Gold in Picture Rocks NW of Tucson?

Lucky Baldwin

Full Member
Nov 16, 2013
132
308
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
I found an old map

download.png

and this section looked interesting

Hartley map 1865.png

As near as I can place the "Gold Placers" they're in the Picture Rocks area NW of Tucson. More than likely, those are the Canada del Oro placers and Hartley just put them in the wrong place.

But you never know... Now I have to go dig some holes in the Brawley wash between W Magee and W Orange Grove. Damn you Hartley.
 

GreyGhost

Full Member
Feb 14, 2010
172
82
AZ
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Old post but interesting. My guess is the same as yours. Looks like the north end of the Tucson Mountains. No gold placers there. Shame the CDO placers aren’t even nugget country either. Just dust.
 

DDancer

Bronze Member
Mar 25, 2014
2,339
2,002
Traveling US to work
Detector(s) used
Current Equinox 600
Past Whites DFX Garret GTI 2500 and others
Prospecting Minelab GPZ 7000
Past SD 2100 GP 3000 (retired)
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Might be the Silver Bells instead ;)
 

azdave

Full Member
Dec 12, 2014
112
196
southern AZ
Primary Interest:
Relic Hunting
Might be the Silver Bells instead ;)

This is correct. Those historical maps are not at all correct in scale, so what is "appearing" to be close to the NW end of the Tucson Mtn's is actually much further NW, in the Silverbell's. Placer gold was known to be in the area of Rag Top back then, and has been successfully drywashed in the area since then.

To illustrate the scale issue... look at how the "Catalina's" extend further north than Picacho.... and Picacho is shown as west of the Tortolita's.
A final glaring scale issue is Blue Water Sta. to Picacho Sta. (actually only about 16 miles apart) is shown as being further than Picacho to Tucson.
 

Last edited:

GreyGhost

Full Member
Feb 14, 2010
172
82
AZ
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
There’s gold around Ragged Top but microscopic I’m sure, and deep.
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top