Prospectors Research Tools

[Clay Diggins]

Prospector's Research Tools

I haven't been around much this summer and with the desert prospecting season just starting it's a good time to show off what I did this long hot summer. I have been working with a few friends on a new non-profit organization to give you a single place for all your land research.

The result is MyLandMatters.Org. This is the gateway to your land information repository. Maps, books, tutorials, community resources and quality, easy-to-access information about the land around you.

No ads, No memberships, No log-in required.

This past spring while sitting around with some friends we came to the conclusion that most of the important and useful things that we want to know about the land around us was difficult to locate and tough to understand. Despite the many sources of information there was no single place to find the information available.

We decided we could do something about that. We agreed to put our time and energy into creating a single place that anyone could find the answers to questions about the land.

It's a big project. It has taken a lot of work, learning and resources to get things started. But after six months of long days, and more than a few nights, the Land Matters repository is ready for you to use.

Land Matters is all about the land. You can find Land Status Maps, Active Mining Claims Maps (with live direct links into the current LR2000 claims database), A great collection of mining books, Land Laws, Geology books and maps, Forest Travel Plans and a whole lot more.

Land Matters is for land users. Our collections are guided by community input. That's you. Let us know what kind of material you would like to find in our Library or a particular map you would like to see. Help us build Land Matters to best serve the community.

We've already got a lot of things that prospectors have been asking for - the claims maps alone were almost universally requested. Land Matters isn't just for prospectors and miners. But you can help prioritize our efforts and drive the content of Land Matters. Prospectors now have a unique opportunity to help guide and build an information resource designed by prospectors and for prospectors.

We are just getting started filling the Library but there will be hundreds of books, maps and items added in the next few weeks. We've even got a Newsletter so you can get regular updates about new additions to the Land Matters repository.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Here are a few good places to start:

Tutorials - the current focus is on understanding Land Status.
Maps - We all like maps and we've got some you will love.
Library - search for something.

Heavy Pans
Barry & Leigh

 

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[Clay Diggins]

Barry, I have a question regarding the claims map section and the public land status feature. I was looking at an area where there is a claim that is listed in a quarter section that shows as private property There is a area of forest land in the section but not near this claim as shown on MLM. The owner of this claim insists that this info is wrong, and that the area is indeed blm land and that the site does not properly reflect this. What is the chance of this being true and or the accuracy of the public land boundaries show?

I couldn't give you a specific answer without knowing the location. There are a bunch of different reasons why there might be a discrepancy.

It's not like we just make this stuff up at Land Matters. We research and obtain the latest data available from the land managers and display that on a map. In this case the Forest Service (or BLM?) seems to be providing the information. It's possible the map could be wrong. It wouldn't be the first time a government agency wasn't sure what lands they were managing.

It's not unusual for two or more people to disagree where a claim might be located. The BLM has put some claims in another state than the one they were located in. I've seen locators miss by a Township or more.

There are several other possible explanations.

There is a way to tell for sure though - the Master Title Plat (MTP) is the federal government's official map record of the land's status in each Township. The MTP will display the current ownership status and you can rely on the information on the MTP. You can download the MTP direct from the individual State Land Status Maps.

Heavy Pans

 

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[Bow]

Thank you for all the work you do Clay!

 

[Goodyguy]

Yes, Thank You very much
Proceeds from the next nugget I find will be donated to Land Matters. And I hope it's a big one.

 

[Asmbandits]

Barry, I have a question regarding the claims map section and the public land status feature. I was looking at an area where there is a claim that is listed in a quarter section that shows as private property There is a area of forest land in the section but not near this claim as shown on MLM. The owner of this claim insists that this info is wrong, and that the area is indeed blm land and that the site does not properly reflect this. What is the chance of this being true and or the accuracy of the public land boundaries show?

Thank you Barry for your help it is much appreciated. I believe that the maps provided by MLM are true as I don't see why they wouldn't be and I also confirmed this with my garmin software which also shows land status and private lots with owner info. The friend claims that he is correct with his validity but unfortunately things just don't add up to anything I've seen as so, I'm still leaning towards misinformation. The location of his claim is not in question it is recorded seemingly properly just on a private lot according to MLM and any other source I've used. He has provided me with a map of the section which looks to be very old as it has the section shown with all the mining claims and names of the mines as if it were a map of the section from a long time ago before the claims were patented. There is a open lot in this map he provided, he claims this lot is blm land. Some of the boundaries match up with the current section lots, but with modified boundaries, I'm guess being modified over time up until now. He says the section map is from the county and current. Just seems strange to me I don't know what to make of it. The MTP supports that the land is indeed private. What are the odds the county is providing a map to him that is not current yet claiming as such?

