We found gold in an old gold mine!

[Joanne]

Jeff Williams claimed this mine when its claim was not renewed by the previous operator. We've been trying to get down into the workings for a while now. We've replaced 30 feet of ladder and cleaned out a lot of rubbish that made descent quite hazardous. On this trip we were able to get down to the first working level at 250 feet. The incline continued down as far as we could see. We planned to explore the first level, then keep heading down. Our plans changed when Max found gold. We can't wait to head back!

Joanne

 

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[IMAUDIGGER]

I like your enthusiasm.

 

[Joanne]

I like your enthusiasm.

Thank you! Some people are natural in front of a camera. I'm not one of them... :-) I'm trying though.

Joanne

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

You did fine.

Your buddy Jeff is holding out on you.
Where is the picture of the little string of gold in the pan?

I KNOW that was the first thing he did when he got back (crush & pan). Those were not specimens, but obviously were worth crushing.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I know many of us were hoping you guys spent time scaling loose rocks all the way down and shoveling that loose ore back away from around the shaft after the first level.

It looked like you were taking every precaution. I couldn’t help but cringe when Jeff turned the camera up the shaft with someone climbing down! Busted nose...fractured skull. Dang those rocks would hurt.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Great Vid!

 

[Joanne]

You did fine.

Your buddy Jeff is holding out on you.
Where is the picture of the little string of gold in the pan?

I KNOW that was the first thing he did when he got back (crush & pan). Those were not specimens, but obviously were worth crushing.

Actually Max and Kristopher did all the digging, and Jeff sent all of the ore home with them. Max has a crusher and mill, so he processed it. Here's a picture of one of the pans.



Max gave me one rock for my birthday and I found the other in the drift.

No one is getting rich but we are having a great time!

Joanne

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Thanks!
That looks like a decent pan depending on how many rocks were crushed.

Of course it was kind of cherry picked.

I would have had a gold bug2 down there.

 

[Joanne]

I know many of us were hoping you guys spent time scaling loose rocks all the way down and shoveling that loose ore back away from around the shaft after the first level.

It looked like you were taking every precaution. I couldn’t help but cringe when Jeff turned the camera up the shaft with someone climbing down! Busted nose...fractured skull. Dang those rocks would hurt.

We have already cleared away a lot of dangerous debris that had fallen down the incline and gotten wedged. You are right that there is a lot more cleanup to improve the safety. We are planning another working trip to replace a lot of broken rungs and clean up around the collar at that first level. It's pretty scary with the tire just hanging right on the edge. Wouldn't take but a nudge for it to head for the bottom. Gravity and mass aren't very forgiving.

Years ago I was stuck by a grapefruit sized rock from about 15 feet above me. It whacked my helmet, ricocheted off my shoulder bone, and took a chunk out of my arm. It took every bit of strength I had to climb back up the shaft and out of the mine. I thought I had fractured my shoulder, so we headed to the closest town. By the time we got there I knew it wasn't broken, but only badly bruised. I got a bag of ice and kept it cold until the ice ran out. I had limited use for the next week or so. From that time on, the mine has been referred to as the "Killer Mine".

Joanne