Newbie wishing suggestions

[desertgolddigger]

Hi, I live in 29Palms, California. It isn't a very old town. I believe it may have been settled in the late 1800's to early 1900's. It was scouted by an Army Colonel in 1852, and of course, the Native Americans lived here long before those happenings.

To me, besides the mining in the area, I really don't know what might be available for a metal detector person. I've looked at satellite photo maps of the area, and there are old ruins/foundations from the early miners/homesteaders. The only problem is not knowing if anyone owns the property any more. There aren't any addresses, and I am not a surveyor that could determine exactly where it is to search the land records.

I was wondering what might be suggested for someone in my position, someone basically new to the hobby, and relatively new to the area, and not knowing a thing about researching.

I am really wondering if it is really worthwhile to metal detect in any areas, other than the areas where the miners worked. Of course, I have to watch out for any of those areas being owned/claimed, but from my experience, there are usually posts, monuments designating those boundaries.

I am really hoping to start in a couple of weeks, and try a few hours early in the morning, before it gets hot. Thanks

 

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[bigfoot1]

I hunt the mojave alot and trust me those old homesteads have nearly all reverted to blm.folks prolly didnt even own them in the first place.if its fenced or signed,avoid it,but for 99%of those sites....have at it.DO NOT pick up native american or early man stone tools in your area tho....the rangers wont take kindly to that.

The old mining sites are trashy and hard to hunt but many have really paid off for me.google sifter screen and make one.their trash dumps have givin me some spectacular finds.They seem to have had very little respect for silver items and many drank pretty hard(many coins for me)it was a hard life.

good luck and keep us posted

 

[BadM0nkey]

Dude. Maybe Tom can comment too but I looked on a map and you are pretty close to Palm Springs, San Bernadino National Forest and Joshua Tree National Park. There must be a bunch of parks/playgrounds in Palm Springs worth looking at. Lot's of rich folks visit there. If I were you I would take a look at San Bernadino National Forest as a great place to start gold panning in addition to MD. Here is a link to their page talking about such as well as metal detecting rules. Park Page. You should also look to see what the rules are for Joshua Tree.

 

[desertgolddigger]

BM, JTNP is a definite no do anything but camp and site see. If they see a metal detector in your vehicle, the will confiscate it. I believe the same applies to dry washers, unless you are a member of the local gold mining club traveling through the park to their claim. That claim can only be gotten to through the park.

I will try to find out what the rules are about digging in parks in the Palm Springs area, while metal detecting. I need to find out if they band the hobby, as some communities do, because they feel digging ruins the grass.

BF1, Thanks for mentioning those things. I have one area already mapped out, though it may have already been beeped. I did a tiny bit of MDing around one mine before I quit years ago. Yes, it was trashy, mostly bullets, but other things like cans and bottle tops, etc. I did manage to find what looks like a manufacturers ID plate for either a hammer or a pick, or shovel. It's squirreled away somewhere in the house. I also found an odd bullet that was big and grayish colour with three rings around it. Never seen the likes of it before. Sure was a large caliber. If things work out next week, I may try my first session. Doubt I will find anything, but you never know.

Thanks Caley

 

[desertgolddigger]

I think I've got the answer for the Palms Springs, California area. I just browsed a few videos of those who are metal detecting in parks. So I would imagine that as long as you cut a proper plug in the grass, and carry something to put the dirt in, so you can replace it in the hole, you should be ok. I'll have to remember to take my MD the next time I am in that area. Caley

 

[cudamark]

You can check to see who owns a particular piece of property through the county tax records. Most are available online. Here are two that I use. There should be something similar in your area.
County of San Diego Treasurer - Tax Collector
Interactive Map | SanGIS - We Have San Diego Covered!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Dude. Maybe Tom can comment too .....

Haha, thanx for the intro.

desert-gold-digger: Since you are mentioning "ruins" and "foundation", I am assuming you are angling for coins/relics. And not nuggets/prospecting, right ? If so: your area of CA, as you know, is sparsely populated both historically and now. So aside from some mining activity (and their related tent cities) you're in a pretty desolate area. If you DO research out what mining endeavors went on there, remember to find out where the miners LIVED, not worked. Because sometimes the remains you see NOW (foundations, etc...) are their processing/work stuff, and not necessarily where they lived. So your goal is to find out where their tent cities were.

Whenever I'm down your way, we are not angling at mining sites though. We are focused on emigrant trail's stopping spots. Ie.: water holes and/or wherever the travel route stopping spots were. THOSE are the place to hunt, IMHO We've done good at those type desert spots. PM me and I'll give you the name of a few good books to start with.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Tom, My mistake. I forgot you mentioned it was books. Thanks so much. I will Google Immigrants Trails and see what I can find. Caley

 

[Tom_in_CA]

desert-gold-digger, research southern route than the area where you live. Eg.: the route that came through what is now Needles, Barstow, etc..... That's closer to your environs. Sent you a PM .

 

[desertgolddigger]

Tom, Got your PM and returned it. I also did what you wished. I think I will give up trying metal detecting except in the local area. I will try around where there were structures, and now are just the outlines of foundations. Maybe I'll get lucky and find some kind of artifact. Caley

 

[BadM0nkey]

Maybe you will find someone's secret hidden stash of gold nuggets where the guy took his secret to the grave!

 

[desertgolddigger]

BM, Yeah, doesn't everyone just wish they would hit a cache. I would be happy to find even one tiny gold nugget with a detector. I think it is just a matter of time and patience, and looking in the right area. There's lots of areas where I live, but they are pretty much inaccessible to me. The only way I can get there is to hitch a ride with someone willing to let me tag along.

That leaves me with places where structures used to be, and of course places where people gather. Thanks all for the help. Best wishes on your MDing. Caley