BONNYVILLE - When Richard Muller was gifted a metal detector for father's day, he admits that it sat in his closet for two years before he had any reason to take it out.
But, after a trip to Alaska where he panned for gold, Muller wanted to bring a little bit of Alaska back to his family in Alberta. So, he hosted a gold panning party where he also tossed coins throughout his yard and let the kids in attendance use the metal detector to find them. As the party wrapped up, Muller decided to make sure all the coins had been found using the metal detector himself.
It didn't take long for Muller to realize that searching for lost or hidden items was something that both relaxed and intrigued him. And since then, Muller's curiosity has turned into something more.
He admits that when he first took his metal detector out, he was skeptical and “didn’t know what the heck I was doing.” But, after finding a toonie, a loonie and some pennies, he realized the machine really did work.
“Basically, I was hooked.”
Then, one day on his way to Arizona for a vacation with his wife, Muller's vehicle was broken into. Along with personal documents, jewlery, and other items being stolen, Muller's metal detector was also taken. While Muller and his wife did eventually get to Arizona, the experience made him realize that he truly enjoyed searching for items with his metal detector and he missed having it. So, he purchased a higher quality detector to replace the stolen one.
“That’s when I started finding really cool old things," said Muller. Over the last couple years, he's found a variety of pieces - from old coins, to crosses and pendants, along with . . . a lot of trash, which he picks up to dispose of properly.
Grad '94
In the fall of 2019, after doing some research on local areas he thought might be good spots to hunt for objects, Muller decided to head to Minnie Lake near Glendon. He figured it would be a good spot since lots of people visit the lake, there's a camping area, and also a large grassy area that likely wouldn't be hunted as much as a normal beach.
That day, Muller stumbled upon a high school graduation ring from Glendon School. The ring had been covered in a few inches of dirt but had distinguishable initials engraved on it, along with the year - 1994. More recently, Muller decided to create a social media page under his Dirt Diggin' Dad moniker and posted the grad ring in hopes of finding its owner.
It didn't take long for Muller to get a phone call.
He was out hunting for items in a Bonnyville park when Twyla Martin reached out to him. As a teenager, Martin, who grew up in Glendon, cut lawns and did odd jobs to save up money. Her goal was to buy a high school graduation ring as a way to motivate her to finish high school. She bought the ring ahead of graduating, sometimes wearing it on her hand, and other times on a chain around her neck.
When she realized she had lost the ring that she had worked so hard for, Martin said she remembers feeling quite distraught. So, she saved up her money again and bought a similar grad ring - but it just wasn't the same. She admits that she thought about her lost ring over the years - but was never really sure what had happened to it.
When a friend pointed her to Muller's social media post, Martin knew immediately it was her ring. With only three girls in her graduating class, it was easy to narrow it down. In addition, Martin grew up just two miles from Minnie Lake and often spent her summers at the lake swimming, or sitting with her grandma shelling peas at the beach.
When Muller confirmed it was in fact Martin's ring, with the correct initials engraved inside, Martin said she cried.
After the original phone call with Martin, Muller said he experienced one of the best feelings he'd felt in a long time. Then, 10 minutes later, as Muller kept hunting in the local park, he noted a really deep signal on his metal detector. At 12” deep, he pulled out a type of religious pendant. While he's still not sure what to think of the find, Muller said he is taking it as a sort of sign and is hoping to help other people find lost items.
While hunting for things with his metal detector remains a hobby, Muller is looking to turn the skills he's learned into a bit of a business. He would like people to contact him if they've lost an item and have a general idea of where it might be.
“It’s a hobby that I'm trying to turn into a little bit of a business to help people . . . That’s what I truly want to do,” said Muller. And in return, all Muller asks is that people help pay for his gas to get to the location that needs to be searched. Although he doesn't see himself as a great speaker, Muller said he would also like to start a YouTube channel detailing his hunts.
When Muller reunited Martin with her graduation ring earlier in July, Muller's wife recorded the emotional event and posted it to social media as a follow-up for people to see. Martin said a lot of people in the community have since asked her about the ring and expressed their happiness in hearing the story.
When asked if she has been wearing the ring, Martin said, "it's going to be a special occasion ring." But, she does have long-term plans for the ring. Since she still has her second ring, along with her mother's graduation ring, she now has a third ring, which means she can pass down one ring to each of her three daughters.
