Mariposa Gold?

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

Hello All

My name's Courtney & I'm a few months out from completing my first year prospecting. I live in Manteca (Stockton/ Modesto area) and have done the majority of my prospecting on the North Fork of the American river at mineral bar/ yankee jims..yeah I know, long drive!

Well, I'm about 90 something pages into EagleDown's thread and I am loving it! Just like the rest who have read, his stories are invaluable and I too feel like I have gotten to know him a little by reading his thread..great man indeed, may he rest in peace.

As you could imagine (and maybe experienced yourself), his stories have encouraged me to investigate the mariposa area. It's closer to home so I can save some travel time and from what I've heard- good gold too! Is the Briceburg Recreation area my best shot at some good public land to mine? Any other suggestions? I will be heading out this Saturday to check it out, any help will be much appreciated. Merry Christmas

 

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[russau]

hopeing you find your Christmass nugget Saturday!

 

[Hoser John]

WOW drive less and hit the Merced river as much closer to home and MUCH less beat to death. Hi Way 49 to Bagby Rec area or towards Yosemite to Briceburg Rec area also. John

 

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

WOW drive less and hit the Merced river as much closer to home and MUCH less beat to death. Hi Way 49 to Bagby Rec area or towards Yosemite to Briceburg Rec area also. John

Thanks a lot Hoser John, I will definitely take heed to your advice. I'm looking forward to a new adventure!

 

[deserdog]

Could try Aqu Fria Creek, near Mariposa. Nice gold. I use to pan there years ago, near on old Rock Shop. It was private property, but the owner of the Rock Shop always let us pan and sluice. Then it was sold, and the new owners let us pan, until some fools came in and dug and left huge holes!

 

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

Welp, I got the chance to checkout Mariposa county for the first time this weekend. Didn't find that much gold but it was great! Saw an eagle or hawk perched up on a tree along the highway & met some very nice people in the town of mariposa.

I did some sampling upriver at Bagby at first... Only found a few flakes. Then I proceeded to Briceburg. I sampled a couple of places on my way to Railroad flats and same thing, just a few flakes.

This was more of a sampling trip, but i didn't find enough gold anywhere on the merced to keep me interested. Am i not digging deep enough? I only dug about 2 feet down in my deepest hole and never reached bedrock. It was almost kind of strange to me that the merced is such a large river, yet not too many large boulders around. Am I better off sampling the gulches?..Either way my final conclusion on the merced river is that it may hold some potential, i just need to find an ideal spot & dig deeper.

 

[Desertphile]

"Is the Briceburg Recreation area my best shot at some good public land to mine?"

Let us look and see what active mineral claims there arein the area.

The general area: Section S2 T4S R18E, Meridian Mount Diablo, State California

http://www.blm.gov/landandresourcesreports/rptapp/report_filter.cfm

The database shows 131 active claims in Township 040S, Range 018E. Only 2 in Section 2.

