Panning in MA

[scott3165]

Hello All First Time Posting in the Forum,

I live in Massachusetts and just starting panning for gold last summer in VT. I have done a lot of research and looking at TOPO graphs and trying to understand what I am looking at and for.

My question is: Is there a chance to find gold wherever I can find bedrock?

The problem I am running into in the streams I am panning is mica, alot of it. There are alot of huge chunks of quartz rocks which I'm hoping is another sign there might be gold in the streams.

I've been looking where people have already found gold close to me and most of it is 5+hours which makes it hard to go every weekend, especially when gas is climbing well over 3.50 a gallon. So I'm trying to do more research on how and if I can find gold closer to me where it has never been found. I go out and take samples and bring them back to my house to pan out when I have the chance but no luck so far. I just found some bedrock here in MA about 20 mins away and will be going to take some samples once the snow clears up some more.

Any tips would be great for my searching!

Scott

 

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[scott3165]

Good website with old maps, but I could not find the one you posted on the forum.
Aslo how do you know there was sluicing done in the 30's? The maps don't give evidence to this.

 

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[survival_hippie]

is there any downsides to panning in the fall when its starting to get cold out besides the cold water?

 

[scott3165]

None that I know of.

 

[survival_hippie]

hey scot how far down should i dig to get to the good stuff.would be like a foot or two or few inches?

 

[scott3165]

It's going to be different wherever you go. I have dug down 2 feet and I have dug down 4 feet to look for false bedrock or actual bedrock and some places 4 feet wasn't enough.

 

[survival_hippie]

damn 4 feet lol thats alot of digging haha.have u panned on the small river that runs along route 57? its just south of the granville reservoir or anywere near it?

 

[scott3165]

no, just towards Becket

 

[survival_hippie]

oh thats way up by chester mass area isnt it?

 

[scott3165]

yes, closer towards Lee

 

[menotomymaps]

Good website with old maps, but I could not find the one you posted on the forum.
Aslo how do you know there was sluicing done in the 30's? The maps don't give evidence to this.

Right, my maps are too old to show that operation. I found the info in the state archives, and then found the sluicework.

 

[scott3165]

Where would I go look at State Archives?

 

[menotomymaps]

Where would I go look at State Archives?

Open for public research 9am to 5pm, M-F

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/archrs/hrsidx.htm

 

[scott3165]

I checked out the website and they have online lookup for archives. Any help you can provide on how to search? I tried by criteria and couldn't find anything under mining.

Thanks

 

[survival_hippie]

just learned theres alot of gold in the chester/blanford state forest area,hell theres a brook called goldmine brook haha.sum1 was tellin me its 24k flower gold,what ever flower gold is.

 

[Gramps43]

Flour gold is super fine like baking flour hence the name.

Gramps

 

[survival_hippie]

oh so its gana be hard to pan it out then?

 

[scott3165]

I couldn't find anything until I got my blue bowl. The flour gold was just too small to see in the pan and there wasn't that much of it when I did find it.

 

[fredvoris]

My name is Fred Voris and I live in Schenectady NY and would like to get together with some others with the fever I have 3 dredges---1.5" and a 2" and a 4" I play at Contrary Creek Va and have access to 500 acres near Crown Point NY. I plan on spending time at Twin Rivers camp ground in NH this spring because it is only 3 and a half hours from my house and Contrary is 8 hrs away

 

[Gramps43]

Hippie,

You could also try a Miller Table, not hard to make and from what I hear they are killer for fine gold.

Gramps

 

[survival_hippie]

ya im in the process of making a miller table.just need to get my hands on a water pump.it will definitly help during this time of season.