 

[Clay Diggins]

Gosh it's been almost three months since I updated this thread.

Whether I post it here or not Land Matters continues to update their Mining Claim Maps twice a month. The most recent update was this Wednesday July 15th.

The BLM continues to update their files and have been adding new locations and closing mining claim case files without pause. Mining activities are classed as an essential industry. With some minor changes mining continues as before.

Since the start of the 2020 mining year there have been 26,510 mining claim case files closed by the BLM.
During the same period there have been 28,378 new claim locations filed with the BLM.
That's a gain of 1,868 mining claims so far this mining year. 554 of those new claims were located in the last half month alone.
Minerals mining has done well this year despite the closing of most businesses.

Land Matters isn't just about mining claims. We've been working on mapping all the mineral ownership status of the federal and state lands for several years. This is a long involved process but we are seeing progress and so can you. The Land Status Maps for Arizona, New Mexico and Oregon all now have new mineral ownership map layers.

You may notice on these new mineral ownership maps that in some private land areas the minerals are owned by the U.S and not the private landowner. This is common in the western public land states. We are excited to finally be able to show these mineral land status issues clearly defined on a map. A full discussion of why this matters would probably be useful to prospectors. Maybe a new thread if there is interest?

Heavy Pans

 

[Rail Dawg]

Guys I just sent in another donation to mylandmatters.org

That site has grown so much and has added knowledge we just can not find anywhere else. I do not have a dog in this fight but they (like you guys) are important to my search for gold and in finding/maintaining claims. I know that even small donations make a big difference.

These are some crazy times and I think gold is going to become even more valuable in this country. The more we know about getting/keeping claims and finding gold is going to pay off handsomely. For some of us this is going to become full-time work just to support our families. It has happened before.

Thanks for listening!!

Chuck

 

[Clay Diggins]

Of course the Land Matters mining claims maps were updated last Tuesday!

This mining year is coming to an end. I won't have the final numbers until September but it looks like COVID and a crashing economy didn't slow down claim staking a bit.

The month of August is traditionally when new mining claim locations slow down. This is due to the additional expense of "bridge" claims. A bridge claim is one that's located within 90 days of the close of the federal mining year. That new claim location when filed with the BLM will require two annual payments to cover the past 2020 mining year and the upcoming 2021 mining year beginning September 1. If the locator waits until September 1 only one years fees are due.

Despite the bridge claim fees new claim locations outnumbered closed claims more than 18:1 these last 15 days. There were 131 closed claims and 2.371 new claim locations in the last 15 days. That's about 4 times the volume of new claims over the same period last year.

Go get u sum!

Heavy Pans

 

[OwenT]

Wow. Lots of new claims.

Something I guess I still haven't figured out is how a claim's disposition becomes "closed". I assume once payments/waivers are overdue that would happen but that's just part of the year. What causes a claim to go closed during this time? I figure you could probably voluntarily close your own claim but I don't see a reason for that do be done much.

 

[BoydBros]

Is there a way to show the ACTUAL claim boundaries instead of a giant swath of TRS generated claim area?

 

[et1955]

For now the best way is to contact the BLM and for a fee get copies of the Quit claim deeds of claims in the area you are interested in, I did that for my claims in N. Cali. , I took that info and marked all the boundaries on Google earth map and as of now I am monitoring them threw " MY Land Matters " as of there status, hoping to expand.

 

[Goodyguy]

Yes, Thank You very much
Proceeds from the next nugget I find will be donated to Land Matters. And I hope it's a big one.

Going nugget hunting tomorrow down by Wickenburg, Hope I find a huge one for the cause!

GG~

 

[Goldwasher]

Is there a way to show the ACTUAL claim boundaries instead of a giant swath of TRS generated claim area?

It will be in the BLM file. Changes to much to be able to maintain a realtime interactive map. Not to mention all the improperly described claims.

