Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp
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AU, aren't you forgetting Jason's fleece -- the argonauts --Actually our modern miners carpet beatss then all
Arrastras
- Thread starter EarnieP
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gollum
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I have gone through a bunch of old green Army Wool Blankets. They are cheap and easy to find.
Mike
gold tramp
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No problem,for those cold mornings before it starts warming up -- that time of the year.
No cold mornins here till november, we just did our seasonal switch from day to night work freekin killer BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
just no getting away from the little buggers unless its dark or raining.
As if sinkin shafts in rock n heat isnt bad enough the good Lord throws in a few bees ?
GT...............
Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp
Gold Member
Hi Gold tramp, even paradise has it's problems, witnes the Snake wih Eve.
What's a few thousand stings to the glorious life of hard rock mining ? Course a lil coffee helps join me this Sunday morning 
What's a few thousand stings to the glorious life of hard rock mining ? Course a lil coffee helps join me this Sunday morning
gollum
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Hey GT,
29 stumps eh? If you haven't, you might want to check out the Bullion Mountains (over by the Impact Area). About fifteen years ago, a lady from the (I think) Joshua Tree Historical Society told me a story. During WWII, while training for North Africa, some guy found a cave with some gold bars. As he was in the process of being shipped out to Africa, he left the bars alone. Sometime after WWII ended, some MP's patrolling around where the Impact Area (Bullions North of Cleghorn) saw a guy on foot hiking towards Amboy Rd. When they tried to call him over to them, he shot at them. They returned fire, and killed the guy. Turned out this was the guy that found the cave, and they found a single gold bar in his ruck. The cave has never been found. I never did a ton of research, as it lies in an area I typically stay away from (buried unexploded ordinance HAHAHA). Unless I am chasing something very specific (like going through the Carrizo Naval Bombardment Range looking for Hank Brandt's Lost Mine), I usually steer clear. Although, once while stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC a couple of buddies and I spent the night in a bunker in an Impact Area while AC130's put down 105mm Howitzer, 40mm Bofors, and Cluster Bombs all night. Didn't get much sleep.
Mike
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gold tramp
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funny story.
i dont really hunt treasure storys no pay in it.
im more into the Dale mining district and the gold, Im a fulltime hard rock miner more intrested in mineralization.
that whole L.O.Long thing we found, it just happened to be where we were prospecting.
GT........................
I will keep a looking for hard evidence of spanish in the SheepHole mnts, when im in the area, so far nothing.
Azquester
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Speaking of arrastras, about 15 miles from here are the ruins of a mining camp/vilage.San Francisco. there is a small church that has been dug up with thw bones scattered around by treasure huntera, An aquaduct supplied water and many of water driven arastras.are still evident..Some of the drag stones are enormous, perhaps some 8 cubic ft perhaps some 1500 lbs, some run to 3 -4 ft and are scattered down the small arroyo. The arrastras have long been dug up. But it is a fascinating place. I have soent hours there wth different metal detectors. As for treasure, a large coper bowl was found full of coins of different denominations, but nothing else.The vein ran acroos the arroyo.
Traditiom runs that after the village was abandoned it is filled with water. One of the aquatic serpents took up residence there and the ranchers fearing for their stock attacked it one day wth machetes, rifles and it escaped into the under water tunnel wher e it died. The bones can stil be seen in times of drought. Possibly the same family as the one that I encountered while swiming across the Rio Fuerte while on the trail of the Gloria Pan mine. I have no idea how long it was, but the part that I saw was about the diameter ofa telehone pole - I never swam nude there again.
Tramp, got the coordinates for GE and the village San Fran? I'd love to see that!
Azquester
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Start a fire with some dead wood and put it out letting it smoke away just up wind from your operation. The old timers taught me that. It get's rid of those BEEEEESSSSSZZZIP!
Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp
Gold Member
Don't have it Bill. but I will Gogle earth it to see if I can find it.
gold tramp
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tried it Bill these are the africanized, the old timers didnt get the pleasure of meeting them.
guess you guys would actually have to spend a whole day out in the bush working, sweating,
and have these bees attack a couple thousand show up you, realize whos the boss.
GT...........
Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp
Gold Member
Bill, tried twice to download GE, both times it failed, will try again today, you'll get your cord patience..
gollum
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Tramp,
If you haven't seen any Spanish Sign in the Sheepholes, you aint lookin! HAHAHA
I have a bunch more, but they are associated with two projects I have been working for several years. You have to remember that the whole area from The Bullions to the Calumets were actually the Southernmost part of The Old Spanish Trail (went West through about Amboy). Easy to cut between ranges heading South and West towards the coast.
Like I say on the front page of my website:
On the West Side of the Sheepholes, if you go South from the Radio Towers, then hang a Louie and head up that deep sandy wash to the cement water catch, you will see an old trail heading into the mountains. There are a string of old mines that were digging along a Gold in Sulphides Vein. The thin remnants of that vein are still there. I have hunted all through the North Ends of the Sheepholes, The Calumets, and The Pintos looking for Hermit John's Lost Mine. Check out my website for pics of the area of the mines:
SHEEPHOLE MINES
If you have spent much time in the Sheepholes, you probably have already been around the spot. A TNetter told me he had spotted an arrastra on Google Earth, that I should check out. Here is his arrastra:
When I saw that, I laughed and poked around, but didn't find a whole lot that day.
I did find a neat little nugget trap in that dry wash:
(it is NOT Spanish. They used Caliche not cement! HAHAHA)
If you've been up this canyon, you'd remember it because of the Ford Model A Frame that someone used to either winch up supplies or crush ore:
A bit further South of the spot in the pic are a couple of Spanish Trail Markers (The eye is one). It points (looks at) to where the old trail into the mountains begins. That trail leads to a set of beautiful monuments that hid several old mines. Most of them had been found and reworked several times. The only way to know they were originally Spanish was from the markers and the very small rathole-like entrances (easy to hide for off-season):
Now, every one had been reworked once in the late 1800s and again during the Depression (based on garbage found in and around the site, as well as machine cut timbers inside the mines):
The Spanish couldn't work mines that far North year round. When it started hitting 120 degrees, and the water retreats to deep underground, they sealed their mines (that is why the entrances were very small), took apart the arrastras and smelters, and left signs for relocating their mines. In this case every mine was located by gunsight markers. I started at the entrances, and worked backwards. Every exposed mine had a gunsight aiming directly at the entrance. Not too hard when you already know where the mine is. I don't know if there are any more mines there, but the area was badly disturbed by all the later work.
The only side of the Sheepholes that are still pretty pristine is the East and NorthEast Side. Because of the Wilderness, you can't drive in from the 62. You have to head North from the "PINCH", and take wiiiiiiide Northern Arc to bypass all the dry washes that finger out from the mountains:
I haven't spent a ton of time on the East Side Proper. I have been all over the North and Northeast Side though.
Neat place!
Mike
If you haven't seen any Spanish Sign in the Sheepholes, you aint lookin! HAHAHA
I have a bunch more, but they are associated with two projects I have been working for several years. You have to remember that the whole area from The Bullions to the Calumets were actually the Southernmost part of The Old Spanish Trail (went West through about Amboy). Easy to cut between ranges heading South and West towards the coast.
Like I say on the front page of my website:
On the West Side of the Sheepholes, if you go South from the Radio Towers, then hang a Louie and head up that deep sandy wash to the cement water catch, you will see an old trail heading into the mountains. There are a string of old mines that were digging along a Gold in Sulphides Vein. The thin remnants of that vein are still there. I have hunted all through the North Ends of the Sheepholes, The Calumets, and The Pintos looking for Hermit John's Lost Mine. Check out my website for pics of the area of the mines:
SHEEPHOLE MINES
If you have spent much time in the Sheepholes, you probably have already been around the spot. A TNetter told me he had spotted an arrastra on Google Earth, that I should check out. Here is his arrastra:
When I saw that, I laughed and poked around, but didn't find a whole lot that day.
