Hello there! It's been a bit...Question about an old mine

[HobbyHuntress]

HH again it's been a bit since I've posted. I don't have much of an update right now about my property and its gold... I kind of gave up on it for now. I was stung by a few fire ants, they ended up in MY PANTS!!! No lie. So I called it quits right then and there. No fun battling fire ants in your kitchen. It was my fault for setting up "shop" there.

Then on 7/31, I was struck by lightning (indirectly) so I haven't been "all there" but I'm almost back to 100%. Almost, but I was never really 100% to begin with, I'm an artist by nature, and you know that we are NEVER all there!!!

One thing is for sure, I am a freaking cat. I've got about 5 or 6 lives left LOL Can't wait to start playing with electricity in a month when Christmas season begins (for the light addicts, not the "normal" people)

On to the point of my post: Yesterday I ventured off to a nearby creek that has an old gold mine on it. Where would be the best place to pan? Upstream from the old mine or downstream? If downstream, how far down stream would you hit first?

 

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[digging440yrs]

Don't know about the gold panning, but you may want to wear a life vest in the creek the way your luck is going. Hang in there and good luck

 

[HobbyHuntress]

Don't know about the gold panning, but you may want to wear a life vest in the creek the way your luck is going. Hang in there and good luck

LOL! My neighbor gave me a very nice pair of Browning waterproof snake boots. Rubber for the lightning and steel toes for everything else! I should wear a life vest...probably should live in a rubber bubble too.

 

[BigWaveDave]

Almost hit by lightning?!?.....wow.
Welcome to the forum!

 

[kcm]

The best answer ANYONE can give is the very same answer anyone should use - sample, sample, sample. Try going a little way downriver and see if you get anything. If not, maybe try a little farther or maybe a little closer. Don't limit yourself to one side of the bank, and don't limit yourself to the banks. Check in the middle of the creek/river if that's possible. Also, don't forget to check higher on the bank. Look for round, washed river rock up beyond where the water can ever get to. Water erodes land - therefore, the land that is in the river now is not identical to the real estate that was there 100 years ago - or if a drier area, maybe 1,000 years ago, etc, etc, etc. And finally, don't limit yourself to downstream - check upstream.

There may be some amount of lost gold from the mine - assuming the mine was profitable at all. They might have been sloppy and spilled some, or lots. Or, they might have been very careful to NOT drop and lose their very hard handi-work (hint, hint) There's always the chance for accidents. Also, gold is worth much more now than it was then, so maybe they left behind material that wasn't worth transporting then, but would be well worth it now. ...Understand?

.....And I wasn't even struck by lightening!

 

[HobbyHuntress]

Almost hit by lightning?!?.....wow.
Welcome to the forum!

Oh no, I was hit, just not a direct hit (thank God!). I couldn't spell (I never misspell words, the first book I read was Webster's Intercollegiate Dictionary at 3 or 4), type correctly, or think properly. Totally jacked up.

 

[HobbyHuntress]

The best answer ANYONE can give is the very same answer anyone should use - sample, sample, sample. Try going a little way downriver and see if you get anything. If not, maybe try a little farther or maybe a little closer. Don't limit yourself to one side of the bank, and don't limit yourself to the banks. Check in the middle of the creek/river if that's possible. Also, don't forget to check higher on the bank. Look for round, washed river rock up beyond where the water can ever get to. Water erodes land - therefore, the land that is in the river now is not identical to the real estate that was there 100 years ago - or if a drier area, maybe 1,000 years ago, etc, etc, etc. And finally, don't limit yourself to downstream - check upstream.

There may be some amount of lost gold from the mine - assuming the mine was profitable at all. They might have been sloppy and spilled some, or lots. Or, they might have been very careful to NOT drop and lose their very hard handi-work (hint, hint) There's always the chance for accidents. Also, gold is worth much more now than it was then, so maybe they left behind material that wasn't worth transporting then, but would be well worth it now. ...Understand?