 

[BoydBros]

It will be in the BLM file. Changes to much to be able to maintain a realtime interactive map. Not to mention all the improperly described claims.

Are the BLM files online?

 

[mofugly13]

No. They're in Sacramento, if youre in CA.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Is there a way to show the ACTUAL claim boundaries instead of a giant swath of TRS generated claim area?

No there is not. The claim representations on Land Matters are by the Section - which is generally a square mile. Anyone that offers you any better mapping online is yanking your chain.

If you click the link to the serial register page link on the Land Matters map you will see that the claims are classified to the nearest quarter section(s) so you can get a general idea of where the claim is situated. The location laws only require location description to the nearest quarter section. Often claims cross over section boundaries and even township boundaries so a simple 20 acre claim can be located in four townships, four sections and four quarter sections at the same time. That's not a theory I've seen it several times and the BLM has no system to describe those claims. Often they file the claim in just one of the township/sections/quarter sections and call it good enough.

Mapping of individual claims is part of what I do for a living every day. Thousands of claims every year. I have a system worked out over many years to make it as simple and accurate as possible. I'm happy to share that process but in my experience most people try to simplify the system to a short version with workarounds which turns into a mess in the field when the reality of ground truth sets in. That can waste a lot of time or in some circumstances might work just fine. Since I work for professionals I can't take the chance on workarounds but your time is your own so it's your decision.

Goldwasher points to one method that can be useful. He knows his stuff and he has used his system to his advantage. It will usually get you in the ballpark but not always. There are a few drawbacks to getting copies of location notices from the BLM instead of obtaining copies of the county Records. I strongly suggest going with the County records even though they can sometimes be more expensive (often they are free if you know how to talk in County Recorder language).

The first problem is actually getting the right files. I've dealt with California State BLM for years and I seldom get all the notices/amendments I've ordered in one go. It often takes several tries to get all the requested filings. Most other State BLM offices do better but California can be difficult.

The second and much bigger problem is that the BLM files are not verifiable. I've run into several claim locations that were never recorded at the county and most amendments never get recorded at the county. That means that legally the claim or amended claim doesn't actually exist. A public record is required by law to keep the claim valid and BLM case files are not public records. One of the GPAA's most popular California claims has never been recorded at the county so of course that claim and all the others like it are null and void. You would never know that if you relied exclusively on the BLM files.

Despite the complexity of discovering actual claim locations it is a legal requirement every prospector must meet before they put boots on the ground to prospect. Prospectors have been accomplishing this since at least 1866 so with modern technology your task is much easier than it was even 30 years ago. I was doing this long before electronic records or the internet and although it was slower and more difficult back with the dinosaurs it's the same process I do today from the comfort of my office.

If you have an interest in a particular area go to the effort to at least research and draw out the claim boundaries on a topo map. I suggest you use a pencil because those claim boundaries will change over time. Once you have defined an open area of interest put boots on the ground and find the claim corners near your area, adjust your map to reflect the actual locations on the ground and go about prospecting the open areas with the confidence that you have done your required due diligence before prospecting. If you find a good deposit locate a claim. If you don't have success move on to another area and rinse and repeat the above procedure. That's how real prospecting is done and it does pay off, as I'm sure several posters here can tell you.

Heavy Pans

 

[Rail Dawg]

Clay please know how useful your information is to us.

It's appreciated that you take the time to educate.

Chuck

 

[Goodyguy]

Going nugget hunting tomorrow down by Wickenburg, Hope I find a huge one for the cause!

GG~

No luck so far, but I will never give up

View attachment 1872470

 

[russau]

Buddy there's always tomorrow !

 

[Rail Dawg]

Quick question on a lode claim filing.

If the lode claim is located entirely within a Government Lot what do you put in the 1/4 box on the Lode Mining Claim (Nevada) form?

Thanks!

Chuck

 

[Clay Diggins]

Quick question on a lode claim filing.

If the lode claim is located entirely within a Government Lot what do you put in the 1/4 box on the Lode Mining Claim (Nevada) form?

Thanks!

Chuck

Put the 1/4 section the lot is located in.

If the claim is the entire lot you just need to use the lot designation to locate. If it's a portion of a lot you need to locate by metes and bounds. There is no such thing as a 1/2 or 1/4 of a lot.

Heavy Pans