I did find a neat little nugget trap in that dry wash:
(it is NOT Spanish. They used Caliche not cement! HAHAHA)
If you've been up this canyon, you'd remember it because of the Ford Model A Frame that someone used to either winch up supplies or crush ore:
A bit further South of the spot in the pic are a couple of Spanish Trail Markers (The eye is one). It points (looks at) to where the old trail into the mountains begins. That trail leads to a set of beautiful monuments that hid several old mines. Most of them had been found and reworked several times. The only way to know they were originally Spanish was from the markers and the very small rathole-like entrances (easy to hide for off-season):
Now, every one had been reworked once in the late 1800s and again during the Depression (based on garbage found in and around the site, as well as machine cut timbers inside the mines):
The Spanish couldn't work mines that far North year round. When it started hitting 120 degrees, and the water retreats to deep underground, they sealed their mines (that is why the entrances were very small), took apart the arrastras and smelters, and left signs for relocating their mines. In this case every mine was located by gunsight markers. I started at the entrances, and worked backwards. Every exposed mine had a gunsight aiming directly at the entrance. Not too hard when you already know where the mine is. I don't know if there are any more mines there, but the area was badly disturbed by all the later work.
The only side of the Sheepholes that are still pretty pristine is the East and NorthEast Side. Because of the Wilderness, you can't drive in from the 62. You have to head North from the "PINCH", and take wiiiiiiide Northern Arc to bypass all the dry washes that finger out from the mountains:
I haven't spent a ton of time on the East Side Proper. I have been all over the North and Northeast Side though.
Neat place!
Mike
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gold tramp
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Mike.
we walked well over 250 miles just in the sheep hole, bullion n calumetts alone, don’t use the computer to look at stuff we go put boots on the ground walk the canyons up one side down the other looking for the smallest of geologic oddittes we can exploit for values.
Also these hills are my back yard so we can hike from my house to the mnts with ease, I have explored the crap out of the area, you may have found my card in some of the out of the way rock carns, you call gunsights they are just the old time claim boundry markers.
prospected the area for 2 years just about everyday, found L.O.Longs mine n gold, the boys n I were getting a good chuckle out your water catch, knowing just 1000 foot away to the north was the arrastra and old rock lined cistern you were looking for.
The holes you call rat holes were actually full height drifts but the metamorphics of the sheephole range, causes the ground to be very soft or rotten even after a few years if they arent into the more solid rock they slough off and fill up, ive dug out a couple of these.
the main mineralization is on a zone of metamorphics runs across the range this is where the gold came in.
Anyways You would be hard pressed to find nugget gold in the Sheeps, ive never found placer there only hard rock, not to say it cant happen, gold is where you find and ive found elusive Sheephole gold.
we found Hermit johns camp but it was over in the Humbugs, Montenegro district miles from the Sheephole, it still has the barbed wire around it to keep his rowdy crew of critters out of camp when he was off a prospecting.
As for the pintos I don’t think theres another person alive thats walked more or prospected them more than me my crew and those chinese boys, with exception of the jackass miners of old, at least I never met any one yet, and we lived out there 3 to 5 days a week for a couple years and been prospecting the holes out there for 18 year or better.
If you would like to meet up with us and show these spanish rock peckings, so we can inspect them, I am writing a story about the area wouldn’t mind getting pics my self, Id show you where the sheephole big head, Longs mine and Hermits camp are located.
If you don’t already know.
GT……………………
The great gaunaco breath, arrastra at Sheephole , motor mount for arrastra, rock lined cistern at the arrastra , tired miner at L.O. Longs lost mine.
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we walked well over 250 miles just in the sheep hole, bullion n calumetts alone, don’t use the computer to look at stuff we go put boots on the ground walk the canyons up one side down the other looking for the smallest of geologic oddittes we can exploit for values.
Also these hills are my back yard so we can hike from my house to the mnts with ease, I have explored the crap out of the area, you may have found my card in some of the out of the way rock carns, you call gunsights they are just the old time claim boundry markers.
prospected the area for 2 years just about everyday, found L.O.Longs mine n gold, the boys n I were getting a good chuckle out your water catch, knowing just 1000 foot away to the north was the arrastra and old rock lined cistern you were looking for.
The holes you call rat holes were actually full height drifts but the metamorphics of the sheephole range, causes the ground to be very soft or rotten even after a few years if they arent into the more solid rock they slough off and fill up, ive dug out a couple of these.
the main mineralization is on a zone of metamorphics runs across the range this is where the gold came in.
Anyways You would be hard pressed to find nugget gold in the Sheeps, ive never found placer there only hard rock, not to say it cant happen, gold is where you find and ive found elusive Sheephole gold.
we found Hermit johns camp but it was over in the Humbugs, Montenegro district miles from the Sheephole, it still has the barbed wire around it to keep his rowdy crew of critters out of camp when he was off a prospecting.
