Massachusetts gold sites, CT and NH also

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I am trying to make a list of potential gold sites within a 2 hour drive of Boston MA. I know most gold is west of the CT river and the area around Chester and Blandford is just over 2 hours from Boston, but was wondering if anyone has prospected Worcester County or Middlesex County, such as the Mount Wachusett area? Wonder about northeast Connecticut.

I am going to concentrate on areas with public access primarily, trying to get permission to private land sometimes is a hassle.

Some place I plan to try next year are

Chester
Blandford
Beartown SF
October Mountain SF

Willard Brook SF north of Gardner - google maps seems to show a brook there, I need to find a topo that is at home to see if there are any hills nearby.

 

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[loby]

Hiii friends.....

Many years ago a gold prospector who was visiting Massachusetts had some spare time on his hands so he went into Forest Park in Springfield and proceeded to pan the gravel in the small brook that runs through the park. In one afternoon he panned about a dollars worth of gold when gold was selling for $35 an ounce. Today when gold is selling for more than $1,200 an ounce this amounted to several dollars worth. At the time his take amounted to less than a gram of gold.

Just about any river or stream in the world will carry some gold in its associated sand and gravel. Just about anywhere that you would look for trout is also a good place to look for gold. It is usually found on the inside of bends, in a plunge pool at the bottom of a waterfall or any other place where the velocity of the running water suddenly slows down.

The kind of stream for gold panning is one that has a rapid flow with many rapids and Small waterfalls. A mature river like the Connecticut River is not a good place to prospect because the gold has been ground to small particles by the action of running water.
One of the places in Massachusetts where would probably be profitable to prospect for gold is in any other rivers or streams that drain the eastern flank of the Berkshires. Some of this gold was actually brought into Massachusetts by the glacier from Canada, but there is some gold that is actually found in place. One of these places is in the town of Becket where contractor was doing some road work and used about 40 tons of gold bearing quartz for road fill. He thought he actually found fools gold, until it was properly identified by a geologist.

The thing about a rich deposit like this is very spotty in some places could be worth several hundred dollars a ton and in other places in absolutely worthless. They deposit the contractor found in Becket is one of these spotty deposits.

Gold has always had a fascination about it the truth is there are more mines that can be richer in metal deposits than a gold mine, but they don't have the aura gold does. You probably could make more money with a sand and gravel pit if it was close to a market.

This is also true of placer mining for gold, the richest deposits are spotty. There are also times when it is possible to find placer gold along an river or stream in a deposit you could measure several miles. Even if $.15 of gold per ton this could be a fabulously rich mine just by processing a large amount of gravel rapidly with a large dredge.
Most of the gold is then discovered in Massachusetts is found east of the Hoosac formation in the Rowe and other schists. Many of these formations contain bodies of serpentine that are metamorphosed fragments of ocean bottom that were caught up in the tectonic movements that built the Appalachian Mountains. These formations were thrust faulted into place very similar in origin to the Shoofly formation that is thrust faulted against the western flank of the Sierra Nevada’s of California that gave us the California Gold Rush.

There are plenty of reports of the discovery of gold in eastern Massachusetts as well notable among some of the localities is the town of Douglass in Worchester County, the Blue Hills area near Boston and all along Rt. 128 circling around Boston. It is claimed this highway is built on a gold base.

There is an old saying that gold is where you find it, and these fragments of ancient ocean crust are what are called “greenstones.” Many geologists believe that gold is leached out of these rocks to be deposited in other rocks in veins of gold enriched quartz. One of these so-called greenstone belts is located to the north of Massachusetts that is one of the greatest gold producing areas in the world. It’s name is the “Abitibi Gold Belt.”

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

loby
Very well written!

I am going to a stream that from what I can find out has not been prospected or at least not heavily this weekend or next. It is a stream that drops 450 feet in 2 1/2 miles with lots of waterfalls and rapids and goes through high hills. It fits your description of east side of the Berkshires.

Also and maybe more important, I live about 15 minutes from the Blue Hills and RT 128 (now Rt 95) and have heard tales of gold in the Blue Hills. I think I have to start doing some prospecting around there.
However, luckily I have a Concealed Carry Permit and while I don't fear 4 legged varmints there are alot of 2 legged ones in that area, I will probably carry my Walther PPK or one of my .357's

Also if I am not mistaken the great Blue Hill is a Drumlin, so wouldn't it just have glacial gold?

Finally in Wrentham there is a farm store on whose land in the 1890's had a gold mine, they mined it for 10 years before the farmer had to sell his farm to pay debts incurred in getting the vein of gold out.

 

[loby]

Thank you Ben Cartwright SASS...

 

[63bkpkr]

Ben, in Calif my concern is mostly for bears, snakes and the like and in CA the greenies wold skin me if I had to shoot an animal that was threatening my life. Back where you are I would think even wounding a human would get you sent away. As a CYA move you might also carry a can of pepper spray along with anything more lethal. Just a thought. Good success with your prospecting..........63bkpkr

 

[Lanny in AB]

Ben,

good luck in your hunt for the gold. I've reading your posts, and the posts of others on this forum. If you haven't read 63bkpkr's story of survival--give it a read--he profoundly knows what surviving in the wild is all about. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/312429-prospecting-pictures-part-2-a.html "Rescue from here down".

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Even though I believe bear spray is illegal in Massachusetts, at least without a License to Carry Firearms or an Firearms Identification Card, I got two of the big cans. I think that is as good and more sure than a .357 which youi may miss.
In Mass even pulling a gun can get you locked up.

So far I haven't seen any nasty critters, either 4 legged or 2 legged on my trips, but I just try to stay safe. For me the season has mostly stopped at this point, now it is time to reload ammo and do HO trains, although I am going to set up a panning area in the basement and buy some paydirt and play around.

 

[penster]

Ben, I've been looking into CT prospecting, and the "letter of the law" in the environmental section, and a very obscure section at that says that no one can disturb soil, rocks or minerals on CT lands. Now that being said I came across a posting where a gentleman said he sluices and no one has ever bothered him. Because I have a CCW, I have been wary of attempting to pan CT streams because I don't want any trouble that may cause someone to look closely and find a 'reason' to charge me with some little something that could cost me my permit.

I am anxious to get in contact with a couple of property owners though. Within 5 miles of me there is a well known quartz vein from an old mine that supposedly would yield 6oz per ton, but it is micro fine gold and too costly to abstract. I'm hoping there is run off in some nearby streams. gotta love google earth. Happy hunting.

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I have a CCW (called LTC in MA) and have given up drinking (never really drank anyway) due the fact that one DUI and you lose your gun license for life, although you can still keep your drivers license until you kill an unspecified number of people. I was born in Hartford and raised in West Hartford and if I knew the CT law about not not disturbing anything I would call them everytime I kicked a stone or a branch and make them come out to investigate.
I remember in MA that they wanted a law that said everything in the ground belonged to the state and I was going to call them every time I turned over my garden to send someone to watch and cost them time and money.

I am still trying to find if there are any Mass laws about panning and sluicing, I don't dare call the state as they will make some if they don't have them.

Has anyone seen any Mass laws about that?

 

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

more

I have been trying to find what the law is in Mass, I wrote an email to the DCR asking about "hobby rock collecting" since if you cannot even pick up a rock then you have no chance of panning or sluicing. If I didn't have an LTC I would just do it, but with a Mass LTC you have to be squeeky clean as they can deny your 2nd Amendment rights for anything including the infamous "not a suitable person".