.....And I wasn't even struck by lightening!

Je comprends

I have a few buckets from upstream. I hope there's a little something in there!

 

[BigWaveDave]

Well if you got any pics, or want to give a detailed story, be sure to check out the "injury thread" in general discussion forum.

 

[Asmbandits]

If it were me I'd start off close to the mine, probably just slightly down stream from it. Hope you find something and don't forget to share with us!

 

[Peyton Manning]

BREAKING NEWS!

you can go upstream and down- the rules do not prohibit doing both

 

[kcm]

The best answer ANYONE can give is the very same answer anyone should use - sample, sample, sample. Try going a little way downriver and see if you get anything. If not, maybe try a little farther or maybe a little closer. Don't limit yourself to one side of the bank, and don't limit yourself to the banks. Check in the middle of the creek/river if that's possible. Also, don't forget to check higher on the bank. Look for round, washed river rock up beyond where the water can ever get to. Water erodes land - therefore, the land that is in the river now is not identical to the real estate that was there 100 years ago - or if a drier area, maybe 1,000 years ago, etc, etc, etc. And finally, don't limit yourself to downstream - check upstream.

There may be some amount of lost gold from the mine - assuming the mine was profitable at all. They might have been sloppy and spilled some, or lots. Or, they might have been very careful to NOT drop and lose their very hard handi-work (hint, hint) There's always the chance for accidents. Also, gold is worth much more now than it was then, so maybe they left behind material that wasn't worth transporting then, but would be well worth it now. ...Understand?

.....And I wasn't even struck by lightening!

Hey JG, think I covered that, also.

 

[russau]

And don't forget to label each sample as to its exact location and amount per pan so that you can establish a chart of where the gold is hiding !

 

[Capt Nemo]

Electricity? One of my other hobbies is Tesla coiling.

 

[kcm]

Electricity? One of my other hobbies is Tesla coiling.

View attachment 1348240

I happened upon a coiled Tesla one day. Shot it dead!

Sorry - that joke only had a small spark in it.

 

[63bkpkr]

HH,
Sample up or down stream but sample in the more likely places. On this forum or You tube or the internet in general search for information on "How to Read a River". Heavy material, lead fishing weights as well as gold, will settle in specific areas along the outside bends of a river/stream/creek/crick etc. as that is where the water pressure drops off. There are other places to look IF they exist at your particular place like on the down river side of obstructions to the flow of the water: think large rocks/boulders, sunken trees and the like. Best of luck with your adventures and my best wishes to you for staying well................63bkpkr

 

[arizau]

HH again it's been a bit since I've posted. I don't have much of an update right now about my property and its gold... I kind of gave up on it for now. I was stung by a few fire ants, they ended up in MY PANTS!!! No lie. So I called it quits right then and there. No fun battling fire ants in your kitchen. It was my fault for setting up "shop" there.

Then on 7/31, I was struck by lightning (indirectly) so I haven't been "all there" but I'm almost back to 100%. Almost, but I was never really 100% to begin with, I'm an artist by nature, and you know that we are NEVER all there!!!

One thing is for sure, I am a freaking cat. I've got about 5 or 6 lives left LOL Can't wait to start playing with electricity in a month when Christmas season begins (for the light addicts, not the "normal" people)

On to the point of my post: Yesterday I ventured off to a nearby creek that has an old gold mine on it. Where would be the best place to pan? Upstream from the old mine or downstream? If downstream, how far down stream would you hit first?

Short answer....Just because there is an old mine in the area does not mean that the gold in your creek came from that source so check both up and down stream. Other good answers in this thread on how to do it.

Good luck

 

[HobbyHuntress]

Well, upstream has been dud so far in the places I've checked. Got a bunch of amethyst, few specks of flour gold, and quite a few river rocks for my a/c drain line. :/ At least I don't have to drive to Home Depot for rocks now. yay it's time for a beer

 

[digging440yrs]

Great ideal---I will drink to that