Cleaning up my hometown, One piece at a time

Submitted by Jesse Holland

I explore the river, the park, and the old Stillwater dam area because they are the oldest areas in town. Years ago, trash service wasn’t a thing. I go out and look for structures and signs of old trash laying around. Once I have found something interesting, I will spend a good three to four hours removing anything that can be saved.

Digging is usually never required as these trash dumps were built up so high that even to this day, they are like mountains of trash, only half covered in dirt, creeks and streams.

I also come down the hill sides pulling any bottles and glass down with it. People would toss their trash down the hill and into the river. I have found Mrs. Butterworths bottles, perfume bottles, medicine bottles, ointments and cream glass containers, old glass pop bottles, bluing baby smoothing syrup, locks, insulators, alcohol bottles, hair tonic, poison bottles, milk bottles, juicers, milk of magnesia bottles, buttons, porcelain figurines, belt buckles, stop bitters bottles, China ink bottles, ball jars, and uranium glass. I display my items around my house and enjoy the rich history each piece holds, plus I’m cleaning up my hometown, one piece at a time.