Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Who's this?

Recognize this guy? Of course, it was nearly 40 yrs ago when we were tearing it up in Broderick, CA., now known collectively as West Sacramento

24 comments:

  1. More vintage dig photographs, please.

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  2. Looks like Peck Markota !

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  3. Yep, that's the Peck-man. In the early '70s I had carte blanch digging permish on all the old Italian and Chinese Mafia properties. Somewhere I have a pic of Peck holding the first Cheilovich that either of us had ever dug. In this one it's only an OP case gin, one of many such that we pulled out. Pontilled sodas up the whazoo, too. You can see the "I" St bridge in the background. That area is now covered by state offices. Peck brought his backhoe over many times. The yard we were digging belonged to an old gal named Sandy who lived in a small house on the property. Her late husband was the bridge tender and she remained on the place for quite a few more years. We were digging a deep well next to her house.

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  4. Wow, the glory days. Any more photos or perhaps videos of the legenday digs ? It must have been so much less stressful knowing you could just drive to any old town and instanly hit 1870s. When were diggers forced to start door-knocking ?

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  5. Gezzzz, we were door knocking in the early 70s. It was kinda nice up through the 80s to go from yard to yard of undugness in certain towns. Although there was a lot more places to dig there was also fierce competition with about 1000 times more diggers out there than today. It's never really been gravy and not much different today if you know where and where not to dig.

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  6. R. Smith was door-knocking in Benicia in the mid 60's !

    AP

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  7. Heck, we all door knocked after Old Sac was closed to us. Some idiots didn't bother, they'd walk into people's yards and start digging. Same crew that night sneaks to this very day. Lots older, but none the wiser. I got two permissions last week after neighbors saw us digging a privy in another yard. Sometimes it just works out. I can recall stiff competition 25 yrs ago, but things have calmed a bit now. Everyone knows that Sac
    and environs is all dug out anyhow.

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  8. I've hit ABD privies in yards in my area that have pull-top TIN soda pop cans in them, thrown in by the 1960's crew !!
    AP

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  9. Mike
    Find those E. Chielovich dig pics !!

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  10. ABDs can be tricky. We've recently zoned in on an area where the early crew missed floaters and seemed to have a habit of giving up on the pit before getting to the bottom layer ! Many reasons I suppose, perhaps there were snipping and kept getting kicked off properties in this area. I'd also guess that if they didn't load up on bottles in the first few feet they'd give it a probe and throw in the towel if it didn't probe absolutley loaded ??????

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  11. Mike

    My bro and i tore-it up in Broderick too.... back in the 80's !! I'll never forget when we redug "Mr.Clean's" 12' bomber and discovered a 2' plug with an 1850's layer underneath. His facial expression was unforgettable !!
    AP

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    Replies
    1. I also remember freezing out asses off on one COLD "evening" dig. "Mr Clean" and his girlfriend, er, Mother. Total weird dude, kinda scary, too.

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  13. Remember all the pits on that little vacant lot that faced the tracks in Brodrick, that was nuts.
    There was a bottom less 6x6 bomber nearby we took down sixteen feet. We had to quit because of the sand & water, all 70s, it kept going at least another eight.........

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    1. How many pits in that lot? At least 7 that I can recall. '60s-70s glass aplenty., including colored E C & Ms. I'm talking about the one on the river side of 2nd St, not that crapola on the market side. Better were the ones beside the concrete wall where the old Broderick market once stood.

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  14. Look at what Peck is wearing. Was he digging that day, or just stopping by to take a look ?

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  15. He always dressed like that. He was running the backhoe, you can see the big bucket to the right. He would bring the hoe behind a truck and "walk" it to the street without tilting the trailer or bothering to unhitch it. Climb off, climb back on using the bucket, outriggers, and front loader. Crazy SOB.

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    Replies
    1. Yes he was. He put me in the seat of a backhoe at age 14

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  16. Wheew, what a playboy. The girlies must have gone bonkers for Peck. He would have to be one of the better looking bottle hunters of all time.

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  17. Yeah, dyed in the wool Marlboro man. Always had a pack in his pocket. Audie smoked "Eves", a long slim feminine cigarette. They both quit in the 80s. Me, I never smoked. Sorta ironic that "eLCie" and I now have such a close "relationship".

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  18. What's the latest up in the valley, and dig reports ?

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  19. That is my Grandpa! Peck Markota! I remember you Mike! It is awesome to find this photo! I remember many digs bottle club meets and shows. 1st dig was in Stockton with Frank Brockman. I pulled a beautiful crude dark green ink bottle.

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