Buying a gold mining claim in Oregon

[RattlingDan]

I just spent a few days on the Sixes River in Southern Oregon. I was at the BLM campground where it is open to the public for prospecting.
I am now curious as to how I go about finding a private claim to purchase.
Suggestions?

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Family Maps of Hinds County, Mississippi, Deluxe Edition - Grab it through Amazon!

[bobw53]

In general, you don't "BUY" a claim.. You "STAKE" a claim..

People do sell claims, you see 'em on E-bay on occasion, and if you buy one, you have a 99.9% chance of tossing your
money down the drain. Either crappy ground, or by just flat out getting screwed, or by buying a claim that is invalid.

I'm not saying that it never happens that a good and legitimate claim comes up for sale, but it certainly isn't a very common
thing, at least compared to the BS scams out there...

RESEARCH!!! Figure out the process.. RESEARCH.. Put some boots on the ground.. RESEARCH!!!!

Its an antiquated, backwards, clunky, convoluted system.. Its VERY VERY confusing at first... There are NO SHORTCUTS.. When people are
telling you to go down to the clerks office and pull paperwork.. You HAVE TO go down to the clerk's office and pull paperwork.. And its not
a pretty map.. Its a giant puzzle...

I'm just saying all that as a warning.. YES its difficult and intimidating at first, YES its confusing... But if you put in the legwork, and do the
research, you can stake your own claim... On ground that you know is OPEN, and actually has GOLD!!!!


How do I know this?? Well.. back a few years ago I got the FEVER, I got it BAD!!! So did my Dad.. And we ended up buying a claim on E-bay.. It
wasn't much money.. And we got screwed.. We bought it because we had the FEVER!! and staking our own claim seemed so damn complicated and confusing..

Anyways... In the process of trying to figure out why the guy we bought the claim from wouldn't return any e-mails... Started learning the ropes... The
GeoCommunicator (pretty much dead now), the LR2000, going to the clerks office and pulling paperwork.. Plat maps ETC.....

Ended up staking the claim that I had already paid for.. It was a learning experience... Lost a few dollars, but gained far more than that in education..


So... You too can stake your own claim.. Its really not all that hard, its just confusing.. There are a ton of folks here that will help you along the
way, you just have to ask.

1st step.. The LR2000 (which is a confusing mess of its own).. Fortunately Landmatters has all that info... Landmatters will show you where
the PRIVATE land is that you shouldn't go on, and get you down to the 1/4 section... Then its down to the clerks office to
figure out EXACTLY where the existing claims are (if you are lucky, its online)...

That first step should be performed any time you are going out to dig, so you know that you aren't on anybody elses claim.

From there the rest of it is actually pretty simple..

 

[KevinInColorado]

My tip for you is to focus on a waterway/area you would like to own a claim in. Get the existing claim numbers and owner names from mylandmatters, then go to the county to get copies of the detailed claim maps. By matching them up, you'll probably find gaps. Go sample the gaps and file a claim on the most productive/promising one. Your total cash spent will be about $250 btw.

 

[sprailroad]

I "Bought" a placer claim, a few or more years ago from a well known fella in the mining community here, and I may put it up for sale myself next year, only because the body does not work as it did at one time. bobw53 is correct about "staking" a claim, but his mistake was "buying" anything like this thru "E-Bay". If you are looking to buy one, check any local mining shops, there are sometimes for sale adds posted, and perhaps a copy of "Mining Journal" there are adds in the back that might fit an area you are looking for. Good luck to either way. Forget E-BAY.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

I heard the rumor that a guy that owns several mines in southern Oregon and Northern California recently got sentenced to 180 years in prison...maybe his mining ground (patented and unpatented) will be coming up for sale soon.

 

[Goldwasher]

if you don't know how to locate a claim your self then don't buy one.

That being said you will see claims in good areas on craigslist that people are selling they are usually over priced based on the fact that they aren't professionally sampled typically.

