Wanting to learn more about digging gold out of a hard rock mine..

[DizzyDigger]

Not sure if it's something I could physically do for an extended period, but I would sure like
a chance to learn some more about digging hard rock veins.

Watched as many video's as I could, but there nothing like "hands-on" experience.
Hoping to find an active hard rock mine somewhere in NV. that will take a newbie
on a short tour, and allow someone to learn more about not only how to follow the
vein, but more importantly the safety aspects of tunneling and shoring.

IMO it would be very foolish for a greenhorn (to hard rock) to just jump in
and start digging, as I have no intentions of digging my own grave!

Any suggestions?

 

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[DizzyDigger]

FWIW, I did do some web searching for schools, but these are for younger folks
than I, and with years ahead to use all the info they'll learn. Not to mention they
are expensive classes!

My interest is more along the lines of visiting a smaller hard rock mine
operation and spending a day or two learning some of the basics. Odds are
that I will never start a hard rock operation as my health won't tolerate it,
but it would sure be fun to spend a day in a safe mine looking, learning and
simply enjoying the experience of digging/crushing and processing a bit of ore.

Hoping someone with a small operation like that would be winning to tolerate
a newbie for a day, as that's really all I'm looking for.

 

[Fullpan]

If this was twenty years ago I could name several, but they've shut down. The only place is the tourist tours in Virginia City - not exactly what you're
looking for in NV.

 

[TerryC]

Dizzy, Take an "overnighter" vacation to the Vulture Mine in AZ. They do tours. It was one of the largest gold ore producers in AZ. You go right into the mine.... museum.... store (shop).... I heard it is quite a nice tour. And while at it, stop at Rich Hill and take home gold you have found yourself! I don't think "a day or two" with some working gold mine will be what you are looking for. For starters, I don't think a working gold mine will allow it for safety reasons. Give the Vulture some consideration. TTC

 

[DizzyDigger]

Terry: Appreciate the suggestion! I am planning to take a trip down to see
old friend near Barstow, CA, but Phoenix is a long ways outta the way for a
tour. I am driving down - starting about 100 mi. NE of Seattle, stopping
at my buddies for a couple days (try out his new drywasher), and then
heading over into central Nevada (via Hwy.395) to Tonopah, and will spend
the next week my way back North.

Think I'll just skip the idea of a hardrock claim, as the wife is absolutely not
"on-board" with me being in some deep tunnel (alone) and getting buried
with no one to call for help (or an undertaker..lol). Being pretty much like an
old Lobo wolf, 90%+ of my prospecting is done alone, so me getting buried
in some shaft when I'm 50mi. from nowhere and alone is the only thing she
fears.

She is about as easy-going as a wife can be. Told her I wanted to go down to
Nevada for a couple weeks and do some prospecting, and she simply
said: "Go have fun!".

No doubt I'll find a number of old mines I can poke around the front of,
but not venturing more than a few meters inside (providing the shaft
is accessible).

 

[Fullpan]

When you get to Tonopah, there's a nice outdoor mining museum just off the main drag. Also, Otteson's Tourquise shop is right downtown. They have a
pay-to-play open pit some 30 miles out of town. We got our monies worth of raw tourquise a couple years ago in the tailings. (call ahead of time). Their
Royston Turquise is quite famous.
About 30 miles toward Reno you can take a ten mile detour, south, to Silver Peak (pop. about 100) - very nice locals and a couple active mine ops. Then Candeleria, ghost town (maybe reactivated), then Midas and Luning (Canadian ops can be seen from hwy). Then up to Virginia City - the Ponderosa Saloon has guided half-hour tours starting from the back of the place and descending down into the mine. Also, at north end of the main drag, The Marshall Mint has gold specimens, nuggets, etc. from around Nevada and the West (very informative to me!) If you go to any of these places, take pics and post! Have a nice journey.

 

[DizzyDigger]

When you get to Tonopah, there's a nice outdoor mining museum just off the main drag. Also, Otteson's Tourquise shop is right downtown. They have a
pay-to-play open pit some 30 miles out of town. We got our monies worth of raw tourquise a couple years ago in the tailings. (call ahead of time). Their
Royston Turquise is quite famous.
About 30 miles toward Reno you can take a ten mile detour, south, to Silver Peak (pop. about 100) - very nice locals and a couple active mine ops. Then Candeleria, ghost town (maybe reactivated), then Midas and Luning (Canadian ops can be seen from hwy). Then up to Virginia City - the Ponderosa Saloon has guided half-hour tours starting from the back of the place and descending down into the mine. Also, at north end of the main drag, The Marshall Mint has gold specimens, nuggets, etc. from around Nevada and the West (very informative to me!) If you go to any of these places, take pics and post! Have a nice journey.

Thanks for the great tips on the tours, etc. Hopefully, some day my wife will travel with me and
then it would be good to take her on those tours.

Guess I should have mentioned how much I dislike big cities and crowds..lol

I've actually been IN the old Silverpeak Mine, but it was back in 1985 during a varmint
hunting trip.

It was the day after the Superbowl in 1985, and my hunting partner Hans and I
spent 3 great days wandering the Nevada wilds. We came upon the Silverpeak
Mine one afternoon, and although there was a huge, arched door it was partially
opened so we were able to actually enter the main shaft (ceiling was about 10'
IIRC) and we walked back in a loonnnggg ways. Many relics from the past were
still present (and we left 'em where they were), but it was clear that the shaft
had not been worked for over 50 years. We spent about 2 hrs. looking around
the main shaft and a couple drift shafts (that had very solid ceilings).

Hans had found a very old barrel of powder, and he was wanting to move it outside
so we could shoot it and blow it up. Took some explaining about the properties
of dynamite, but I finally got him to leave it just where it was. The barrel was sweating
pretty bad, and I can't imaging handing anything more dangerous.

On this trip I had planned to hang out in Tonopah for a hour or two, and then
head for the Monitor Valley. Haven't been through there in 30 years or so, and
am looking forward to seeing that country again.

Been using the LR2000 system to hunt for available ground to nugget shoot
and maybe do a little digging if I find a suitable area. Long term goal is to find and
claim 20 ac. of decent ground, and hopefully it will not only be somewhat remote, but
also accessible by vehicle.

Mostly, I'll be trying out my new Gold Bug Pro (ready to order it), nugget shooting and
simply enjoying the desert. Packing my Nikon along (with a couple of lenses) and hope
to call in a few predators (assuming I can still blow a varmint call..lol) and get some good
pics of a coyote or two and maybe even a bobcat.

Overall, the further away from humanity I can get for a few days, the better!