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

[diggemall]

As you know, when you spend a couple of hours typing up a story, then no one has any comments, it does get a little disheartening. But, no biggy, I'll keep on downloading my memories as long Eagle

Rest assured, Eagle. There are plenty of us that quietly lurk waiting for your next interesting tale. I'm sure many, like myself, simply prefer not to "clutter" your thread for others with our own comments.

Diggem'

 

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[Lanny in AB]

You're most welcome Eagle.

I see one more person sent you assurances that your stories are read and enjoyed. However, it's always nice to hear it, for, as you and I know, it takes a ton of time to put the stories together and the appreciation is much appreciated--probably more than most readers realize.

Well, all the best, and keep heatin' that keyboard up with more of those great stories,

Lanny

 

[Edson]

[/quote]

Halito Edson and welcome to Tnet.

No, not really. I thought it would be easy to find an old hiway/street map, overlay it on a current map and "presto", problem solved. Unfortunatly, that don't be the way it's happening.

I've been in the internet, off and on for a year now. Though I've found a multitude of modern maps, there seems to be a derth of 1961 maps. Funny thing is, I can find plenty of 1924 - 1947 maps. Or maybe, I just don"t know where to look. But, I know if it's meant to be, it will happen. In the meanwhile, I'll keep trying.

Then, if I could afford to drive down to L.A., I guess it's possible that the court house might have some 1961 maps on micro-fishe. I'll just have to see how my finances are next month.

Thanks for dropping in! Push the notification button so that you will know when the next memory (that I can't keep to myself), pops up.

Eagle
[/quote]

Thanks for the reply Eagle.

I pushed the button so I'll get notified. But I'm always checking your thread anyways.
So would that draw be around the Acton area or past Acton on the 14? Some people are still finding nuggets around Acton with a drywasher. Don't like drywahers much. OK for big gold but not so good for the fines. I have a buddy that drywashes here local and I always run his tailings in my dip box (cross between a rocker box and sluice) of my own design and find more gold than he does. We only get small flakes and specks here local but the drywasher and sluice boxes miss most of it. Some of specks that my dip box gets are almost microscopic.
Have you ever poked around the San Francisquito cyn or Quigley/Oro Fino cyns? That's where I do my digging. It's only 10 minutes from my house here in Saugus.

Probably not the place to do this but. Hey Lanny, I just found your thread and I'm addicted to it too. Many thanks.

Edson

 

[EagleDown]

Thanks for the reply Eagle.

I pushed the button so I'll get notified. But I'm always checking your thread anyways.
So would that draw be around the Acton area or past Acton on the 14? Some people are still finding nuggets around Acton with a drywasher. Don't like drywahers much. OK for big gold but not so good for the fines. I have a buddy that drywashes here local and I always run his tailings in my dip box (cross between a rocker box and sluice) of my own design and find more gold than he does. We only get small flakes and specks here local but the drywasher and sluice boxes miss most of it. Some of specks that my dip box gets are almost microscopic.
Have you ever poked around the San Francisquito cyn or Quigley/Oro Fino cyns? That's where I do my digging. It's only 10 minutes from my house here in Saugus.

Probably not the place to do this but. Hey Lanny, I just found your thread and I'm addicted to it too. Many thanks.

Edson

Halito Edson,

It's alright to that here. Lanny's another of my great friends. But, to your questions..........

I've looked at so many of the area maps over the past year, that I find myself getting confused. Most
of the roads/hiways have changed so much that it's truly impossible to find my turn-off by using a modern map.

I left L.A. on the old San Fernando Rd. headed North towards Palmdale. When I made a right turn to
bypass Palmdale, I had to cross RR tracks that were real close to the San Fernando Rd.. Then I just
went along the base of the hills until it "T"ed into the Pearblossom Hiway. (Also known as hiway #138.)

Now, the Pearblossom Hiway curves South, down to Vincent. (It use to go on to Palmdale). And, the
only place I see now where the RR tracks are near and on the East side of the hiway is in Vincent.

I don't know, perhaps there were some small towns that were obliterated when they put in the Sierra Hiway. Frankly, I don't see anyway to find that turn off without an old map to compare with a new one.

I'm not sure about San Francisquito canyon or Quigley/Oro Fino canyons. I did a lot of sampling all over that area and on down to old hiway 395, until they put in US 15 into San Bernardino. I found small amounts of gold everywhere between there and on South to the San Gabrial Mts., but I never bothered to find out the names of all the places I checked, other than San Gabrial Canyon, Lytle Creek and BlueCut. Heck, I even found gold in RR track fill in Duarte, while testing out a new style sluice box I had designed. (Made to run off of a home water hose).

