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THE DIG ZONE
Since childhood I've had a fascination for old things and the history associated with them. I'll never forget my first real bottle dig in 1966, I was only twelve. Dad had a friend who owned an old farm where we went and discovered a huge dump on our first real bottle outing. We dug there for over a month and uncovered dozens of old bottles, from then on I was hooked. Six years later I went on to study archeology in college and took part in many organized digs. One of my favorite digs was during the excavation phase of "Embarcadero Center Four" in San Francisco where we uncovered Gold Rush era ships buried thirty feet below street level in the bay mud.
I've been a member of the North Western Bottle Collectors Association for over 35 years and served three consecutive terms as president. In addition I've been involved with two local museums for many years and have served as a member of the board of directors. In the early 1990s I volunteered countless hours to help to completely renovate a very large old building for the "Tomales Regional History Center" and also served on the building renovation committee. I've helped organize and even created several local history related displays for museums, schools and businesses. My wife and I do what we've been told is fascinating hands on presentation about our hobby for grade schools and other organizations. I feel extremely fortunate to have discovered such a wonderful interest so early on in my life.
Our projects mean a lot more to us than just digging a hole for bottles. Every dig offers a unique glimpse into the past lives of the people in relation to the site they once occupied and we recognize that. In addition to safety, having permission and leaving a site in as good or better condition than found is always high priority for us. Ethics build character, we always try and do the best possible job we can on all levels. Besides the many labor intensive hours that go into a dig, we often spend much time on research and evaluation both before and after a dig. Many days are spent with no results as far as bottles go but that's not always what it's about for us. It's about a genuine love of early California history, old bottle glass, preservation and the association with our historic past.
The following stories are a few of our more interesting digs with some pictures depicting deep underground excavations. Anything deeper than waist depth can be extremely dangerous if you don't know what your doing. Under no circumstances should anyone ever attempt such an endeavor who is not highly experienced in such excavations, underground safety and soils. If your going to dig; Always have permission, be respectful of your finds and leave your site just as you found it.
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