The broken charred brick and blackened piece of tin I held in my hand confirmed I had discovered what I had set out to find. I raised my head from the dig site and looked around at the surrounding landscape of park like grass and old trees that abruptly ended at the edge of an asphalt parking lot. I was just a few feet off a sidewalk from the 1960's that seemingly led to nowhere. A small outcropping of concrete disappeared into the grass and gave the only other clue to the existence of the historic building that once stood here.
The sidewalk to nowhere. It just dead ends at the far end of the photo where the trashcan is.
My research for a metal detecting hunt had turned into a fascinating tale of pioneers and their endeavors to bring an educational system to the young western frontier, and to the story of the first building at an agricultural college that would later become Colorado State University. I stood and looked west across the modern day parking lot. This is all that remained. I had found what was left of the building known as “Old Main".
Old Main as it appeared at the turn of the century.
As it appears today in the same location
Old Main was the first building erected on campus back in 1878. The Agricultural College of Colorado opened it's doors the following year. It consisted of President Elijah Edwards, two faculty members and 5 students. From this simple beginning the modern day campus of Colorado State University arose to it's current status over 2500 faculty members and 25,000 students. There are over 6000 other employees as well. While the main part of the college is a beehive of activity, the older parts have become peaceful and still. The old buildings are beautiful and still provide functional use for the campus. The Colorado State police officers who patrol the grounds are friendly and have waved at me as I metal detected this wonderful place over the years. It was one of these officers that while patrolling on May 8th, 1970, saw the smoke pouring from the building known as “old Main"ť. Vietnam War protest had gotten out of hand and arsonist had set fire to the structure. The fire department's efforts were hampered by a failed water main and by the time water had been routed in, it was to late. Old Main was gone. The arsonist were never caught. In one thoughtless act after another the protest that day at CSU had done their damage.
The newly built campus main building
The burnt out hull of Old Main the morning after the fire.
I started griding the area that I thought would approximate the front of where the old building once stood. I started pulling a few Wheats including a 1913. This was a an older find and got me excited. I had just turned to make my second pass along the “sidewalk to nowhere",ť and received a solid hit in the 74 to 76 VDI range. It pin pointed tight and showed a good target at about 7 inches. I cut a deep horseshoe plug and flopped it over. I ran my Garrett Pro-Pointer through the hole and got a solid tone at the bottom center of the hole. I felt the usual rush of adrenaline that accompanies the final moment of truth. A quick and shallow plunge with the Lesche digger revealed a brownish green coin a little smaller than a Quarter. I turned it to the sun and saw a 2 surrounded by a laurel wreath. It was 2-Cent piece! My first. Knowing this coin had to be a little older than what I normally would find in the Fort Collins area, I pulled the loop from my keeper pouch and took a closer look. I could just make it out... 1-8-6-5. An 1865 coin! The dance ensued, I mean I actually did a dance! It was not pretty but I did my best to do a jig with my elbows raised up and down and feet hitting the ground with toes pointed upward. That felt good. I quickly looked around and felt embarrassed. Then I did it again. lol
A quick and shallow plunge with the Lesche digger reveled a brownish green coin a little smaller than a Quarter.
A picture of the dig site. I continue to use the SEF coil with great success.
You have to ask yourself this question when you go hunting. What are you after? What drives you to keep going back, when everywhere you hunt it seems like it's been hunted out? Why is it that you continue to go back to that same old park, and pound the same old ground? I can tell you this much. These areas we are drawn to, they have a pull on our spirit. They are full of history and the life force of past generations that have walked this ground before us. That energy pulls you there. It wants to be discovered. It wants to be discovered by you. It has a story to tell. Digging coins and relics will not silence that hunger and drive however. Find the story, the history and the passion of the people who came before you. The irony here is that you will never dig that out of a hole in the ground my fellow detectorist. It will only come from understanding the long dead individual who left that item there so many years ago for you to find. Well that's my 2 cents worth friend...
or I should say, that's “Old Main's"ť 2 cents worth.
Keep Swing'in
Jack
The old photographs used in this post are property of Colorado State University and their contributors. If you would like to learn more about old main please visit their history archive at the following link.
The Burning Of Old Main
https://lib.colostate.edu/archives/old_main.html
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If and when it ever comes I will be dancing too 
Man that soil was kind to it. Glad your first one was a keeper. Now that you are spoiled, wait till you see the condition of the next one lol Looks like the soil there is real good to copper (bronze). I bet that wheat was in good condition also. Thanks for posting it and the great story too thumbsup01
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