The Many Lost Treasures of Mariposa, CA (Photos Added)

[EagleDown]

EagleDown....the 1986 flood was the "big one!".....in 1995, it was bad, but not like the one in '86....do any of these two years sound familiar?....SushiDog

SushiDog, 1986 would be the one. Thanks!!
I was sure it was in the second half of the eighties, but I couldn't remember the year. Of course, rest assured, if I had found a large, or even small nugget on that trip, I would be able to tell you the time of day, date, and how many feet from the roadway.

 

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[SushiDog]

February 17th & 18th 1986....SushiDog

 

[nuggy]

Thanks Eagle, interesting story, very well told as usual. We get a lot of garnets in alluvial concentrates here, no diamonds though. Nuggy

 

[EagleDown]

Thanks Nuggy!!

Don't you have Jadite (Jade) there? Seems to me I read it somewhere. Well, perhaps not. Though, it seems that prior to the advent of steel to that area, tools and weapons were made of Jade.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Eagle--thoroughly enjoyed your diamond tale. And, I'm sure that whomever has the diamond is only doing better because of it, even though they don't know what they have.

It's possible that some those diamonds came from Canada as well. There are some very fine diamond mines in the north of Canada now--big business actually (lots of Kimberlite pipes up there). Who knows, maybe yours was pushed down in that way, and maybe it's Canadian, eh? (Couldn't resist )

Thanks again for the story, and all the best,

Lanny

 

[nuggy]

Yes, jade is found locally, we also get jasper and argillite, all used in lapidary - but classed as semi precious, no precious stones - rubies, sapphires, emeralds ect.

 

[EagleDown]

Good morning!!

While I'm working on my next adventure, I thought perhaps the inquisitive ones and the collectors of strange happenings might enjoy browsing this site;

I copied this particular one, as it seems that someone in the Sacramento area might be able to track it down, and check it for accuracy.

http://www.forgottenagesresearch.co...-Out-of-Place-ArtifactsFour-Interpretatio.htm

*North of Sacramento, California—1851—a piece of gold-bearing quartz broke open to reveal embedded inside; a two-inch cut iron nail perfectly straight and with a pristine head still to be seen inside the quartz—150 million years old

Enjoy,

Eagle

 

[EagleDown]

Yes, jade is found locally, we also get jasper and argillite, all used in lapidary - but classed as semi precious, no precious stones - rubies, sapphires, emeralds ect.

One thing I've found in life, generally it's the artist that makes the material valuable.

Several years ago, I was in the area of Bagby finding soccerball size boulders of Jade, when I stumbled across some pieces of stone that had the looks of fine translucent Jade. But, unlike Jade, I could work this with my knife. It wasn't soapstone, or truly Jade. The hardness was about half-way between Jade and soapstone. It carved easily, and I could wet sand it, then polish it to a glass-like luster. I brought a buffalo (bison) out of the larger piece, approx. 6" long X 4" high at the hump. It was pale green and light would pass through and make it glow. Sure wish I had some more of this stone, but the last time I was up there, I went right to where I found them, and found the rock that they were apparently formed in was gone and there were no pieces laying around.

I've been conidering the possibility of taking a high-pressure water pump and washing the surface off of 10' X 20' of the hillside and see if I can expose any more.

Eagle

 

[SushiDog]

Eagle....that website is very interesting, and thanks for turning us on to it.....I will book mark it for future reading....I just took a cursory LQQK at the webpage, and when I have more time, I will check out that artifact since I am in Sacramento....with respect to that stone you found, and carved the bison from.....that stone sounds really nice, and perhaps that stone also carries some sort of power to it.....there is definitely an aura to it.....SushiDog

 

[SushiDog]

P.S. Eagle.....I don't know if you listen to "Coast-To-Coast AM" with George Noory, but from time to time, he has a medicine man on the radio, and I think he is in the Arizona area, or it could very well be here in California....you might want to check out the "Coast-To-Coast AM" website because you can reach them through an area where you can suggest a guest, and you can request to be a guest on the radio show....just a thought (smile)....SushiDog