As for the pintos I don’t think theres another person alive thats walked more or prospected them more than me my crew and those chinese boys, with exception of the jackass miners of old, at least I never met any one yet, and we lived out there 3 to 5 days a week for a couple years and been prospecting the holes out there for 18 year or better.
If you would like to meet up with us and show these spanish rock peckings, so we can inspect them, I am writing a story about the area wouldn’t mind getting pics my self, Id show you where the sheephole big head, Longs mine and Hermits camp are located.
If you don’t already know.
GT……………………
The great gaunaco breath, arrastra at Sheephole , motor mount for arrastra, rock lined cistern at the arrastra , tired miner at L.O. Longs lost mine.
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Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp
Gold Member
Mike, that the axle of a mine cart in the arroyo inthe last picture?
Nah, blew the pictre up and it's not.
Nah, blew the pictre up and it's not.
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gollum
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Don Jose,
That last pic is just the nugget trap at the base of a dry waterfall. The trap is made of stone and cement. Likely from the 40s-50s era. Same as the water catchments.
Tramp,
That arrastra wasn't what I was looking for. I don't give a ton of attention to anything made of cement. If they were old river rocks caliched in place, I would have been a little excited. I have been all up and down the West/North/and Northeast sides of the Sheepholes. The cross is on the West side, as is the eye. The eye is actually just South of the water catchment. The cross is up in the hills a ways.
At one point, almost every inch of the Sheeps was under claim. There was gold there. I dug a foot of black sand from the bottom of that nugget trap, and every dry eddy and boulder up that canyon. I got more fines from grinding and panning from the one-stamp platform than from the whole canyon. Although I did get followed by a big momma cat in that canyon. I assumed she had a litter in one of those old mines, so I walked backwards out of that canyon.
The gunsites are not claim boundary or trail markers. I have been doing this a while my friend:
Gunsite:
Claim Corner:
I have been doing this for over twenty years. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck. HAHAHA
Here is some nice looking ore that I took from a couple of outcroppings near the top of the mountain:
See, I use both technical and non-technical methods of searching. I also wear out lots of boot leather, I don't get that dark sitting in front of a computer screen! HAHAHA
.......and those are 20-40 x 80 binos. They are huge, but I can see an ant on the top of a ridge with them....and that was my old XTerra 705 in my ruck. Since replaced by a Schiebel MIMID.
Mike
.....PS
Most of the Sheeps are beaten to death, but like you said, best place to find gold, is where it was previously found.
That last pic is just the nugget trap at the base of a dry waterfall. The trap is made of stone and cement. Likely from the 40s-50s era. Same as the water catchments.
Tramp,
That arrastra wasn't what I was looking for. I don't give a ton of attention to anything made of cement. If they were old river rocks caliched in place, I would have been a little excited. I have been all up and down the West/North/and Northeast sides of the Sheepholes. The cross is on the West side, as is the eye. The eye is actually just South of the water catchment. The cross is up in the hills a ways.
At one point, almost every inch of the Sheeps was under claim. There was gold there. I dug a foot of black sand from the bottom of that nugget trap, and every dry eddy and boulder up that canyon. I got more fines from grinding and panning from the one-stamp platform than from the whole canyon. Although I did get followed by a big momma cat in that canyon. I assumed she had a litter in one of those old mines, so I walked backwards out of that canyon.
The gunsites are not claim boundary or trail markers. I have been doing this a while my friend:
Gunsite:
Claim Corner:
I have been doing this for over twenty years. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck. HAHAHA
Here is some nice looking ore that I took from a couple of outcroppings near the top of the mountain:
See, I use both technical and non-technical methods of searching. I also wear out lots of boot leather, I don't get that dark sitting in front of a computer screen! HAHAHA
.......and those are 20-40 x 80 binos. They are huge, but I can see an ant on the top of a ridge with them....and that was my old XTerra 705 in my ruck. Since replaced by a Schiebel MIMID.
Mike
.....PS
Most of the Sheeps are beaten to death, but like you said, best place to find gold, is where it was previously found.
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Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp
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Mike I see that you have already identified it correctly. Ya still owe me a coffee
gold tramp
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Have to appologize to ErnieP,
for gettin into a pissin contest with mike and getting your thread off track, all things arrastra.
