goldmaps.com worth the money?

[outwardjourney]

Has anyone used goldmaps.com, they sell maps that are supposedly complete list of where mines used to be, etc., etc.. I am more interested in the eastern part of the US in regards to the maps. I just didn't know what the maps look like, if they're worth the 29.99 they're charging for them. I mean after all, I could just print maps online, but they wouldn't be of any good quality or anything. Just dots on a state map.

Anyone have experience with that website?

 

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[goldenmojo]

Outwardjourney I am new to prospecting and I too thought about dropping $30 on a gold map. Instead I found an old geology book for California from the late 1800s that had a map of all the ancient rivers and a book with all the mines listed. With that info I realized that I was really only a little closer. What helped me the most was This Forum and searching out old historical diaries and accounts. I would suggest you put the $30 in your gas tank and search for people that are willing to help you in your search such as this forum.... Stay persistent to it and I Hope you hit a many Paystreaks.

Goldenmojo

 

[outwardjourney]

Thanks, but I am prospecting from afar. I don't live in the states I am interested in. In fact, my wife is wanting to relocate to possibly Virginia in the future (for work and recreation). We are currently looking at property up there, but her being her has yet to decide where she'd like to end up. My stipulations were based on being in an area where I can enjoy myself as much as she. So, with that in mind, I am investigating areas in the east, not strictly VA.

The maps I searched for online aren't very accurate. There are databases abound online, the forums suggest gold in every creek, etc. The maps of all the mines are hard to search, as many don't specifically say what the mines were without individually clicking through the web to find out that the mine is for sulfur, or zinc. Not something I am interested in prospecting. lol

I did find an interesting correlation though on accident doing such a search, mostly related to water pollution and gold bearing creeks. So research is always good!

 

[mcordell]

There's no substitute for sampling the rivers and following the trail. Goldmaps gave me the 12th hole of a local golf course. Sorry man, ya gotta do the work.

 

[IdahoJake]

There's no substitute for sampling the rivers and following the trail. Goldmaps gave me the 12th hole of a local golf course. Sorry man, ya gotta do the work.

Agreed. You gotta put in the time and effort...move lots of dirt to find a little gold. But, Oh, when you find it! In the words of Jackie Gleason: "how sweet it is!"

 

[fowledup]

They are a neat novelty item that will show you where in general gold has been historically found. Which is useful information. However the circle indicating a gold bearing local is the same size or a little larger then the circles indicating a large city, it won't put you on the gold. There is no all inclusive resource to put you on the gold. Which is a good thing, an I bet you'll find you get quite a bit of enjoyment doing the research, and learning the history. Kind of like a detective game for big people.

 

[Clay Diggins]

I don't know if you saw my reply to your question in the other forum outwardjourney so I'll repost it here. The point being that what goldmaps.com and programs like Hystware are offering are already available for free.
_______________________________

That is the MRDS (Mineral Resources Data System). It's an old project of the USGS to consolidate old data and reports from the old Bureau of Mines MAS/MILS and MRDS databases. It's available in several forms for free.

The MRDS is notoriously inaccurate. It has many many duplicate entries and most of the mines are poorly located. When we make our maps we use the MRDS and several other databases as a starting point. We refine the actual locations of the mines and eliminate the duplicates. In our experience only about 28% of the MRDS is anywhere near valid. We end up tossing out more than 70% of it's data.

You can get the MRDS from the USGS here:
Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS)

If you are looking for an easier free version you can find it here:
Freegoldmaps.com

Please don't pay for free public information.

 

[outwardjourney]

Yes, no doubt the info is available for free, and I understand the concept of research. I am no stranger to research, both professionally and recreationally. My concern is basically trying to get as many hands on resources as possible. I am looking for a good starting point, physically in hand, to begin the research. Most of my research in the past has relied on my own mapping and word of mouth. The issue is that I am doing this from afar, in other words, no boots on the ground yet in the area where we will be looking for property. At this point we've been presented with several plots of land, each of which contain many acres (generally 25+ acres) in a couple of different states. Some of the land is in counties I do not see listed on the 'hot lists' of being gold bearing, but are listed for other minerals. So, with my printed maps, it helps to lay them out on the desk, plot the known counties, plot the water sources, plot the possible locations of mines, and overlay them on the maps of the properties we've been approached with. If there was a way to do it digitally and make it faster, more accurate, I would do that. Unfortunately, I am not a programmer who can do what I need. I've tried some online sources and made print outs which was helpful. But I like to be able to plot the properties survey outlines on the physical maps to better help get an idea of what's on the land. Google Earth is what a lot of people are suggesting to use for this, however, GE has it's downsides, one is the fact that you get just that, Earth at the time it was shot. No topographical or plat maps for the time, no mineral data without using someone else's plugins or KML files. And quite frankly, when I see mapping images dated back over five years, doesn't make it very accurate. LOL Clay, I used those map resources you have listed. While good, how accurate do you think that information really is? Do you think it's good enough to make a general assessment of what's there, or do you think that even the mineral/ore found in the areas is inaccurate as well? Clay, also I am sending you a message on the other forum as well, as I see there is something missing from your post here that was included in the other. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Jaydell]