I know it might sound strange, but I didn't care about gold, I just enjoyed the experience of finding it. And now, that even sounds strange to me.

IF I ONLY KNEW THEN, WHAT I KNOW NOW!!

Incidentally, I never cared all that much for "dry-washers" either. But, in about 1976, I bought Keene Electrostatic Concentrator, ($275.00) direct from Jerry Keene. It was basically a dry-washer, but very advanced over the old style dry-washers. I use to spread my dredge concentrates on a tarp in the
evening. By the following evening, they were good and dry. Then I'd dump them into a bucket and after spreading the new concentrates, I'd run the dried ones through the concentrator. I don't think it lost any
gold worth worrying about. After about a month of this proceedure, one day, I got a bright idea. I decided to lift the riffles and the cloth that the air passed through. The inside of the box (on the down-slope end), had about a half cup of ultra fine dust in it. I decided to gather the dust up and pan it, just out of curiosity. I put the dust in a pan, added some water and a couple of drops of liquid soap. (The soap breaks down the viscosity and surface tension of the water so that fine gold doesn't float out). And as you mentioned, I ended up with a 1oz vial about 1/3rd full of gold so fine, you couldn't even see the individual particals with the naked eye. "Microscopic Gold". I would imagine it would have assayed out to 24k. Unfortunately, I have no idea of what happened to that vial.

Anyway, thanks for the questions! You got the old mind thinking again. And, if you every have an experience you'd like to share, this thread is always open for it. You'll see what I mean when you read awhile in Lannys thread.

Happy hunting Finding!!

Eagle

 

[Hefty1]

Eagle
Have read all your adventures from the past, just cant top them.
Wish I had the time to come down there and dig that hole with ya.
Keep the pics and memorys comin as they keep me young at heart and mind also.



Hefty

 

[EagleDown]

Halito Hefty,

Thanks for dropping in!! I've been following your adventures in Lannys thread. Last night, I had another thought about the crack you've been working. But, in this particular case, I think it would
only be right to throw it out in Lannys thread. I'll post the link to his awsome thread and instructive
stories again, just in case someone missed it above.

http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,453.0.html

Any of my friends that haven't checked it out yet should do so, or you'll never know what you're
missing!! If you pay attention to what he says, it will definately make the difference between "Looking for OR Finding".

Eagle

 

[bobinsd]

Eagle, Yesterday I stumbled upon this thread via "Lanny" and have been unable to "put it down". I Googled "Mariposa" to see where it was (I'm in San Diego) and found a website filled with historical records from newpapers in the area which I could not stop reading. Here is an excerpt below, which I hope you and the many followers will find interesting.....I could not make this stuff up

Enjoy...

The New Game Laws.- Mariposa Gazette, April 9, 1881

Any keeper of a hotel, restaurant or boarding house who substitutes
mutton for turtle in making turtle soup shall be fined not less than
$50, and in default of payment shall stand committed to the cooler for
the term of thirty days.
Any public eating-house keeper who advertises quail on toast and
then substitutes ham on biscuit, shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor
and punished by a fine of not less than $25.
It shall not be lawful for more than five men to pursue the track
of one poor, lone rabbit, with evil intent.
Any duck hunter who buys birds and passes them off on the boys as
having been killed by himself, shall be deemed guilty of piracy and
punished accordingly.
Any person or persons discovered capturing deer or elk by means of
pound nets or seines, shall be liable to a fine of not less than $25 nor
more than $50.
If a fox, on being routed from cover and persued, takes refuge
under a school house, it shall be lawful for the teacher to dismiss the
school and lend his assistance in the capture.
That section of the amended law of 1879 requiring all persons to
give coons 400 feet the start before pursuing with intent to kill is
repealed.
Any person or persons firing over twenty consecutive shots into a
flock of decoy ducks, shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor and punished
by a fine not less than $5.
Any person who shall, after the passage of this act, knowingly
falsify as to the number and size of fish taken by him at any time
within the past two years, shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor and
punished by thirty days in County Jail without relief.-transcribed by W Disbro

 

[EagleDown]

Many thanks bobinsd. Now my jaws are aching from grinning so much. And I thought it was funny
when I ran across an old Minnesota law that stated it was unlawful to eat spaghetti through a straw.

 

[EagleDown]

Prospecting 101​

First, let’s start out with a basic method of prospecting. This method has been used for so long, nobody knows when it first began.

