sure if a person were to look deep enough and hard enough, he'd find depressing wording for state land. But there are state parks & beaches around me, that are detected all the time, in plain view, & no one is ever bothered. Of course, if you were to go to a bureaucrat's desk in the state capitol, with a shovel in your hand, and ask "can I metal detect there?" you would probably get a "no". But apparently the rank and file at some state parks just aren't aware of that minutia, or simply have better things to do. Maybe it's better left that way Ie.: as long as we're not in obvious historical monuments, or being a nuisance, (or not ignoring a warning) we're not bothered. And in those cases, if you asked, and they looked it up and told you "no", guess what's gonig to happen the next time they see another guy detecting, that they would previously have probably never paid attention to? They'll remember the earlier inquiry and think "aha, there's one of them!" (I've actually seen that psychology played out several times)

 

[Steelhead]

Thanks for the reply Tom. I found a few decent websites that even had maps of known CCC camps. Now the tough part is actually pinpointing and finding them. You are right the way the regs are written they don't flat out say MD'ing is off limits, but they leave it open to a lot of interpretation that's for sure. I know of a few old ghost towns that are nothing but cellar holes and foundations, but they are on State land. I found them while deer hunting. Nobody around but do you risk taking in your detector and having a warden run across you and decide to make an example out of you. You can argue that you are not on any recognized historical site but then it becomes a matter of whether it is archeological, and we all know how that usually plays out. A shame considering many of these sites are simply being grown over and might never be found even by the archies that claim they were going to get to that same exact spot eventually. I guess i'm better off sticking to detecting private sites i have permission to be on. A shame to say the least that these old towns and camps will likely end up just being over grown and forgotten about.

Well thanks for the reply and HH.

Brent-Pa