Kind of a grizzly discovery

[Lynn]

Just a refresher. While rehabbing my old coal warehouse into a workshop, I discovered an old well. See post 44 here: https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthre...=147451&page=5.

Well, yesterday, the twins (my 10 year old grandsons) and I got a wild hair and decided it was finally time to clean it out. As always, Sherri was an integral part of the equation.

I was hoping it was a wishing well at some point and had visions of finding gold and silver coins from the 1880s and 1890s. We have no proof, but surmise that it was used to supply water to the trains at some point. There is a platform by the tracks that looks like could have been the mini watering tower, but no sign of a well by it.

After pumping water out the best we could, we (me and the boys) took turns climbing down in the well and digging stuff up. Probably pulled up 300 pounds of old water logged wood.

Early on I pulled up what I could tell was a skull. Thankfully, it wasn’t a human skull, but that of a dog. We eventually pulled out six dog skulls and two rat sculls. Of course, all the other bones were down there as well. We also found four dog collars, so they were not just strays.

Like most wells, I assume this one had a circular wall above ground at one time. I have a hard time believing that domesticated dogs just kept falling in. I am guessing some heartless bastard was tossing dogs in from time to time just to drown them.

The boys spent most of the afternoon sifting through the mud, pulling out all the bones, cleaning them and putting them in a pile. We are going to try to “reconstruct” one dog from all the biggest bones. We won’t be drilling and connecting with wire, just laying them out in order. Nice anatomy lesson.

Oh yeah, no coins.

[AnthonyS]

Gah!!

[AnthonyS]

Hopefully it was just already-passed pets and it was more convenient than digging a new grave each time... but still. And, back in the day I'm guessing collars might have been reused like most things, but I want to think of the best case scenario... but still.

[BJCHEV396]

Originally Posted by AnthonyS

Hopefully it was just already-passed pets and it was more convenient than digging a new grave each time... but still. And, back in the day I'm guessing collars might have been reused like most things, but I want to think of the best case scenario... but still.

X2!!

[Too Many Projects]

Your grandsons have stronger stomachs than me. I sure as heck wouldn't be washing old bones and trying to reconstruct something out of them...

[Bill Pritchard]

I'm sure school has already started for the boys, but wouldn't that be a great story for "What I Did Over Summer Vacation"