Hokay, you’re in the mountains/hills and you find a stream of flowing water. Naturally, you want to see if there is any gold in the stream bed. So, you move some rocks out of the way so that you can get at the sand and gravel under them. (Remember, rocks do a great job of trapping heavy materials like gold). You fill your pan with sand and gravel and start washing out the lighter materials.

Once the lighter materials are gone, you swirl the remaining heavies, (e.g.: black sand, etc) around until you start seeing flakes of gold and perhaps small “pickers” (if you were fortunate enough to choose a fairly rich area).

While looking at your “pickers”, you notice that they show little or no sign of the smoothness that they would normally acquire while being washed down a creek by flood waters.

Note: Gold is a very soft metal and doesn’t move far before it starts getting the points and edges worn off of it from the sand and rocks that it comes into contact with during its movement down the stream bed.

Now, this is the point where the “serious prospector” is separated from the novice, or hobbyist.

A serious prospector will see the rough flakes and pickers and think to him/her self: “ Hmm, as rough as this is, it hasn’t been in the stream for very far”. So, he will take another sample from a few feet further up the stream, pan it down and see that there might be more pickers (or at least as many) as there were in his first pan. He also will cross over to the other side of the stream and pan samples to see which side the gold might be coming from.

and,​

he will continue sampling on up the stream………until……. he notices that his most recent pan shows very little gold, if any at all.

Then, he will pan a few samples in the area where he got his last good sample and the area where he found very little. It is this way that he can determine just where the gold has been eroding out of a vein somewhere up on the side of the hill, or in rare cases, out of the bedrock of the stream bed.

Once he has found the richest area of gold concentrates, (on either side of the stream), he will take samples from the bank of the stream and on up the hill, to determine from where the gold is being washed down into the stream by erosion and/or run-off from seasonal rains.

Now, if he has been getting gold in his samples, as he goes up the hill, and suddenly he gets a sample that has no gold, he knows that somewhere, just above where he got his last good sample, there’s in all probability a gold bearing vein of quartz. (Unless he gets extremely lucky and finds an exposed vein of gold bearing quartz).

At this point, if there is no exposed vein, he will have to dig into the eroded slough of the hill and see how deep the “host rock” is buried. Generally, in this type of find, the slough (eroded dirt and rocks) isn’t more than a few feet deep. Once he uncovers the solid host rock (bedrock), he will enlarge the hole, (always uphill), until he uncovers the gold bearing vein.

I would mention collecting samples of the quartz for assay, but since the gold he has been finding is much more than “microscopic”, by looking at the quartz vein, he should be able to see visible gold.

From this point on, it’s all about researching the records at the county recorders office and finding out if this particular area is free of prior claims.

If I have missed anything in this brief lesson, or if I haven’t been clear on one point or another, feel free to ask me, and I will answer to the best of my ability. You know how it is, you know what you’re talking about, so don’t realize that others might not understand some of the finer points. (lol)

 

[DaCapt]

great tips! Thanks Eagle! HH!

 

[EagleDown]

great tips! Thanks Eagle! HH!

You're more than welcome my Friend DaCapt!!

Keep watching, my next lesson will be about observing your surroundings to find gold bearing veins.
e.g.: Signs to look for.

Eagle

 

[Lanny in AB]

Eagle my friend,

You've been very busy over here. Things are looking great, and you're doing a fantastic job. It's nice that you're unselfishly sharing your learning and wisdom of how to chase the gold with others. I've posted your link over on my thread again, and I see that some more people are actually finding their way over here--I hope many more do as well. They're missing a real treat if they don't take the time to hop on over.

I've met prospectors that won't tell anyone anything about how to find the gold for any reason--ever. I'm not sure if people realize how lucky they are to have you giving them such potent information, but regardless--they are exceptionally lucky and it's nice to see that some are expressing their gratitude. You and I both know how many hours it takes to come up with just one story, and then when you head off to take pictures to document some of your stories, well that's just incredibly unselfish!


All the best to you Eagle--you're doing an incredible, unselfish job,

Lanny

 

[gold nuggets]

Eagle my friend,

You've been very busy over here. Things are looking great, and you're doing a fantastic job. It's nice that you're unselfishly sharing your learning and wisdom of how to chase the gold with others. I've posted your link over on my thread again, and I see that some more people are actually finding their way over here--I hope many more do as well. They're missing a real treat if they don't take the time to hop on over.

