Good guys of LOTR clueless?

[Earendilyon]

Originally Posted by Maédhros

This is sad. Gandalf had a hunch in 2941 TA that there was something odd with Bilbo's ring. But he had to wait until 3001 TA to seriously think that it could be Sauron's ring. There had passed 60 years. It is in 3017 TA that Gandalf goes to Minas Tirith to read the scroll of Isildur.
If Gandalf had been more vigilant, he could have just travelled to Minas Tirith circa 2942 to find out about the One Ring, so as to discard that it was not Sauron's ring, instead of waiting 75 years to do that. And a minor plus point is that probably Gandalf would have been better received by Denethor at an earlier time.

This has, IMO, sufficiently answered by NightKnight and Legolas.

That is an horrible excuse. I wonder how many people could have been saved, if the Ring had been destroyed before Sauron had been able to regain his strength.
Why didn't Elrond do a decent search then, if he himself had warned Isildur to destroy the Ring? His realm was not in great turmoil. What is his excuse then?

Horrible excuse? Don't throw that at me! I'm just trying to find an explanation for this situation. The Elves present (after Isildur already had died) at the Gladden Fields were Thranduil's Wood Elves, not Elves from Rivendell. So, before the Disaster had reached Elrond's ears, several weeks would have past. Maybe he sent out a small party to seek for Isildur's remains, for all we know. Maybe not. As opposed to you, I do belief also Elrond's realm would have been in great turmoil. He and his army had away from home and hearth for the duration of the War of the Lat Alliance, which lasted a total of twelve years! After returning in Rivendell there would have been many pressing matters to attend to.
When all was 'normal' again in Rivendell, Arnor, and Gondor time had passed and people probably thought it no longer usefull to hunt for remains of Isildur, guessing he had been brought to sea by the River Anduin.