21 0040S 0180E 002 NW,SW
21 0040S 0180E 002 NW,SW
21 0040S 0180E 004 NW
21 0040S 0180E 005 SW
21 0040S 0180E 005 SW
21 0040S 0180E 005 SW
21 0040S 0180E 005 SW
21 0040S 0180E 005 SW
21 0040S 0180E 006 NE
21 0040S 0180E 006 NE
21 0040S 0180E 006 NE,SE
21 0040S 0180E 006 NE,SE
21 0040S 0180E 006 NE,SE
21 0040S 0180E 006 NE,SE
21 0040S 0180E 009 SW
21 0040S 0180E 009 SW
21 0040S 0180E 009 SW
21 0040S 0180E 009 SW
21 0040S 0180E 009 SW
21 0040S 0180E 009 SW
21 0040S 0180E 011 SW
21 0040S 0180E 011 SW
21 0040S 0180E 014 SE
21 0040S 0180E 016
21 0040S 0180E 016
21 0040S 0180E 016
21 0040S 0180E 016
21 0040S 0180E 016
21 0040S 0180E 016
21 0040S 0180E 016 NW
21 0040S 0180E 016 NW
21 0040S 0180E 016 NW
21 0040S 0180E 016 NW
21 0040S 0180E 016 NW
21 0040S 0180E 016 NW
21 0040S 0180E 016 SW
21 0040S 0180E 016 SW
21 0040S 0180E 016 SW
21 0040S 0180E 018 SW
21 0040S 0180E 018 SW
21 0040S 0180E 019 NE
21 0040S 0180E 019 NE
21 0040S 0180E 020 NE
21 0040S 0180E 020 NE
21 0040S 0180E 020 NE
21 0040S 0180E 020 NE,SE
21 0040S 0180E 020 NE,SE
21 0040S 0180E 020 NE,SE
21 0040S 0180E 020 SE
21 0040S 0180E 020 SE
21 0040S 0180E 020 SE
21 0040S 0180E 020 SE
21 0040S 0180E 020 SW
21 0040S 0180E 020 SW
21 0040S 0180E 020 SW
21 0040S 0180E 020 SW
21 0040S 0180E 020 SW
21 0040S 0180E 020 SW
21 0040S 0180E 021 NW
21 0040S 0180E 021 NW
21 0040S 0180E 021 NW
21 0040S 0180E 021 NW
21 0040S 0180E 021 NW
21 0040S 0180E 026 SW
21 0040S 0180E 026 SW
21 0040S 0180E 026 SW
21 0040S 0180E 027 NE
21 0040S 0180E 027 NE
21 0040S 0180E 027 NE
21 0040S 0180E 027 NE
21 0040S 0180E 027 NE,NW
21 0040S 0180E 027 NW,SW
21 0040S 0180E 027 SE
21 0040S 0180E 027 SE
21 0040S 0180E 027 SE
21 0040S 0180E 027 SE
21 0040S 0180E 027 SE
21 0040S 0180E 027 SW
21 0040S 0180E 027 SW
21 0040S 0180E 027 SW,SE
21 0040S 0180E 027 SW,SE
21 0040S 0180E 027 SW,SE
21 0040S 0180E 028 NE,NW
21 0040S 0180E 028 NE,NW
21 0040S 0180E 028 NE,NW
21 0040S 0180E 028 NW
21 0040S 0180E 028 SW
21 0040S 0180E 028 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 NE
21 0040S 0180E 029 NE
21 0040S 0180E 029 NE
21 0040S 0180E 029 NE
21 0040S 0180E 029 NE,NW,SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 NE,NW,SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 NW
21 0040S 0180E 029 NW
21 0040S 0180E 029 NW
21 0040S 0180E 029 NW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 029 SW
21 0040S 0180E 030 NE
21 0040S 0180E 030 NE
21 0040S 0180E 030 NE
21 0040S 0180E 030 NE
21 0040S 0180E 031
21 0040S 0180E 031 NE
21 0040S 0180E 031 NE
21 0040S 0180E 032
21 0040S 0180E 032 NE
21 0040S 0180E 032 NW
21 0040S 0180E 032 NW
21 0040S 0180E 032 NW,SW
21 0040S 0180E 032 SW
21 0040S 0180E 032 SW
21 0040S 0180E 032 SW
21 0040S 0180E 032 SW
21 0040S 0180E 033 NW
21 0040S 0180E 033 NW
21 0040S 0180E 034 NE
21 0040S 0180E 034 NE
21 0040S 0180E 035 NE,SW,SE

 

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

Hmm..so I suspect that I can just save myself the time of looking into each of those locations and assume it's safe to say that nowhere on the merced is a good place to prospect for the public?

Thanks for the help... I think.

 

[TheGoldProspector]

Hmm..so I suspect that I can just save myself the time of looking into each of those locations and assume it's safe to say that nowhere on the merced is a good place to prospect for the public?

Thanks for the help... I think.

Be safe. Dig deep

Hopefully we can dig together this year

 

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

Be safe. Dig deep

Hopefully we can dig together this year

I hope that can happen soon, I also hope that you get well soon! I'm not getting too much info about the merced so I will likely be making trips back up north to the american. When you're better, we really need to try to get out there!

 

[TheGoldProspector]

I hope that can happen soon, I also hope that you get well soon! I'm not getting too much info about the merced so I will likely be making trips back up north to the american. When you're better, we really need to try to get out there!

Indeed . I can't wait to get better as well. Working 13/14 future days...but, pays the bills.

We need break some virgin ground SOHR

 

[QNCrazy]

Save your money and time and head up to Knights Ferry, South Fork Stanislaus on Italian Bar Rd. Although Knights Ferry is a pans only area, if you go up the canyon about a mile and dig to the redish colored gravel, you will find good flakes. If you get deep enough to punch through the 1" thick, grey clay layer, the rewards are even better. There is a public area alon the South Fork Stansilaus just before you get to the LDMA Camp. Work the banks. Find the old river bed by looking for rounded river rocks. I've done a 1/4g or better on some days. If you join the club as i mentioned in your other thread, they have claims with better gold along Italian Bar Rd past the LDMA Camp. I'm in Oakdale. PM me if you would like more info or would like a prospecting partner sometime.

 

[Desertphile]

Hmm..so I suspect that I can just save myself the time of looking into each of those locations and assume it's safe to say that nowhere on the merced is a good place to prospect for the public?

Thanks for the help... I think.

Rivers with well-known gold deposits are already claimed, and those claims are maintained every year. The few claims I have seen abandoned and available have been instantly snatched up. Some times people sell a claim, and the price is often high. A California river or stream in gold country will be very difficult to file a claim on.

Have you looked at Free Gold Maps to see if other known gold deposits are in your area? You can look for places isolated and not near a river or stream: a dry wash.

In my personal experience I have found much more gold in the California desert, running a dry washer on tailing dumps and arroyos.

 

[Hoser John]

#1 rule of hand mining is-work the bedrock as flow gravels carry miniscule float and not them righteous nuggets. Gold miners make the bedrock only to survive by hand tools. Unless you like the grunt work,use your mind and not your back-John

 

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

Thanks Hoser John! So just so I'm clear... leave the sluice box at home, and bring out the crevicing tools?