There is a museum off of 17 in Virginia - I believe it is Goldvein, Va about mining there. I don't know if that will help any...

 

[AzViper]

Clay don't be so modest and tell him about Footprints <------Link

I have yet to get a copy of Footprints but I plan on it at the GPAA Expo in a few weeks.

 

[azprospector]

I don't know if you saw my reply to your question in the other forum outwardjourney so I'll repost it here. The point being that what goldmaps.com and programs like Hystware are offering are already available for free.

Spot on. There is plenty of free information out there, just have to look for it, and since you would be paying someone to look at maps that are also going to take time to look through, I suggest spending the time to research for free.
For instance, city pages will often offer background on that area, just in that alone you can get great information. The links provided by Clay Diggins in the above post are also a great resource.

 

[azprospector]

Maybe this will help?


Link: Gold Prospecting | e Gold Prospecting | Resources To Get You Prospecting Today

 

[Clay Diggins]

Outwardjourney we do offer private mapping services. We work with individual prospectors to larger mining operations. In particular Geologists and Mining Engineers tend to keep us busy.

We get requests for mapping in places like Australia, Colombia, Alaska, Canada and Kazakhstan. We don't map those areas because our experience and expertise relates to the the open public lands in the Western United States. We would like to map some of the Eastern States but we just don't have the experience or time to climb that learning curve.

"We" is myself and my wife Ruby. Just the two of us. Not a big corporation or a scheme to repackage the same data you find on the internet. We work very long hours and stay very busy because we seem to be the only people who offer these services to prospectors and small miners. The big mining companies have in house mapping and research departments so they can take care of themselves usually.

We are always happy to share our knowledge of research and mapping. We don't succeed by keeping secrets but by doing what we do with attention to detail and honest dedication.

You don't need to be a programmer to make your own maps. You can combine data sources in interesting and useful ways to meet your specific needs right at home. Get a copy of Qgis. It's the most flexible and capable mapping program available and it's free. Learn what a projection is and study the National Map site to see what mapping layers might be useful to you. All those mapping layers can be displayed and worked with right in your Qgis mapping windows. If you keep your mapped area relatively small you can download that same map data and manipulate and combine it for your own specific needs.

Google Earth is very limited but can be quite useful for generalized looks at a larger area. As far as accuracy and map age the two aren't mutually exclusive. Humans have been making maps for a very long time and the quality of any given map relies more on the purpose of the map and the skills of the mapmaker than what year it was made in. The best Topos are only accurate to about 40 foot no matter which year they were made in.

The accuracy of the sources found in the public realm can be pretty bad. The MRDS and Google Earth being prime examples. If you want better accuracy you will need to get a grasp on the quality of different data sources, even then you may have to use several sources of differing accuracy and compare the results to get an idea of the reality on the ground. We provide several sources for our map users so they can compare aerial images and topo maps from different years and times of year. This allows the map user to compare seasonal differences as well as revealing different features in Topos made by different mapmakers.

While the MRDS may be miles off there are better sources for what you are looking for. The Government Land Office has over 5 million patent grants and surveys that are by definition the ultimate in accuracy. Some Eastern States never had public lands so generally you aren't going to find patents or surveys for the original 13 States unless their was a Military Service or private Congressional Grant. You just have to look and see if one for your area of study is in their records.

Probably the most accurate information for any specific piece of land is going to be your County Tax Plat. These maps will generally have roads, buildings, fence lines, wells and mine shafts, adits and tailings piles. You may have to pay a few bucks or make promises to get those maps in some counties and the maps are subject to political influence but they can help to get a complete picture.

I hope that helps answer your questions Outwardjourney. Good luck in your search.