Alaskan Pay dirt

[SteveDigsGems]

Earlier this evening I decided to pan some Alaskan pay dirt that I bought from an eBay seller. I bought 1 pound for $15, and it is guaranteed to have gold, because the lady sprinkles a pinch in. I didn't get rich, but I am really happy with the experience I got out of it. I have a lot of friends that want to travel out to my local gold bearing rivers with me to sluice, but before we go, I'm probably going to have them pan some of the dirt in my backyard. It is a good opportunity for them to see how the gold behaves, and it will motivate them for the upcoming trip.





Sorry about the quality, my camera ran out of batteries, this is an iPad picture. I'll get some batteries next time I'm at the store and upload what I found.







-Steve

 

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[Jessicamae3]

My husband and little boy recently returned from a trip to NC to spend a week in my friends cabin. Thanks to the gold mining shows in Alaska, my son wanted to pan for gold while on vacation. Prior to leaving I used a gift card to an online sports store to purchase a panning kit and some boots for him to play in the small stream that ran through the property. My 5 year old had the best time ever. Where we stayed, Mica was everywhere...needless to say he thought he hit it rich!
We also purchased a beginning level metal detector and used it on the property. We found lots of junk and a long spike and threw it in the trash. Arriving home, we began to wonder where we could hunt and what possible rules were for hunting beaches, etc. That hunt led me here.
This story by Elkie has been so enjoyable to read! I love how hard her family is working to make a dream of theirs come true. How teaching her young child that hard work pays off! The good, the bad, and the difficult moments are proof that they are living...in the moment, working as a team! Truly inspiring.
Based on recommendations here, I went ahead and looked her up on the online bidding site to purchase some of the Alaskan pay dirt. What better way to relive the fun we experienced on our vacation!?
On our last day in NC, my son was viciously bitten by a dog on his face that was unprovoked and required the rabies shots and extensive plastic surgery that night. Needless to say I have had to find lots of inactive activities to keep him entertained as he heals. We are ten days out today and I must say the healing has been amazing and thus far without problem. Totally excited to receive the three packages we ordered. One for the little guy and then two for my older two children who could not travel as they spent the Father's Day weekend with their father who is very ill.
This is just info added to encourage Gold hunters every where. Your finds, your pay dirt, and your stories are bringing joy to many people. It's not about hitting it rich for us...it is about reliving an amazing moment. Gotta love the World Wide Web...gold panning

 

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[Jessicamae3]

In florida!

Sorry my son hit send by accident!

 

[GoldFracture]

In florida!

Sorry my son hit send by accident!

Dang! Hope your son make a quick recovery....

Keep it up elkie! Youre getting close.....

 

[Fullpan]

Welcome to tnet, Jessica - be warned that roaming the different forums here can be just as addicting as gold panning. Hope your son keeps improving!

 

[elkie13]

Hi guys, I never showed you the picture of our total last trip. You can see the little nugget we found toward the bottom.

Also I guess I forgot to tell you all that the backhoe breakdown ended up being a disconnected quick connect on a hose. I love it when the answer is cheap. Pretty rare when you have equipment.

Think we are going to be doing some test holes in different areas this weekend since the FS made us remove two of our three pieces of heavy equipment. And we can't really run the wash plant that way. Actually kind of looking forward to it. It's hard to look elsewhere when your on the gold. But gotta have a backup if the pay runs out...

 

[elkie13]

Since the forest service has us effectively shut down until we get our equipment back, we went back to the beginning and dug a few test holes. Gotta have another spot lined up in case this one runs out.
Also we washed rocks and cleaned up the last little bit of the good stuff we had.

We used the homemade trommel and ran backhoe buckets full through it. First hole, nothing, second we did find some color, doesn't look like much but it is considering that we were not anywhere deep enough and it is only one backhoe bucket worth. Hopefully you can see it in the picture.

The pictures are in order: cleanup of the last of the paydirt, trommel and the test hole results.

Last one is the kid holding a spruce grouse chick we almost stepped on, his mom was in the trees squeaking at us so we let him go and left the area for a while.

 

[SteveDigsGems]

Picture #2.. I need one of those!! >

I think my gold ebola (worse than gold fever) is acting up...

 

[elkie13]

Sorry I haven't updated you guys in a while. I haven't had the heart to talk about it. Despite their assurances that the would move our paper work through, the forest service is going pretty slow. Turns out there has to be a 30 day public comment period on any project this size. So we are hopeful that we may be able to work in the FALL. :-(.
Rest assured when I found out where the public can send their comments I will let you know.

Half of us spent the day hyroforceing the platform under the grizzly and washing the big rocks. Found a few pickers.
The other half went down in a canyon to dig test holes. We got some good color down there, but the holes keep filling with water.

 

[elkie13]

Hi everyone

The saga continues, still shut down. So right now we are tackling yet another federal agency, MSHA. Got the crew scheduled for training next week. In the meantime we took a weekend and visited some historic mines. We went to kennecot in Wrangell mountains and independence mine in hatcher pass. Was a great time and very informative. I couldn't help but wish I lived in the time where mining and miners were respected and not shunned by society.

If you guys ever visit Alaska I highly recommend both these places as must see!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Good advice for us visitors. I plan a couple month trip in a couple years to prospect, see all 7 national parks and generally tour around. Any tips on finding info on being a mining oriented tourist - where to get good info on sights and sites for visitors?

