Old Hard Rock Prospect Found in El Dorado County, CA

[Ed144]

I found what I believe to be is an old hard rock prospect in El Dorado county, CA near the South Fork of the American river. Some months earlier I located a quartz out-cropping or ledge in the same gulch. About 200 yards upstream in the same gulch there is another outcropping. It looks like many years ago someone broke up about one-half of the ledge into chunks that vary from fist size to about gallon can size. There are two piles of quartz chunks, each about 12' x 8' x 3'. It looks like they were stacked by tossing. I guess the miners were looking for signs of gold in the quartz chunks they broke up. Is this something miners might do over a hundred years ago? I found a few small round nails and one square nail at the site. The site is covered in brush and all of the quartz chunks are covered in lichens and moss so it is very old. I might return and try to metal detect the quartz chunks. PM me if anyone is interested in seeing the site or more photos. Ed.

 

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[tamrock]

That being in the area you discovered is worth investigating further I would think. I did a lot of hiking up along the south fork of the American when I lived in the Sacramento area. There were a lot of ticks in the brush I recall.

 

[Ed144]

Thanks for the comment. I hope to investigate the area some more if the weather is permitting. Recently cool weather and rain have kept the ticks dormant so far this year.

 

[Reed Lukens]

Take a look at the old maps and also the history layer of past claims. If you find a name or a marked mine on the map, then you can research it. There's tons of old prospects with plenty that can pay off really well. If you find a depression in the ground, covered by grass or brush, you may have found a cave in or blown shut tunnel, so be careful.

 

[Ed144]

Thanks for the comment and safety warning. There is an old hard rock mine in the database from 1874 in the area. I was trying to find it when I discovered the prospect. The mine is supposed to have a 100' tunnel. The location data for old mines is poor at best but I'm pulling a few separate sources of information together to try to narrow down the location. The area is completely over-grown with tick infested brush so it is difficult to access.

 

[tamrock]

Wear light colored pants and long sleeved shirt so you can see those nasty ticks crawling on you before they find your flesh. I would see so many ticks in the brush in that country I found out how they operate. I saw a tick on the very top of tall grass and as soon as it felt the vibration of me touching the grass it's front two legs would spring outward so it could then hook on to what ever was brushing by. Their just nasty little critters. I do a lot of hiking around here in Colorado and I've never had one tick on me or my dogs.