11/23/12 Report - NewPoll, Beach Conditions, and Research Using Old Postcards

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.



Fort Pierce Beach in the 1940s.

First off, I know there were a good number of cobs or treasure coins found this month, but I'd like to get a better idea of just how many were found and how it compares to other times when cobs were found such as after tropical storm Sandy.  In order to start collecting that information, I posted a new poll on this blog.  You'll find it to the upper left of the main page. 

I kept this poll simple, but will post additional polls in the future to help get additional details.  For example, in the future I'll ask about the denominations that were found and things like that.

I know that there are many who were happy with their finds and others who were disappointed or frustrated.  This will help everyone put it all into perspective.  It isn't easy.  There is a lot of timing to it and even some luck.

Thanks for your participation.


It has been very worthwhile keeping up with the tide charts lately.  There has been a lot of variation in the surf, with a 2 -3 foot surf being repeatedly interrupted by a 6 or 7 foot surf.  That is really good information that gives a good idea about the times when the beaches might improve.  Of course, another important factor is wind direction.

Generally, but not always, a six or higher foot surf gives a decent chance of beach improvement, depending upon other factors.   A smaller surf can also cause improvement in beach detecting conditions, but much less frequently and only if other conditions are very good.   Usually though, it does take at least a six foot surf.   An eight foot surf or higher additionally increases the probability of improved beach conditions.

You can save a lot of wasted trips by watching the surf heights and wind speed and direction.

Watch the tide charts also.  Learn to use those factors to time and strategize your detecting trips.


Fox Business will interview Kim Fisher live on Monday November 25th during the 10 o'clock hour.  Undoubtedly he'll be talking some about the Atocha and Margarita as well as the business side of treasure hunting.


I often get emails about 35 mm shell casings found along the Treasure Coast.   Those are relatively common finds, as are other WW II items such as dog tags.  Numerous dog tags have been found in the past south of the Fort Pierce inlet.

Another Old Fort Pierce Post Card.

At the top of this post is shown a picture post card of military training activities on a Fort Pierce beach back during WW II. 

Many of you know that a lot of military training took part there, but if you want to do some research, one resource is old picture postcards like the one shown above and the one shown here.

This one is a 1940s era Fort Pierce post card.   Notice the dock and boats in the foreground.  Little remains of that dock now.  

Old postcards provide one way of getting a look at the past.  And they can help you find some interesting detecting sites.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net

1/28/12 Report - Woodlawn Park & Using Old Postcards for Research

Written by the Treasureguide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

St. Pete Pier Postcard.

A couple of days ago I mentioned Tarzan Park, a tourist attraction in Vero back around 1900, and yesterday I suggested maybe trying to find some of the old tourist spots to detect while the local beaches are sanded in.

James F. sent me a link to a 1997 article about Woodland Park, which he has been hoping to locate. Woodland Park is not on the Treasure Coast but is the type of place I was talking about and could be a dream of a detecting site.

From what the article says the amusement park was in operation in 1917, and was a tourist haven. It was on the shores of the St. Johns River and served by paddlewheelers. It was sometimes referred to as "The Gateway to South Florida," or "The City Substantial."

Farmer Schmelz created the amusement park on top of a Timucuan midden mound on several acres of woody swamp land a few hundred yards from Lake Monroe.

It had a dance hall build on stilts over Lake Monroe and a gigantic swimming pool and many rides and attractions.

That would be a great place to research and detect. If you want to go after it, I'd suggest letting James or this blog know what you find. James was generous enough to provide the lead and said I could post what he found.

The site could provide both some good water and dry land hunting. Just finding out where it was would be a fun project and quite an accomplishment.

One reader of this blog took a lead that I provided earlier in this blog and located the site and information about the Walton Hotel and then detected the site.

That is the type of thing you can do if you are tired of detecting the same old beaches that everybody else detects over and over again. Of course you have to do some research, but that can be very worthwhile.

One tool I'd suggest using is a good old USGS topological map.

Another resource that I like to use is old picture postcards.

At the top of this post you see the St. Pete pier. I believe that postcard is from the fifties.

Can you imagine all of the stuff that is in the water below that pier? Of course there would be tons and tons of lead, but also a lot of other things.

When using a postcard like that, notice the background and all of the details such as the boats and where things were back then. It looks like there might have been a ferry or shuttle boat there, but maybe just a fishing or sight-seeing boat.

You can also see where people were gathering on the beach.

Old Postcard Showing Location of a Cabin.

This one isn't of Florida but it is a good example. Somebody marked the location of a cabin on this nice aerial view along with the mileage to the cabin.


Tresure Coast Beach Conditions and Forecast.

The wind has shifted as a front comes through and is now coming from the north/northwest. Seas are still running around two or three feet, so conditions haven't changed yet.

We're still expecting five foot seas on Monday. That will give us some chance of improvement.


Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net