Depleted Texas lakes expose ghost towns & graves.

Even a drought on a mini scale such as this can reveal recent history. All over the World we are discovering ancient & Lost Civilizations due to drought and weather changes. Now there's some recent history right in the backyard.

Many of these artifacts are usually 20-30 feet underwater and have been well preserved. Not as well as something in the frigid waters of the poles or deep oceans but still amazingly intact.

It would be truly amazing to see more of this but the cost of the drought itself far outweighs the possible discoveries...maybe?

"Across the state, receding lakes have revealed a prehistoric skull, ancient tools, fossils and a small cemetery that appears to contain the graves of freed slaves. Some of the discoveries have attracted interest from local historians, and looters also have scavenged for pieces of history. More than two dozen looters have been arrested at one site."

Texas finished its driest 12 months ever with an average of 8.5 inches of rain through September, nearly 13 inches below normal. Water levels in the region's lakes, most of which were manmade, have dropped by more than a dozen feet in many cases.

The vanishing water has revealed the long-submerged building foundations of Woodville, Okla., which was flooded in 1944 when the Red River was dammed to form Lake Texoma. A century-old church has emerged at Falcon Lake, which straddles the Texas-Mexico border on the Rio Grande.

www.cbsnews.com...

BLUFFTON, Texas - Johnny C. Parks died two days before his first birthday more than a century ago. His grave slipped from sight along with the rest of the tiny town of Bluffton when Lake Buchanan was filled 55 years later. Now, the cracked marble tombstone engraved with the date Oct. 15, 1882, which is normally covered by 20 to 30 feet of water, has been eerily exposed as a yearlong drought shrinks one of Texas' largest lakes.

Across the state, receding lakes have revealed a prehistoric skull, ancient tools, fossils and a small cemetery that appears to contain the graves of freed slaves. Some of the discoveries have attracted interest from local historians, and looters also have scavenged for pieces of history. More than two dozen looters have been arrested at one site.

The Skull At Lake Georgetown near Austin, fishermen was discovered to be what experts determined was the skull of an American Indian buried for hundreds or thousands of years.

A child's grave site, (Johnny C. Park) normally at least 20 to 30 feet underwater, has joined other remnants of old Bluffton, Texas, resurfacing as the drought shrinks the state's largest inland lake. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Saddest photo of the bunch.


A rusting tank and concrete slabs from a Texaco service station, normally at least 20 to 30 feet underwater.
(Credit: AP Photo/Eric Gay)

In this Oct. 5, 2011 photo, rusty nails and other artifacts, normally at least 20 to 30 feet underwater, have joined other remnants of old Bluffton, Texas, resurfacing on the now dry, sandy lake, near Bluffton, as the Texas drought shrinks the state's largest inland lake.
Photo: Eric Gay / AP

In this Oct. 5, 2011 photo, a mold for wagon wheels has joined other remnants of old Bluffton, Texas, resurfacing on the now dry, sandy lake near Bluffton, as the Texas drought shrinks the state's largest inland lake.
Photo: Eric Gay / AP

In this Oct. 5, 2011 photo, tour guide Tim Mohan stands on the concrete foundation of an old cotton gin in the old town of Bluffton, Texas. The gin resurfaced on the now dry, sandy lake near Bluffton, as the Texas drought shrinks the state's largest inland lake.
Photo: Eric Gay / AP


I just love this stuff!...

reply to post by jude11

I love going to depleted lakes, there is no telling what you will find!
About 8 years ago I found 15 antique bottles and an old gun, ended up selling them for over 2 grand.

Originally posted by GmoS719
reply to post by jude11

 

I love going to depleted lakes, there is no telling what you will find!
About 8 years ago I found 15 antique bottles and an old gun, ended up selling them for over 2 grand.

Not only that but the treasures that wash up on Ocean Beaches are incredible.

I found a slightly used slipper once. Couldn't find a buyer tho...

Its funny. If you have a degree your an archaeologist. If not your a looter. I don't really see the difference. They're all in it for the money.

Amazing pictures and information, this puts your "Texan drought" into a better perspective for those of us that have no idea how bad it is there.
We live right on Lake Huron here and let me tell you if it dropped 30 ft ......holy molly we would be doomed here.
S&F
Again thanks for the real deal on the problems you people are having down there and we wish you the best of luck from the bottom of our hearts here.
Regards, Iwinder

Any of you guys that live near there might want to get the metal detectors out. Those couple towns that were under the lake used gold as currency before they became ghost towns.

