Prospecting in Virginia and the East coast

[ezrider2]

First off thanks for reading and heavy pans to everyone!
I just found out it looks like my wife and I will be transferring to Virginia for work.
I am currently in California and enjoy the prospecting out here. I was just about to secure my first claim and still might and this popped up! Never hurts and then I would have an excuse to visit!
I am wondering where can you prospect in Virginia and the East coast? Can I pack up my sluice and hit the streams? Doesn't look like you can get a claim like here in Cali. and other places.
Starting the research and wanted to ask here too. Any help would be great!

 

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[Mgumby16]

You are correct about there being no claims in Virginia. Pretty much everything is private property. That being said there are a number of public rivers that have gold in them and Virginia has a pretty active small scale gold mining community.

Check out the VA gold forum it is a wealth of info. Also a public place to start out prospecting were you can meet fellow prospectors is contrary creek near mineral VA. The stream is considered public state property and there is an active prospecting lease surrounding it but until you become a member remember to keep your feet wet while there and you won't be trespassing.

Depending on when you are arriving they are having sign ups for the lease this march I believe. Cost $20 and a mandatory work day. I found my first nugget there btw.

Another option is the central Virginia gold prospectors club. They have about 7 leased properties. First meetin of the year will be in dillwyn va around the middle of the month. Cost 100 for the year. Their claim 1 at the old booker mine has fantastic gold with an ounce nugget being found almost yearly, unfortunately that claim has a no motorized equipment rule.

And you last option is to attempt to secure permission from private property owners to prospect on their land. This is what I mainly do and have had very good luck. Also I'm a member of cvgp.

What type of equipment do you generally prospect with? And where will you be located in the state?

Feel free to ask me any questions you have! And get on the va gold forum and start asking questions there, lots of helpful people there.

I hope you have heavy pans in VA!

 

[ncclaymaker]

A quick and easy solution to select your prospecting sites - Google Earth for windows.

Find prospects w/o spending a cent, it's your taxpayer dollars at work. At least you'll get something for tax dollars they have already spent on your behalf.

The MRDS site is not too user intuitive, so here are some instruction for use.

1. Go to this link. Search the Mineral Resources Data System
2. Leave site name blank.
3. Select a state, leave country at the default value of anywhere.
4. With commodity - select Gold from the pulldown list.
5. Leave Operation type and ID as is.
6. Click on the Search button.... wait for the database on the server to create a file with the relative data.

A new page will appear with Choose Format:. Change the Shapefile type to Google Earth.
1. Click on the Get Data button.
==== Wait ==== Like when did the government ever do something in an instant. If this was private enterprise, you wouldn't have had time to blink... except dialup users.
Usually I would select the filename.KML. Runs faster than the compressed file(kmz).
2. Click on mrds-selected state-Gold.kml
3. File download window appears.
4. Select the Save Button.
5. Select a folder where you know the file can be found later
6. Open Google Earth and from the File menu, select Open. Go to the folder and click on the KML file that you saved.

You will now have the whereabouts of almost every known gold mining activity in the state that you searched. It isn't free, we've all paid for the right of its' use. Happy hunting.

Best regards​

 

[motohed]

A quick and easy solution to select your prospecting sites - Google Earth for windows.

Find prospects w/o spending a cent, it's your taxpayer dollars at work. At least you'll get something for tax dollars they have already spent on your behalf.

The MRDS site is not too user intuitive, so here are some instruction for use.

1. Go to this link. Search the Mineral Resources Data System
2. Leave site name blank.
3. Select a state, leave country at the default value of anywhere.
4. With commodity - select Gold from the pulldown list.
5. Leave Operation type and ID as is.
6. Click on the Search button.... wait for the database on the server to create a file with the relative data.

A new page will appear with Choose Format:. Change the Shapefile type to Google Earth.
1. Click on the Get Data button.
==== Wait ==== Like when did the government ever do something in an instant. If this was private enterprise, you wouldn't have had time to blink... except dialup users.
Usually I would select the filename.KML. Runs faster than the compressed file(kmz).
2. Click on mrds-selected state-Gold.kml
3. File download window appears.
4. Select the Save Button.
5. Select a folder where you know the file can be found later
6. Open Google Earth and from the File menu, select Open. Go to the folder and click on the KML file that you saved.

You will now have the whereabouts of almost every known gold mining activity in the state that you searched. It isn't free, we've all paid for the right of its' use. Happy hunting.

Best regards​

Ok my head hurts , just kidding . LOL

 

[Clay Diggins]

You could just go to Land Matters and use the U.S. Gold Mines map. Pretty simple and it has all the information on the MRDS and more already sorted just to show the gold mines. All the work has been done for you.

Even simpler is to use this custom map of Virginia Gold Mines I just made for you. Use the tool to see details on each mine star.

There is some very good gold in Virginia but it's all privately owned. Find a good productive area and make friends.

Heavy Pans

 

[ncclaymaker]

I just tried their mapping app, reminds me of AOL... slooow. But it does merit a single star, for not crashing.

 

[Clay Diggins]

You are welcome. Just trying to help.

Time perception is a funny thing. 8 to 14 seconds faster than Google Earth in every test for months. About 24 minutes faster than a 12 step kml extraction, download and upload in GE.

