Buying a claim South Dakota or ??... green horn interested

[Toecutter]

I'm not real sure on whats the correct way but this seemed like a good way to get started, interested in something small for placer gold that we could camp on, I understand there are scammers out there and would like to avoid that, any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated...

Is there any trust worthy sources out there for buying a claim?

 

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[Toecutter]

I just seen a post similar to mine and checking out land matters now..

 

[russau]

You cant go wrong with Barry's advice and knowledge of the facts , be it the mining laws or Geology of the land !

 

[mikep691]

EDIT: former post deleted

 

[Clay Diggins]

You can camp on a claim without owning it. In fact you can camp and prospect on more than a million acres of land in the U.S. without owning a claim.

First read this thread "Purchasing a Mining Claim" it's right up above your thread pinned at the top of this forum.

Please do not even consider buying a claim until you know how to:

1. Discover public lands open to location.
2. Prospect and discover a valuable mineral deposit.
3. Define the extent and nature of that deposit on the ground.
4. Properly make a legal description of your discovery by the aliquot parts of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS).
5. Stake and monument a mining claim according to State and Federal law.
6. Make a proper public record according to State law.
7. Maintain the legal possession of your claim and defend it from those who will overfile and challenge your discovery.

I know that sounds like a lot to learn but miners have been doing all that for every mining claim located over the last 150 years. It's all part of the basic skills prospectors must have to succeed and profit from their labor. It's not all about sluices and shovels, successful prospectors have to be accomplished in many skills.

On the face of it buying a claim seems like an easy shortcut but the truth is you will need to have all those skills numbered above and more to actually buy a claim worth owning. There are a lot of thieves and crooks selling poorly located worthless claims. Most claims for sale are a scam. Without the knowledge outlined above you might as well have "sucker" tattooed on your forehead. It will be that obvious to the many claims mongers selling worthless claims.

Not all mining claims for sale are worthless. Of course the ones that aren't worthless have proven and documented mineral reserves and will have price tags to match. Beware - cost is NO indication of value in the mining claims sales game. More money spent usually just results in more wasted money down the drain for the uninformed buyer.

It's important to note that mining claims are transferred by quit claim deed. Quit claims are strictly buyer beware. There is no federal, state or local laws or agencies that can or will help you once you plunk your cash down for a worthless quitclaim. Being a private transaction there is no recourse when you discover you bought a pig in a poke or an invalid claim. You will be SOL.

Think about this for just a moment. If you need to know all this stuff to just buy a claim (you do) why not just do the same legwork to discover and locate your own mining claim and pay the ~$250 fees. Save yourself the money and work of verifying someones else's claim and just locate your own claim where you will already know where the minerals worth mining are concentrated.

Heavy Pans

 

[et1955]

Never pay cash for claim, if going to buy a claim do it by credit card, that will protect you against fraud and if the seller won't do that, run away.

 

[Toecutter]

You can camp on a claim without owning it. In fact you can camp and prospect on more than a million acres of land in the U.S. without owning a claim.

First read this thread "Purchasing a Mining Claim" it's right up above your thread pinned at the top of this forum.

Please do not even consider buying a claim until you know how to:

1. Discover public lands open to location.
2. Prospect and discover a valuable mineral deposit.
3. Define the extent and nature of that deposit on the ground.
4. Properly make a legal description of your discovery by the aliquot parts of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS).
5. Stake and monument a mining claim according to State and Federal law.
6. Make a proper public record according to State law.
7. Maintain the legal possession of your claim and defend it from those who will overfile and challenge your discovery.

I know that sounds like a lot to learn but miners have been doing all that for every mining claim located over the last 150 years. It's all part of the basic skills prospectors must have to succeed and profit from their labor. It's not all about sluices and shovels, successful prospectors have to be accomplished in many skills.

On the face of it buying a claim seems like an easy shortcut but the truth is you will need to have all those skills numbered above and more to actually buy a claim worth owning. There are a lot of thieves and crooks selling poorly located worthless claims. Most claims for sale are a scam. Without the knowledge outlined above you might as well have "sucker" tattooed on your forehead. It will be that obvious to the many claims mongers selling worthless claims.

Not all mining claims for sale are worthless. Of course the ones that aren't worthless have proven and documented mineral reserves and will have price tags to match. Beware - cost is NO indication of value in the mining claims sales game. More money spent usually just results in more wasted money down the drain for the uninformed buyer.

It's important to note that mining claims are transferred by quit claim deed. Quit claims are strictly buyer beware. There is no federal, state or local laws or agencies that can or will help you once you plunk your cash down for a worthless quitclaim. Being a private transaction there is no recourse when you discover you bought a pig in a poke or an invalid claim. You will be SOL.

Think about this for just a moment. If you need to know all this stuff to just buy a claim (you do) why not just do the same legwork to discover and locate your own mining claim and pay the ~$250 fees. Save yourself the money and work of verifying someones else's claim and just locate your own claim where you will already know where the minerals worth mining are concentrated.

Heavy Pans

Thank you for the advice...