I shut my web site down in search of something better, so i will put up a few pics of my mill and see if i can locate some old ones ive seen and got pics of.
will try to get a short how it works story here for you soon days are hot so i got some time.
GT............
first 3 shots of mill loaded with ore and starting the grind.
next 3, final grind of pulp, cleanout of pulp.
last shot clean smooth floor.
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for gettin into a pissin contest with mike and getting your thread off track, all things arrastra.
I shut my web site down in search of something better, so i will put up a few pics of my mill and see if i can locate some old ones ive seen and got pics of.
will try to get a short how it works story here for you soon days are hot so i got some time.
GT............
first 3 shots of mill loaded with ore and starting the grind.
next 3, final grind of pulp, cleanout of pulp.
last shot clean smooth floor.
View attachment 1322752 View attachment 1322748 View attachment 1322754 View attachment 1322756 View attachment 1322751 View attachment 1322750 View attachment 1322755 View attachment 1322757
Azquester
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I know a place where there is so many Arrastra's they're over lapped on top of each other! One of them is as small as a campfire!
We're talking the Golden Star and Arrivaca King mines. The mines both were responsible for the financing of a Mexican War Chest.
Neither Mine has had any real high values which brings me to believe they hid the real mines when they left. How deep could you hide a mine if you had an Army of men to do it for you?
Might be worth your while Tramp to do a little research for me? For some really ggggoooooddd Coffee?
Both mines down here have markers including gunsights going right too the main entrances. That is, if you believe what they wanted you to believe. What they lead you to believe.
I don't think that camp fire sized Arrastra was for low grade ore's!
The eye of the Crocodile, some call it the eye of the Cat or Snake eyes (Just like Craps in Vegas) is telling you that you are in an area created by the Wizard of Sheepherders. There is more meaning to the eye but it can only be obtained by special permits. That is, if I permit you to know what I do . I've been doing this Treasure Hunting with Spanish Free Masonry a much longer time than most so I'm not green around the gills. The Arrastra you have is an excellent example of old style mining.
I always look for the Load Gold not the dribble gold those sneaky old mason's wanted me to find. There has to be a keystone that protects the map room somewhere in there. The true mother load gold may be out in the desert away from the mountains some distance. I just hope someone opens one of these in my lifetime and hopefully, that someone, just may be me.
We're talking the Golden Star and Arrivaca King mines. The mines both were responsible for the financing of a Mexican War Chest.
Neither Mine has had any real high values which brings me to believe they hid the real mines when they left. How deep could you hide a mine if you had an Army of men to do it for you?
Might be worth your while Tramp to do a little research for me? For some really ggggoooooddd Coffee?
Both mines down here have markers including gunsights going right too the main entrances. That is, if you believe what they wanted you to believe. What they lead you to believe.
I don't think that camp fire sized Arrastra was for low grade ore's!
The eye of the Crocodile, some call it the eye of the Cat or Snake eyes (Just like Craps in Vegas) is telling you that you are in an area created by the Wizard of Sheepherders. There is more meaning to the eye but it can only be obtained by special permits. That is, if I permit you to know what I do . I've been doing this Treasure Hunting with Spanish Free Masonry a much longer time than most so I'm not green around the gills. The Arrastra you have is an excellent example of old style mining.
I always look for the Load Gold not the dribble gold those sneaky old mason's wanted me to find. There has to be a keystone that protects the map room somewhere in there. The true mother load gold may be out in the desert away from the mountains some distance. I just hope someone opens one of these in my lifetime and hopefully, that someone, just may be me.
Azquester
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Here's the place. I believe it later on became the Arrivaca King Mine, but, as you can see it has been worked many times over the centuries and used by both anglo's + Spanish / Mexican workers. Notice the very large rock corral and the corner square wall next to one of the Arrastra's. These things are right on top each other and in many of them they simply stole the previous ones stones for the next. This gully has monuments right to a hidden entrance in the side of the rock ditch which is sealed with rocks. Up above and to the left is a large mine opening that goes real deep. It has a rather large and strange boulder in the middle of the area just between the rock corral and the small structure to the right. It's possible that a very important Mexican Leader once slept here and later on the Buffalo Soldiers had an outpost just beyond this area.
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