Educate me on gold claims from locating to working them

[czachary]

I have a thread on another board looking for a first time adventure mining. Lots of hits, one of which I will go on this Spring, but I would really like to get into "legally" mining a few weeks a year just to see what comes of it down the road. Just something closer to me than current offers!


My questions start from the incredibly simple. I have recently been turned onto the GPAA, beyond that are there other organizations that have claim rights in the same manner? How do you find claims that you can go work and give the owner a cut? Is there like an index list? Just make a bunch of phone calls? I am talking slightly beyond the "weekend warrior" and not professionally by any means. I am looking to find something local to me in either Arkansas or Texas, just no IDEA where to start.

 

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[rocme44]

Look for a local prospecting club. Besides claims, they have a lot of knowledge for a beginner. Also this forum has members from Texas.
Offer something as a trade for knowledge. Ask if you could join them for an outing with no "cut" to help them and get experience. Welcome to a rewarding hobby, good luck!

 

[Clay Diggins]

There are no gold claims in either Arkansas or Texas. You will have to look further West if you want to get into an "official" claim.

I second the recommendation to join a club. At the least you should learn enough prospecting skills to have a chance of success before you get serious. A club is your best avenue to learning those basic skills.

Good Luck!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Third shot in your area would be to find historical info on gold and go ask the private land owner for permission to prospect

 

[czachary]

I am not opposed to getting a claim further away like in New Mexico or Colorado. Not looking for anything large just something to go see a few times a year and move some material!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Well, then you are in luck since there's lots of land to file on in those states. It will take:
- online research into historical areas
- learning to use LR2000 as a preliminary confirmation of where claims exist in your area of interest
- stop at local County Recorder office to see details of any existing claims using data from LR2000
- field sampling to confirm specific areas of interest
- physical staking of claim markers per state law
- visit to local county recorder to file claim
- submission of recorded claim to BLM

...sounds like a whole vacation/trip by itself to me!


Did I miss anything?

 

[jog]

I can't say it enough, RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH. Oh and more RESEARCH. Also I have been talking to older miners who have been mining for 30 to 40 years and some are still mining, you can never get enough info. Lots of info on the web when it comes to Mining History and basic info. Oh, did I mention info or research?
Good Luck!

 

[DaveGetSome]

omg, just found LR2000 hours lost! lol joking exactly what I was looking for, kind of larger than I'd thought.

 

[Rdg Sluicer]

The best advice I was given on this subject was to thoroughly read and understand the 1872 Mining Law. A lot of the stuff people tell you on this subject in forums is just not true. I am sure it is well intended but a lot of what you hear is not true. Actually once you get past a lot of the BS it is not that hard to understand.

 

[mtau]

The first thing to do, is research the area that you are interested in, to see if the "old timers" found anything. They didn't miss much, but a lot of times they abandoned ground that you could make a living off of today. The reason being that gold was $12-$18 back in the 1800s, but an apple could cost you $3, so cost of living was high. Once you decide on an area, go to the county and check for active claims in the section you are interested in. Next, go prospect. If and when you discover viable open ground, then you can stake a claim.

 

[jog]

The best advice I was given on this subject was to thoroughly read and understand the 1872 Mining Law. A lot of the stuff people tell you on this subject in forums is just not true. I am sure it is well intended but a lot of what you hear is not true. Actually once you get past a lot of the BS it is not that hard to understand.