Dumpdiggers in North America

Photos you can use
http://roberrific.typepad.com/photos/meaford/

My name is Rob Campbell and I write Dumpdiggers. Here you will discover that I like to research history from the ground down.

Compared to Africa, Asia and Europe, treasure hunting in North America is severely limited by the relative age of human settlement. It’s not possible to find Roman coin hoards around here, Viking plunder, Charlemagne’s silver crosses, early Mycenaean bronze swords… crystal skulls – this is the stuff of movies.

Instead of finding that fanciful lore, Dumpdiggers content themselves with another kind of treasure – colonial and early industrial age artifacts found in century old garbage dumps. I like tracking down the stuff made in Europe that was imported to the colonies by wealthy merchants, military authorities, trade syndicates or government officials. I find the stories behind the goods are mirrors or microcosms of the historical period’s global politics. Like the tooth powder jars and tea tins stamped with pictures of Queen Victoria etc http://bp2.blogger.com/_GhenxMnhqDo/Rmp-IAPiw6I/AAAAAAAAAHM/fGJ3PAdH6rg/s1600-h/Parisienne+Toothpaste.jpg

But instead of keeping and saving the European produced goods, North American museums like to preserve our first domestically produced material – the first Canadian and American toys, furniture, iron tools, axe heads, weather vanes, plow shares etc the first pieces of domestic pottery and gingerbeer bottles, and the first glass ink, whisky, soda and bottles. This is our greatest history… our treasures.

Research is what separates successful Dumpdiggers from amateur enthusiasts. The historical passion and mental fortitude required to visit municipal archives and spend (waste?) whole days in small town libraries is not found in many people, and it certainly isn’t found in people only interested in money. A Kung Fu sensei reminds acolytes ‘only by evolving beyond your greed will you ever become rich’ the Dumpdigger’s blog offers the same advice to young diggers.