Learn to prospect, work ground you are allowed to as you become more familiar with hat you are doing and here you are you may come across something that is open and good.

if you have any questions just ask

 

[Johnnybravo300]

There are good claims for sale and alot of scammers too. There are at least 20 gold claims around me that have no gold and are eBay.
You better avoid the Bureau of land Management guy on eBay and there's another one...weinman maybe was his last name? They paper stake claims near mining areas and sell them for a few grand to 3500 each on eBay.
Before you purchase make sure you go test for yourself.
The seller should have no probs with that.

 

[Oregon Viking]

My tip for you is to focus on a waterway/area you would like to own a claim in. Get the existing claim numbers and owner names from mylandmatters, then go to the county to get copies of the detailed claim maps. By matching them up, you'll probably find gaps. Go sample the gaps and file a claim on the most productive/promising one. Your total cash spent will be about $250 btw.

Make sure you have a suitcase for the detailed claim maps, Sixes is one of my stomping grounds and there are a lot of claims.

 

[Oregon Viking]

I "Bought" a placer claim, a few or more years ago from a well known fella in the mining community here, and I may put it up for sale myself next year, only because the body does not work as it did at one time. bobw53 is correct about "staking" a claim, but his mistake was "buying" anything like this thru "E-Bay". If you are looking to buy one, check any local mining shops, there are sometimes for sale adds posted, and perhaps a copy of "Mining Journal" there are adds in the back that might fit an area you are looking for. Good luck to either way. Forget E-BAY.

Really......
I'am working on getting.....and finishing, a log home on the Applegate, I would be very interested.

 

[Clay Diggins]

You will need to do some work if you want to buy a mining claim that will be worth anything. As several knowledgeable people have pointed out your odds of buying a valid mining claim with enough gold to pay for gas are slim to none. There are a lot of thieves selling mining claims. That's always been true it's not just a recent phenomenon.

Here are the general steps to finding a mining claim worth buying. I've done this research a lot for both large and small miners and I can tell you from experience that leaving any one of these steps unfinished is a potentially very expensive mistake. I've tried to present these in a logical order so you don't waste time, money and energy on obviously bogus claims. If you aren't concerned with time, money and energy you can do these in any order you want.