 

[calisdad]

Hi Eagle,

I not a geologist by any means but I think you are referring to serpentine. Just a ways north of Bagby a chunk of it sticks out into the road and makes for one of the sharpest turns on that stretch of road. http://www.geohiking.com/serpentine3.jpg

As far as washing some hillsides, there are lots of idle water cannons around. Perhaps a local museum would loan you one if you promised to get it back in a reasonable time.

regards-
C-dad

 

[EagleDown]

Good Morning C-Dad,

Of course you're right. I'm familiar with Serpentine, and the out-crop you're talking about. BUT, after much consideration, I feel that what I found was "eroded" Serpentine. I would have had to be deposited as a (almost) microscopic dust, and comparitively close to the surface. That way, it didn't get as much pressure and heat as most metamorphic rocks get. Consequently, it only has a hardness of about 5-6 on the scale. Actually, I was satisfied with it, so I never tried for an accurate measurement.

The main thing that I loved about it was, it was not layered or twisted like Serpentine. And, it was very clear with no lines or streaks. THAT makes it ideal for artwork.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hi there Eagle--just dropped in to see what's new. Sound's like artist is one of the many facets of your character; in fact, just what don't you do?

All the best--I truly enjoy reading your informative posts,

Lanny

 

[EagleDown]

Hi there Eagle--just dropped in to see what's new. Sound's like artist is one of the many facets of your character; in fact, just what don't you do?

All the best--I truly enjoy reading your informative posts,

Lanny

AAAAAH, Darn, you got me! I won't know until I try. Once I find something I can't do, I'll surely let you know.

It's my mind Lanny, it has to keep active. So, my interests are varied and many. Plus, like everyone else, I'd love to make that big strike one day. I don't want to be filthy rich, I'd probably be happy with 100 lbs of gold.

Anyway, (back on the ground,) my mind grabs things that most people don't even notice, for instance;
While dredging, have you ever used a chisel and single-jack under water, to open a crevasse? And, if so, have you ever missed the chisel and got your finger(s) instead? Well, I have been known to do so from time to time. And, when the water is really cold, it HURTS!!!!

So, one day I was in my body shop and using a Morgan Knocker to pull the end of a bumper back into place. (In case you’re not familiar with a Morgan Knocker, it’s an 18 lb slide hammer on a length of heavy ¾” steel pipe. The “hammer” travels about 14” before it hits a stop. Actually, it’s just like a dent puller, but, a lot heavier.) So, here I was, slamming away at this bumper end and “flash”. I thought, “Hmmm, if I can pull with this, there’s no reason why I couldn’t push with it.

So, after my help left, I went out behind the shop to the scrap pile, and found a light truck axle. I used the grinder to shape the ends. One like a standard knife edge chisel, and the other end to a point. Then, since this was just an experimental job, I found two large nuts that would slip on the axle. First, I slid the “slide hammer” onto the axle, and then I welded the nuts on. O.K., it worked pretty well. On a finished model, I’d figure out a way that I could take the “slide hammer” off without ruining the axle. Now, all I had to do was get back to the river and give it a go.

And that’s it, another invention was born. No more bruised or skinned knuckles. (lol)

You’re welcome to use this to make your own if you want to. No charge. (lol)

Eagle

 

[Lanny in AB]

Eagle--you know, I never would have thought to use a truck axle to make a slide hammer. They're made out of very good steel, right? That's an excellent idea, and I'll bet they stay sharpened very well too. Man, you are the invention king--way ahead of your time in many instances. Congratulations my friend on getting such good use out of that sterling mind of yours--you've really come up with a lot of fascinating ideas. Moreover, your are a very accomplished individual--quite the achievement.

Well thanks again for another fine read, and all the best,

Lanny

 

[EagleDown]

Truck axles are (were) high grade steel. The steel held it's edge fairly well. After I got back home, I used an old bar-b-que that I'd converted into a forge to heat the ends. Then, I case hardened them. After that, never had any problems with them.

