Awhile back I wrote a small piece on a database of historic newspapers that I personally use to locate many of my more productive metal detecting sites.

One of those sites turned out to be one of the best places I've ever located. I was tipped off to the area some years ago by a senior citizen who had noticed me metal detecting a local park one day. Since that day I had spent allot of time looking through old records and newspapers at local sources such as the library and city hall. I really didn't find much locally for some reason. Though when I started searching this database of newspapers and other documents Information, images and documents popped up all over the place!

The use of the newspaper archive helped me locate the spot of one of Americas craziest train robberies gone bad! Two Irish brothers, followed through with their plan to rob a pay car that contained thousands of dollars in silver and gold coins. Their attempt was foiled when the dynamite they used to stop, disable and open the car blew the pay car into bits and pieces! Along with the pay car the money contained in it was scattered everywhere. It is said that less than 25% of the money in that car was ever recovered.

To make a long story short I found the exact location of the train robbery. Since then I have found hundreds of dollars in silver coins from the mid 1800's and as of right now there are no signs of letting up any time soon.

The point I am trying to make here is that if you want to find treasure, you have to do the footwork. Sometimes using your basic research resources is just not enough. Many times the key information you need is just not there, "for obvious reasons," or it is there though already taken advantage of by other people looking for their next productive metal detecting site.

One exceptional source for research is an archive that I have been using for quite some time now. I pay a small amount of money to use it, though the return in treasure that I have found is much more than the small amount of money I pay.

Sources of historic newspapers, photos and other documents like this are well worth the money they cost to use them. That is if you are serious about finding treasure.

Want to start searching for information on a potential metal detecting site in your area? Give this archive of newspapers, photos and other documents a shot. Type your search terms in the box below.