I've met prospectors that won't tell anyone anything about how to find the gold for any reason--ever. I'm not sure if people realize how lucky they are to have you giving them such potent information, but regardless--they are exceptionally lucky and it's nice to see that some are expressing their gratitude. You and I both know how many hours it takes to come up with just one story, and then when you head off to take pictures to document some of your stories, well that's just incredibly unselfish! All the best to you Eagle--you're doing an incredible, unselfish job,
Lanny

I couldn't agree more Lanny......Eagle, thanks for sharing your knowledge. It helps us "wanna-be" prospectors get a leg up on becoming a "real prospector".
Gold Nuggets

 

[EagleDown]

Eagle my friend,

You've been very busy over here. Things are looking great, and you're doing a fantastic job. It's nice that you're unselfishly sharing your learning and wisdom of how to chase the gold with others. I've posted your link over on my thread again, and I see that some more people are actually finding their way over here--I hope many more do as well. They're missing a real treat if they don't take the time to hop on over.

I've met prospectors that won't tell anyone anything about how to find the gold for any reason--ever. I'm not sure if people realize how lucky they are to have you giving them such potent information, but regardless--they are exceptionally lucky and it's nice to see that some are expressing their gratitude. You and I both know how many hours it takes to come up with just one story, and then when you head off to take pictures to document some of your stories, well that's just incredibly unselfish!


All the best to you Eagle--you're doing an incredible, unselfish job,

Lanny

Halito Lanny,

Thanks again for your encouraging words. And likewise, you have been doing an incredible job of
guidance for your readers at: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,453.0.html I hope that
with all of the information that you're GIVING AWAY about metal detecting for gold, how to decide
where to check for gold and the incredibilly beautiful photos of your Canadian "Gods Country",
combined with my attempts at educating the beginning prospector, the two of us are able to turn
out some cracking good miners.

When I began prospecting, (gold was only $35.00 per oz.) there were very few books written for
the "novice" prospector, so I had to resort to old obscure miners journals of finds and mining. So,
I spent a lot of time correlating different methods before I felt I had enough basic knowledge to
find gold on my own. And as you implied, most "real" miners seem to want to keep a sort of Mystique
in gold mining. Kind of like a kid; "Yah, yah, yah, I know something you don't know"!

Though now, there are many books on the subjects of prospecting, mining, recovery and metal
detecting, I've never felt that my research was wasted. Mainly, because I knew my information came
from old timers who had "been there, done that". Most modern books are written for gain, rather than
for altruistic reasons, such as to help others, so, you can never be sure if the information is totally true,
or has just been picked up from another book which might, or might not be true.

My main desire in this thread is to see my readers be successful, without having to make some of
the same mistakes that I did in the beginning.

In any case, thank you again for your post!! It is most welcome.

Love and Respect,

Eagle

 

[EagleDown]

I couldn't agree more Lanny......Eagle, thanks for sharing your knowledge. It helps us "wanna-be" prospectors get a leg up on becoming a "real prospector".
Gold Nuggets

Gold Nuggets,

Thank you!! As long as I feel that my writting is appreciated and helpful, I'll keep putting out my
stories and observations.

And, as I said before, if something I write doesn't make sense, just let me know and I'll try to
clarify it. Let's face it; I have too many "irons in the fire" at times, so my mind might be working
on something else while I'm typing. So, I might leave a crucial piece of information out of the
narrative. If so, please don't hesitate to remind me. I don't like to make mistakes.

Eagle

 

[EagleDown]

It's the time of year when our hearts open and we have thoughts about helping others. It's also a time when the economy is such that we want to conserve and make every dollar count. So, this is for the ones who manage to scrape together a few dollars to donate to a "worthy cause".

And, if you feel unable to give, at least forward this to your friends and aquaintances, If you have a hard time deciding on which Org. you would like to donate to, heck, just send it to me, With my Social Security, I can always use an extra buck or two!!

Love and Respect,

Eagle


As you open your pockets or purse for the next natural disaster
or consider simply making a gift this holiday season;
please keep these facts in mind.

· The American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha J. Evans salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses.

· The United Way President Brian Gallagher receives a $375,000 base salary along with numerous expense benefits.

· UNICEF CEO Caryl M. Stern receives $1,200,000 per year (100k per month) plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE. Less than 5 cents of your donated dollar goes to the cause.


GO "GREEN" INSTEAD AND PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE IT WILL DO SOME GOOD:



· The Salvation Army's Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a small salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization. 96 percent of donated dollars go to the cause.

· The American Legion National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

· The Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their
families and youth!

· The Disabled American Veterans National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

· The Military Order of Purple Hearts National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

· The Vietnam Veterans Association National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!

 

[Lanny in AB]

Eagle--I posted this on my link as the content of this video just blew me away. See what you think . . .