Eagle

 

[EagleDown]

~~~\/~~~

Needle in a Haystack??

This experience of mine isn’t so much about finding “lost treasures”, as it is meant to be informative.

It was early spring and I had recently bought myself a Garrett ADS11 and was going out regularly getting use to the operation. I bought it mostly for finding gold when I got back up on the river. (Uhh, we’ll go into that in another story.)

I rode my M/C into down-town San Bernardino to the old park. I believe it dated back to the late 1800s and was still a popular family park. Unfortunately, when I got there, it seemed that every family in the area was there enjoying the shade.

So, considering the fact that I’ve never liked MDing around crowds, I swung a Uie and started to leave. As I headed back up the street, I noticed a long little pie shaped slice of the park that was cut off from the main park by a canal that cut diagonally from the North to South street, and almost to the cross street that was headed West.

It had well tended grass, and one lone shade tree, just starting to get it’s leaves on for the season. Though it was obvious to me that the tree wasn’t all that old, I decided to stop and check it out. Hey, you never know until you try.

I parked the bike and unslung the ADS11 from my back. (One of the first things I had done was; I took a dog leash and fashioned it into a sling so that I could carry the metal detector on my back, leaving my hands free for the motorcycle.)

For some reason, as I looked around, I decided the area towards the street intersection would be the place to start. So, turning the ADS11 on and setting the discriminate on high, I started my accustomed slow swings.

About half way through my second swing, I got a nice whoo-ee-whoo, and being somewhat familiar with the sounds by now, I figured it was a penny. I cut a half circle in the grass, and about 4 inches found a wheaty in excellent condition. Hmm, this is a good sign. Well, to keep a long story short, in an area of about 20ft X 20ft, I dug up close to $1.50 in wheat pennies.

By this time, I was getting rather tired of all of the squatting and digging for pennies, so even though I knew there were more there, I decided to leave since I had an old empty house that I wanted to do a walk around. So, I made one last swing before turning the machine off, and wouldn’t you know it, I heard a sweet mellow tone in the ear-phones. The sound was a little fainter than the pennies had been, but I was pretty sure that it was silver, so I took the time to kneel down and dig.

At about 7 inches, I still hadn’t found what-ever it was, so I stood and passed the coil over the hole again. Sure enough, it was still in the hole. Then, I realized that the sound wasn’t any louder than before. I decided to widen the hole out a little. that’s when I saw a quarter on the side of the hole, at about 5 inches. The reason I’d missed it was, it was completely on its edge. I pulled it out and by looking at it, judged it to be AU condition. (I don’t recall the date off hand, but I do remember that it was in the early 40’s.) Alright, a nice cap to an otherwise dull but mystifying hunt.

A few weeks later, I was talking to a life-long resident of San Bernardino and told him how mystified I was about all these pennies being in such a small area.

He explained to me how it might have happened. It seems that when there was a big social gathering in the park, (at least up ‘til the end of WW11,) some one would bring a couple of bales of hay and when the hay was broken open and loosely stacked, they would throw 2 or 3 dollars worth of pennies into the pile of hay, and let the children dive in and see how many they could find. (Of course, all that they found, was theirs to keep.)

So, it kept the children busy while the grown-ups socialized and the women got ready for the hungry hoards who would eventually show up to display their finds of pennies. As for the quarter? Who knows, perhaps it was kind of a “Grand Prize” for some lucky child. As for myself, I like to think that was the case. Sounds good in any case. (lol) It puts a nice meaning to the phrase:

“Looking for a needle in a haystack”.

Eagle

 

[Hefty1]

Hey Eagle
Just a thought......but isnt that what we are doing looking for gold

Alright whos keeping us busy
Hefty

 

[EagleDown]

Hey Eagle
Just a thought......but isnt that what we are doing looking for gold

Alright whos keeping us busy
Hefty

Ya think??

Similar, but darn, those straws are heavy!!

 

[Hefty1]

Eagle
Heavy and a lot more of them.