I stopped by Riverside park on my way to my karate class last night. I was swinging Maurice, my XP Deus metal detector, looking for the very deep stuff that other hunters have left in the ground. At one point I got a deep target that sounded good to me so I dug. This target was particularly deep and at the depth of 11 inches I finally got to feel the target with my fingers. I extracted a round object and for a moment I thought I had a large cent. Ha! keep dreaming!
Instead, I got a shot shell. OK, I don’t get excited about shot shells anymore but still, it was a cool find. I covered the hole, stood up and swung again and bam! another deep target. I dug another deep shot shell of the very same gauge and make as the last one. Repeat and again, pow! another deep target. I pulled yet another shot shell exactly like the other two. All three shot shells were under the same square foot of dirt and all three were UMC Co. gauge 10 Club. **According to Cartridge-Corner, this stamp dates from 1867 to 1911. The neighborhood was already established by the early 1900’s and there was a race track in that area of the park as early as the mid 1880’s so I stick with my drop date of the mid to late 1870’s**
How cool is that!? I was standing approximately in the very same spot where a person stood back in the late 1870′ or early 1880’s (by the mid to late 1880’s, the area was already a city park) and got off three shots with his (or hers) shotgun. The drop happened within feet of the little Arkansas river. I imagine this person was hunting ducks. I picture the flock of ducks taking flight after being surprised by this hunter and then bam! bam! bam! three fatal shots and dinner soon after.
I’ve seen a picture of Wichita at the time of its incorporation; 1870. There was barely a hint of a town there. By the early 1880’s however, the city had paved streets, brick buildings, banks, commerce, and two or three city parks.
Very cool. I dug up a moment in time. Two hunters, 140 years apart, connected by three shot shells. I like it.
Thank you for looking!
The Dirt Is Good To Me 
Man that’s one killer machine with it being a wireless metal detector
Yeah, i like my deus. Once you go wireless you wont want to hunt any other way.
Nice story and historical reference.