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yhar2op4RM&feature=related[/youtube]



I can't believe the size of these gold nuggets, nor can I believe what they're doing to them!! You have to see this to believe how uneducated they must be about the true value of large gold nuggets, or how desperate they must be to be doing what they're doing!

It would make me break down and cry to do something like that as well (one of the comments about the video).

All the best,

Lanny

 

[EagleDown]

Eagle--I posted this on my link as the content of this video just blew me away. See what you think . . .

I can't believe the size of these gold nuggets, nor can I believe what they're doing to them!! You have to see this to believe how uneducated they must be about the true value of large gold nuggets, or how desperate they must be to be doing what they're doing!

It would make me break down and cry to do something like that as well (one of the comments about the video).

All the best,

Lanny

I saw a documentary on this about 5 or 6 years ago. Wish I had downloaded and saved it now.
From what I remember, they formed "co-ops" and got equal shares of what was found. I thought
at the time it was a brainless way of doing it, as they were cutting it into pieces for each share.

Well to us, it might be weird, but we don't know what rules or laws they have to abide by.

Eagle

 

[EagleDown]

Some little hints!

Since I'm still working on my next lesson, as I have the time, I thought I would take a few minutes to come in with a few thoughts for those of you who know how to research history.

Back during the big "Gold Rush", there were many rich strikes made in the Western United States. That's a given. But, what most modern prospectors are not aware of is; a lot of these "strikes" are totally forgotten to history.

In a previous post, I mentioned a large operation on the hill above McCabe Flats, on the Merced River.

Back in the 1970s, I could find no one local who even knew that they were there. And, there's such a lack of knowledgable history about mining in Mariposa that personally, I had no idea of where to start looking for information. (Even if I had had the interest in doing so, at the time).

The point being, that while out hiking the hills, if you keep your eyes open, you'll find that there are clues to these "Lost Towns" scattered about almost everywhere. Especially in the state of California. And also, we have some awesome technology at our disposal that wasn't available even 10 years ago.

For instance; We have metal detectors that are vastly superior to the Bounty Hunter I started out with in about 1965. Look at the MineLab 5000 sold by Mike at woodlanddetectors.com. I've read what Lanny has to say about his at; http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,453.700.html What I'm waiting for is MineLab to announce that their new "6000" detector is out, and not only does it find the gold, but it also digs it for you.

Anyway, if you don't have Google Earth, take the time to check it out. Once you're in it, type in Briceburg, CA. Once it there, just follow the river downstream, (to the left). When you get to McCabe Flats, scroll up the hill just above the Flats. If you pan down for a close look, you can see a large area where it has been disturbed. There's no structures (or records) of this site, but I've walked the site a bit back in the 70s and there was a very large mining operation here at one time.

Also keep in mind, generally speaking, when a rich strike was made and the miners started "pouring" in, it seems that they soon wanted out of their tents, so they would start to build more perment structures.
Ergo: A town is born!!

Usually, the town was built fairly near, but on a presumably poor area that they felt held little likelyhood of holding gold. (Remember, most of the 49ers knew very little about actual gold mining).

So, remember, if you find one of these "lost" mining towns, study the area carefully!! If a school was built, as a general rule, they didn't tear it down to mine under it. The same with churches. Any of which "could" have been sitting on incredibly rich gold deposits. I remember an artical in the California Mining Journal back in the late 70s I think. A speculator wanted to buy Yuba City(?). He wanted to move the whole town, enmass, a few hundred feet away so that he could mine the gold under the town that the old timers didn't mess with. (Hmmm, perhaps that's the reason for the many tunnels under the town of Mariposa).

Also, remember that once a safe "ford" was found across a river or stream, in those days, it wasn't dug out, regardless of how rich it was on either side of the ford. As a matter of fact, I can show you at least 2 of these crossings around Mariposa area that I've panned decent gold on each side of and the crossings have never to this day been dug out for the gold.

As you're checking around your newly located "ghost town", use your powers of observation. Look for things that nature wouldn't have put there. i.e.: A small mound with a flat top; perhaps a house was there and the mound kept it above any flood waters. Or, a depression in an otherwise flat area might indicate that there was something buried there. Or a covered mine, Or perhaps an outhouse once stood there.

Well, this post is already longer than I entended, so until the next one,

Eagle

 

[Lanny in AB]

Eagle,

You never cease to amaze me with your insightful ideas on how to find "new" areas for gold! Fantastic tips--and I sure hope people appreciate the wealth of hard-earned knowledge that you're freely giving them.

All the best my friend,

Lanny