 

[Jeff95531]

Sounds like you and crew can't do any mining? That's just not right Glad you got to see some sights tho! I have a pic of the mine at Kennecot in my AK screensaver. Looks like that old building is holding up well. Must have been a PITA to build.

 

[Doitlaynstyle]

It's getting ridiculous that the govt is telling US what we can and can't do. They have forgotten that THEY work for US. Not the other way around. We own the land not them, It's getting very close to time to take back what is ours. By force if necessary. You know what stopped prohibition? They won't tell you this but The Fed realized that they couldn't afford all the missing agents who were trying to enforce the law..... what's scary is that the back country has allot more places to bury things you never want found and that should be scary for the Fed. As long as your smart enough to bury those things where people won't dig to look for gold..... lol

 

[Oakview2]

This whole thing is by design. They know by dragging their feet, and turning you over to MSHA, they can use up your small minning window of weather. SHAMEFUL....

 

[Aufisher]

Sounds like mafia practices to me. A slight of extortion followed by perpetual commission.

 

[huntsman53]

Hi guys, Ran two runs today, still running the cons. We came upon this neat clay layer in our dig. Smelled like swampy gym socks. But, we've never really found as gold as much in it as on it. Tough to dig, we wanted to where the bedrock was but we couldn't get through it. Water coming out had an oily sheen on it... I have a picture of our gold so far, somebody dumped it on to of the morning run before I could get a picture for you guys. Also have a picture to show you it's not all work and drama. This is grandpa signing Mexican lullabies for the kid.

elkie13,

I just happened onto your Thread and must say that I am enthralled by it! I gave up on watching Gold Rush along time ago and wish they were filming you and your crew instead. I am sorry that you have had breakdowns and are having issues with the National Forest folks and MSHA! Keep your' chins up and hopefully everything will work out and you can get back on the Gold! By the way, if the water coming out of the dark grey clay has an oily sheen on it, you might need to file an Oil Claim. You might want to dig into it a little further and deeper and see what comes up but cover it up if any NF or MSHA folks are planning on coming around and until you can find out what the ramifications and what needs to be donw, if in fact you may have hit an Oil deposit.

Good luck, take care and always be safe!


Frank

 

[elkie13]

Hello Folks,
Seems there are some of you that are planning trips to Alaska. I thought I might do a little post with places I've been and pay-to-pan and free areas where I have gotten good gold.

First off the two historic mines I just visited are Kennecott Copper Mine in McCarthy, Alaska. If you guys are planning a trip here, message me and I'll give you some tips on making this trip, its a little tricky with shuttles and places to park, etc.

Kennecott - Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

Independence Mine. This is not too bad of a drive from Anchorage, they even rent pans and let you work the tailing piles.

Independence Mine State Historical Park, Alaska State Parks

Now, my most favorite, pay-to-work claim. Its a little spendy, but I've always gotten my monies worth in gold in the end. In face quite a few people have joined the "one ounce club" on their facebook page this week. This is quite a drive, but if you are driving through Canada to get here, its not too far from where you cross the border in Tok.
Chicken Gold Camp, Chicken, Alaska: RV Park, Cabins, Caf, Gold Mine & Dredge

I have never worked here myself, but I have heard realty good things about Crow Creek Mine in Girdwood, again only a short drive from Anchorage.
THE HISTORIC CROW CREEK GOLD MINE Girdwood, Alaska


Now for free to pan areas:
This publication is for areas in my neck of the woods, on the Kenai Peninsula. I have gotten good gold in most of them, though some of the streams require a permit to dredge and open\closed dates if there are salmon in the stream. If you have any questions on these I may be able to help you, as I have worked most of them. In fact the one is even downstream from my claim. I've had the best luck on Resurrection Creek.
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/media...chures.Par.39962.File.dat/gold_panning_bk.pdf

I have also visited the Petersville area and had good luck, the road can be treacherous. If you are going to visit Denali National Park, its on your way.
http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/factsht/mine_fs/petersvi.pdf

There are many others in the interior, I have not visited them all but here's a little bit of info on them.

http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/factsht/mine_fs/caribou1.pdf
http://www.alaskacenters.gov/upload/Recreational-Gold-Mining-in-AK.pdf


Also for you GPAA folks, our local GPAA is absolutely HATED by the forest service (they actually told me they HATE them), but there are ways to get there and I could help you or so could these guys, they even have a dry claim right next to ours, but you have to walk.
KENAI AK CHAPTER
JOE DEMAREE
907-398-7808

I don't know much about the other GPAA claims in the state.

I have been known to set people up on my claim with a sluice box and put them on the gold, but with the hot water I'm in and the attention on us, I'm too afraid to do this anymore. But if you guys have any more questions, let me know ok?

Also, my biggest piece of advice, if your driving around Alaska, you need to buy a Milepost book, you wont be sorry.

 

[Sample Pan Dan]

Thanks Elkie. A world of info!

 

[KevinInColorado]

That's a great jump start for my planning, thanks so much!

 

[elkie13]

It's bear country up here. Look who came to visit this morning. Mother and almost full grown cub. They were just passing through, didn't bother anyone.

 

[elkie13]

Hi folks,

Day one of MSHA training complete. I feel overwhelmed. These regulations and standards we have to adopt are written for multinational corporations with deep pockets. Add to that that many of the Requirements under MSHA are a direct violation of Forest Service regulations, which master do I serve? I have often wondered why we are the only small operation that I know of in our area, guess I have my answer now...

Is the American Dream even real? Not if your dreams include mining apparently. Sorry to be melodramatic, if anyone out there has experience with this I would appreciate some encouragement here.