Cripple Creek and Victor area

[TabWhisperer]

I just got back from a weekend in Cripple Creek. We just went there for something different. I took a detector but didn't do any detecting since we were mostly sightseeing and leaving some money in the slot machines. We also drove through Victor and took the train ride. I was pretty amazed by the detecting potential. I asked a lady at the museum about detecting and she said as long as there were no private property or no tresspassing signs there generally wasn't a problem. The area in particular that got me was where a couple of towns burned down, Anaconda and another nearby that escapes me at the moment. I drove through that area it it appeared to be mostly open space with some apparent old foundations. Other areas owned by mining companies or ranchers were clearly marked.

Does anyone have any expereince detecting that area in Teller County? Even in town there are bunches of old buildings just falling down.

 

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[PikesPeakCharlie]

Hi, I've been detecting & bottle digging in the area for 30 years. Detecting in the area can be real tough,trash,mineralization etc . If you go to Anaconda,be prepared to get run off by the mine,plus that whole valley will be filled in soon as they reroute the road. The lady who told you should'nt be a problem,kind of mislead you. Ever since gambling came in land owners have gotten real greedy,they dont try to dig anything,but sure dont want anybody else too either. All the land between Cripple Creek & Victor is ALL privately owned ,mostly by the mine.,your best bet is to get permmision to private lots in town. Another good way is to walk around town (especially after rain) you will be surprised what you can find on top of the ground. Some might say I'm try to discourage you,not so !! just dont want you to get a trespassing or destruction of private property ticket for detecting & digging on private property,nothing is open space. Please know the laws for trespassing on a mining claim before you do any searching. I wish you good luck HH

 

[PikesPeakCharlie]

P.S. When you plan on coming down PM me,maybe it will work out to where we can meet & I can show you around.

 

[TabWhisperer]

Thanks for the quick reply. I didn't feel completely comfortable with what she said and didn't want to take any risk without knowing for sure which is why I didn't take even 5 minutes for detecting around the Anaconda area. I will definitely pm you in the near future. I need to get some yard work done on the weekends. If I don't do that I will try to get back down again. I really appreciate the offer.

 

[Melbeta]

Get written permission as the Sheriff will stop you when he sees you detecting...

I have been detecting that area since 1974, and you better get written permission as the Sheriff people drive around the area, they stop and check to see if you have permission, I was checked more then once there. If no written permission they regard you as trespassing. It can be a pretty costly lesson. They are pretty much after people out there as there is so much trespassing on private land. There is no public land there except the parking lot at the court house where the sheriff is located.

I searched Anaconda a lot back then and found a lot of historic things. I am in Colo Springs area, out in the Black Forest area.

If you see an old booklet with spiral binding entitled "Early Cripple Creek Maps" copyrighted 1977, that is my booklet, I used to sell them, and sold the entire back in 1985 to a store owner in Cripple Creek. There still may be some of those being sold there. I am an historian and a retired Colo Real Estate Broker and a former National Park Ranger. Be careful where you dig...
Melbeta

 

[lastleg]

PikesPeakCharlie, I used to go to Cripple Creek a lot. You know those bottles of ore the tourist shops sell? Does it really
have gold inside?

 

[PikesPeakCharlie]

Last leg, The people I knew who sold "ore" sold real ore from the district,how much gold is really in it, is another discussion

 

[lastleg]

I was wondering what was the best way to roast some of it.

 

[oldnugget]

I was wondering what was the best way to roast some of it.



SO..WHAT..U EXPECT GOLD TO JUST COME RUNNING OUT OF THE HOT ROCK OMG...LOL ....

 

[oldnugget]

GOLD IN ORE HAS TO BE CHEMICALLY EXTRACTED.... GEZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

[lastleg]

Evidently you haven't heard of "roasting". I was inquiring whether CC gold ore could be extracted by
that method. I've been to the "Kathleen" store and other shops and bought jars of ore advertised
as CC ore. It sure doesn't look or feel like it has much gold but I figured Charlie might know. I used
to go the CC four/six times a year. It was lots of fun back then, eating breakfast at Bronco Billy's
and harvesting the loose slots. The last time we stayed at the Rose and came home deathly sick.
Wife was admitted to hospital and I went to EM. Probably won't go back.

 

[PikesPeakCharlie]

Lastleg ,Yes , oldnugget you bet we expect the gold to bubble up out of the rock,not necessarily run out so to say our gold ore up here is in tellurides and when it is roasted , at around 1800 degrees for 20 to 40 mins , the yellow gold bubbles right out of the rock then can be crushed and panned. Lastleg , I have roasted a lot of ore back in my younger days,we had a workshop in Goldfield,which had a wood stove, we would crank up the fire,put our ore in a cast iron frying pan ,stick it inside the stove,appx 45 mins later we either did or didn't have some gold,sometimes alot !! Now,,,, roasting ore is HIGHLY DANGEROUS !!!!!!! Never do it inside your house, the fumes can and will KILL you. when we would put it in the stove we would exit the building immediately,then air it out before reentering. also if you don't roast it long enough,,no gold,,too long, no gold. hope that answers your ? oldnugget, I still have some roasted ore specimen's in a box some where,when I find them I will post a pic so u can see what they look like, Please remember, the realization that we were wrong,should make us a more humble person.