Originally posted by lonewolf10
Its funny. If you have a degree your an archaeologist. If not your a looter. I don't really see the difference. They're all in it for the money.

Interesting point.

But, while one sells or donates the items for historical keeping, the other sells it to private collectors for personal gain only. The collectors with money are then the only ones to have access to the history that should belong to all.

I think that's the real crime.

Originally posted by ludshed
Any of you guys that live near there might want to get the metal detectors out. Those couple towns that were under the lake used gold as currency before they became ghost towns.

CRAP!

Forgot about that!

Gotta take a holiday now...Going treasure hunting.

Originally posted by jude11

Originally posted by lonewolf10
Its funny. If you have a degree your an archaeologist. If not your a looter. I don't really see the difference. They're all in it for the money.

Interesting point.

But, while one sells or donates the items for historical keeping, the other sells it to private collectors for personal gain only. The collectors are then the only ones to have access to the history that should belong to all.

This would be the difference IMO.

reply to post by lonewolf10


That's true but I'm all about finders keepers

reply to post by lonewolf10


I bet there could be old currency found around there if no one has had the same thought.
I'd get there before ends up a target for the next season of Ghost Hunters or something.

Originally posted by Corruptedstructure
reply to post by lonewolf10

 

I bet there could be old currency found around there if no one has had the same thought.
I'd get there before ends up a target for the next season of Ghost Hunters or something.

Gotta be some gold and silver that fell out of some drunken Cowboy's pocket or even small amounts hidden that were forgotten.

reply to post by jude11


Good luck!

Just watch out for them AL K DA!
Because they're everywhere ya know...

Originally posted by lonewolf10
Its funny. If you have a degree your an archaeologist. If not your a looter. I don't really see the difference. They're all in it for the money.

You've obviously never studied archaeology. Looters are "pot hole diggers" who ravage a site to get something to sell for money. They wreck everything they need to to get to the treasure.

Archaeologists carefully map the site, dig carefully, and, when they find an artifact, record its exact position in relation to other artfiacts, depth, etc. They attempt to discern the date the artifact was made or deposited. If successful, they can re-create what the site looked like. They leave parts of the site alone in case future archaeogists need to re-check the stratigraphy. They publish their results in both peer-reviewed and popular journals. Based on the artifacts they can often discern where the people who made them came from and where they wound up. They can even tell who the people were based on the designs they find. They never sell any artifacts. Those wind up carefully catalogued in a museum.

It is hard, dirty, painstaking work. Most of the people working in digs are volunteers. Even those who are paid are paid very little. They are not "in it for the money."

Looters don't give a rip about stratigraphy. They just want to get a shovel and dig for the gold.

And you don't see a difference? You can't possibly be serious!

I from MN and they want to drain/pipe our lakes and pipe it over there. YOU moved there, deal with it or move to a state that has water. Why do they have to suck us dry. The land of 10,000 lakes will be reduced to the land of a dried up proon. Just because the weather in texas dried you up, doesn't mean you have to dry us up too. They want a bill passed to pipe water to states that do not have any. Just like ventura stated, we already have bottling companies and china sucking us dry already. We loose several feet of shoreline a year. Pretty soon, fresh water will be the next gold.

Wow, thanks Jude. I grew up about 25 miles from Bluffton. I have swam and searched for this gravestone many times. This is like fulfilling an urban legend for me..

Very cool.

Originally posted by Bobaganoosh
Wow, thanks Jude. I grew up about 25 miles from Bluffton. I have swam and searched for this gravestone many times. This is like fulfilling an urban legend for me..

Very cool.

Interesting,

What's the story behind it and why have you been looking for it?

Personally, I'm GLAD I don't live in Texas... But I remember my great-grandparents' Golden Rules: "Finders, keepers!" And they were hard-core evangelicals.

I'd be there metal detecting in a second. Before it floods again and any
artifacts are lost for good. It would be easy digging, and no garbage from
50 years of littering to dig up. heaven for detectorists.

I was just thinking about finding gold around here in Texas a few days ago while watching Gold Rush Alaska.
I've always wanted a gold detector, would be fun!
A woman that committed suicide in 2008 was found not too long ago from the lower water levels the drought caused! She was found submerged in a private lake, within the small town of Martins Mill, where I lived when I was younger.


Texas Drought Uncovers Mystery Of Missing Woman