Thunder Mountain—Narragansett Ave
Army Days Era 1985 Oak Ridge Tennessee Private 1000 Yard Range
Army Days Era 1985 Oak Ridge Tennessee Private 1000 Yard Range
This can hunt-and-dig location was an area called Thunder Mountain. The mountain was an old dump site from the 1930s that was a quarry made by digging brown clay to make bricks. The city was booming, and bricks were needed to develop the city. The demand for a more solid house was needed since the great Chicago fire and brown clay was like gold.
The pit was illegally dumped in for many years and after the family who owned the land were caught in the 1950s, the land stood vacant until the 1960s. This is when the Cary family, who owned the land, introduced a plan to the city for a ski resort. This is where the name Thunder Mountain came from. To stay all day into the night in the 4 block by 6 block, heavy vegetated, fenced-in area and swim in the pond, play on the old crane, and dig for cool stuff, including old beer cans, was the weekend norm. Meister Brau and Fox Deluxe were most abundant. Cone tops were in the old site but not many were in great shape. The Old Style and Edelweiss cones that were abundant were usually clean but common at that time.
Army Days Era 1985 Oak Ridge Tennessee Private 1000 Yard Range
Army Days Era 1985 Oak Ridge Tennessee Private 1000 Yard Range
Army Days Era 1985 Oak Ridge Tennessee Private 1000 Yard Range
The can hobby slowed down for me during the 1980s. After high school, with adventure on my mind and seeking new challenges, I joined the Army.
Can collecting came to a sudden stop.
I joke about how I went from collecting cans to shooting cans.