But if you like Google better enjoy.

Maybe next time try AOL נאַררישקעיט.

Heavy Pans

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Gold in VA

View attachment VAMIN_VOL28_NO04.PDF

View attachment VAMIN_VOL31_NO04.pdf

 

[DeepseekerADS]

Gold in NC

 

[DeepseekerADS]

NC

View attachment GOLD LOCATIONS IN NORTH CAROLINA.doc

 

[ezrider2]

You are correct about there being no claims in Virginia. Pretty much everything is private property. That being said there are a number of public rivers that have gold in them and Virginia has a pretty active small scale gold mining community.

Check out the VA gold forum it is a wealth of info. Also a public place to start out prospecting were you can meet fellow prospectors is contrary creek near mineral VA. The stream is considered public state property and there is an active prospecting lease surrounding it but until you become a member remember to keep your feet wet while there and you won't be trespassing.

Depending on when you are arriving they are having sign ups for the lease this march I believe. Cost $20 and a mandatory work day. I found my first nugget there btw.

Another option is the central Virginia gold prospectors club. They have about 7 leased properties. First meetin of the year will be in dillwyn va around the middle of the month. Cost 100 for the year. Their claim 1 at the old booker mine has fantastic gold with an ounce nugget being found almost yearly, unfortunately that claim has a no motorized equipment rule.

And you last option is to attempt to secure permission from private property owners to prospect on their land. This is what I mainly do and have had very good luck. Also I'm a member of cvgp.

What type of equipment do you generally prospect with? And where will you be located in the state?

Feel free to ask me any questions you have! And get on the va gold forum and start asking questions there, lots of helpful people there.

I hope you have heavy pans in VA!

Thanks for the information. I won't be in town until mid April. Can you sign up online or does have to be in person?
I will be in the Fairfax area in northern Virginia. I have 2 AM sluices. I have a recon for testing and slow running streams and the boss. I like to snipe too.
Where are you located?

 

[Mgumby16]

As far as I know you can't sign up online. For cvgp you can sign up at any meeting through out the year and they may pro rate it.

For contrary creek sign ups are only once a year. This year it is on March 5th. But with contrary you can still prospect and mine there even if u arnt a member just remember to stay in the creek.

Their are gold bearing creeks near fairfax but all will be on private property but I also know people to work some of them. Your closest public gold bearing waterways will be the rappahannock and rapidan rivers.

I'm located in Charlottesville.

 

[ezrider2]

As far as I know you can't sign up online. For cvgp you can sign up at any meeting through out the year and they may pro rate it.

For contrary creek sign ups are only once a year. This year it is on March 5th. But with contrary you can still prospect and mine there even if u arnt a member just remember to stay in the creek.

Their are gold bearing creeks near fairfax but all will be on private property but I also know people to work some of them. Your closest public gold bearing waterways will be the rappahannock and rapidan rivers.

I'm located in Charlottesville.

Thanks for the information! Maybe we can meet up do so digging later in the summer. I should be settled in by beginning of June.

 

[ezrider2]

Any other prospectors out there in Virginia? Lets dig a little!!!

 

[chlsbrns]

The link posted by ncclaymaker will show some awesome gold locations!

Search the Mineral Resources Data System

There are numerous gold mine locations that were sealed off and hidden during the civil war. They were sealed to hide the gold while the miners went to war. Many were never reopened due to the miners death in the war. There are many tailing piles loaded with gold.

All link to reports but Many of the kml/kmz google earth files also contain links to usgs reports showing more recent samplings from the usgs. Many contain significant amounts of gold!

The files are fast and easy to use. Much faster and easier than that other painfully slow, cumbersome site that does not link to the usgs reports.

 

[chlsbrns]

The screen shot below is one of numerous examples of the type of info contained in the usgs data files. The other is a PDF containing loads of info on Virginia Gold.

 

[ezrider2]

A quick and easy solution to select your prospecting sites - Google Earth for windows.

Find prospects w/o spending a cent, it's your taxpayer dollars at work. At least you'll get something for tax dollars they have already spent on your behalf.

The MRDS site is not too user intuitive, so here are some instruction for use.

1. Go to this link. Search the Mineral Resources Data System
2. Leave site name blank.
3. Select a state, leave country at the default value of anywhere.
4. With commodity - select Gold from the pulldown list.
5. Leave Operation type and ID as is.
6. Click on the Search button.... wait for the database on the server to create a file with the relative data.

A new page will appear with Choose Format:. Change the Shapefile type to Google Earth.
1. Click on the Get Data button.
==== Wait ==== Like when did the government ever do something in an instant. If this was private enterprise, you wouldn't have had time to blink... except dialup users.
Usually I would select the filename.KML. Runs faster than the compressed file(kmz).
2. Click on mrds-selected state-Gold.kml
3. File download window appears.
4. Select the Save Button.
5. Select a folder where you know the file can be found later
6. Open Google Earth and from the File menu, select Open. Go to the folder and click on the KML file that you saved.

You will now have the whereabouts of almost every known gold mining activity in the state that you searched. It isn't free, we've all paid for the right of its' use. Happy hunting.

Best regards​

Thanks a lot of info there!

 

[ezrider2]

Anyone else out there from Virginia? Looking for some others to go out prospecting with!