1. Check the immediate area the mining claim being sold is in to see if there is any historical record of there being good paying claims or mines nearby. If there is no such historical record move on to the next claim for sale. Experienced prospectors know the best area to find gold in is where gold has been found before. If the seller tries to tell you otherwise take his name off the list of people you might consider buying from, he is either ignorant or a liar.
2. Check that the historically successful mines in the area actually mined gold as their primary paying ore. Most mines don't mine gold. There are a lot of paying minerals besides gold. You probably don't want to buy someone's asbestos or lead mine.
3. Learn the PLSS system of land designation. You will need to know how that works before you can do the next steps. It's the system to describe the public lands where mining claims are located. There is no substitute for this knowledge.
4. Get the PLSS designation of the mining claim location and the Mining Claim case file serial number at the BLM. Get the full name of the seller.
5. Look up the Mining Claim case file serial number on the LR2000. Make sure the PLSS description, claim name and owner name match the information you got in step 4 above. If any of the details don't match the information you were given move on to another seller. A serious seller will not give you the wrong information.
6. Check the location date of the claim on the LR2000 serial register report. If the claim is less than three years old or it was transferred within the first year of location look for another seller. These are some of the signs of a claim scam.
7. Check the register of actions on the serial register page and see if the claim is being challenged or the claimants have been late on their filings. If so move on to another seller.
8. Check the register of actions to see if a maintenance waiver is in effect. If it is make sure you understand your obligations and ensure the seller completes his work and filing requirements before you buy the claim.
9. Go to the County Recorder's office where the claim is located. Get copies of the original Location Notice(s), Maps, Amendments, Quit Claims, Leases, Labor and or Intent to Hold records for every year since the claim was located. If you can't go physically to the County Recorders office some Recorders have an online document index and sometimes even the ability to view copies of the claims records online. If not you may have to pay to have those records researched and copied. There is no need to pay extra for Certified copies at this point.
10. Ensure the original Location Notices, Amendments and annual Recordings are complete for each year, are in the name of the seller and the claim has no liens or leases encumbering it.
11. While you are dealing with the County Recorder get copies of the most recent current Location Notice or Amendments for every other ACTIVE claim nearby. I usually find that a 9 Section search grid around the claim you are considering is enough. Claims can be located across two sections but only show up in one with a limited search area. Make sure to get the current Location maps along with the Notices for all those claims.
12. Get yourself a pencil, ruler and a topo map of the claim area. You will want the old style topo map with the PLSS Township, Range, Section and quarter quarter section grids printed on the map. Draw out the location of the claim you are considering buying. Draw out each claim near the claim for sale on the topo map. This is pretty easy if you are dealing with modern placer claims. Much more difficult if there are a lot of lode claims.
13. When your map is finished look for other claims overlapping the one you are considering buying. It's pretty common to see one or more claims overlapping one another. If there are any claims overlapping the one you are considering buying walk away from the sale. An honest claim owner would have sued and had the overlapping claims removed by the courts. If they haven't they can not pass you a clear title to the claim.
14. If the claim has no other claims near it the seller is trying to sell you worthless dirt. Paying claims aren't going to be found where there are no other claims. If all the other claims around the claim you are considering were located by your seller run, don't walk, to the nearest exit. You are dealing with a claims monger. This is common and a big red warning sign.
15. If you got this far and things are looking good you can now deal with the seller. The first thing to do is to ask the seller to provide all their labor, expense and recovery records. A serious miner will have a good idea of the size and nature of the gold deposit and reasonable estimates of the best methods and expense of mining the deposit. The better and more complete the written records the potentially more valuable the claim is. Good documentation is worth money to a wise buyer.
16. Examine the claim. Start by walking the boundaries, checking for marked corners and the general type of soil, rock exposures and access. If you can't figure out a reasonable access or the overburden is deep the claim may not be worth mining no matter how good the records show the deposit to be.
17. If all is good at this point you need to sample the claim. This is a real skill so you may want to hire an experienced prospector with a verifiable track record. Sampling should produce actual gold if you are buying a gold claim. "Signs" of gold or gold type mineralization don't mean squat. You are looking for proof of good pay ground. Sampling should take place with your own equipment that the seller has never been near and without the seller on site. Never sample with the sellers equipment or help. Don't sample sites that the seller has pointed out to you before. If the seller balks at any of these requirements you are best off to walk away from the claim. Salting a claim is a practice older than writing and it's still very common today.

There are two more steps before you get to the paperwork and money part. You need to ask these questions of yourself and the claim seller. I'm putting these steps separate because they may lead you to not want to buy any claim.

1. Why the heck would anyone sell a good paying gold mine? A real gold mine is better than owning your own bank. The gold is there for you and your ancestors. The only limit to the wealth you can extract is the amount of work you are putting in and the extent of the deposit. Your seller had better have a very convincing answer on the tip of his tongue. If the seller hesitates or has a wimpy answer you really have to suspect their motive in selling. Rarely a good claim does come up for sale but the seller always knows why they are selling, the true value of the claim and wants to get a pretty good chunk of what it's worth.

2. Considering that the skills and work required to buy a good claim are actually more work and more risky than actually prospecting for and making your own claim for $250 why should you buy the sellers claim? This is first a question for the seller but it's also a question you should already have answered for yourself. The answer to this question is at the core of what you and the seller are doing. Buying a claim is a risky and expensive business. A first timer rarely comes out ahead on the deal. The experience needed to prospect for and claim a paying gold deposit are the same skills you need to buy a paying claim.

Keep in mind that if you do buy a claim the claim will be transferred to you with a notarized Quit Claim. A Quit Claim only transfers the sellers rights in the claim. If they have leased or mortgaged the claim or if they have partners or are overclaimed you may not get all the mineral rights with the claim. This isn't like buying a house or land - there is no warranty deed or title insurance to bail you out if the seller was less than honest. You must do your own due diligence.

I hope that helps you on the road to a good paying claim. Whether you end up buying or locating your own claim it's best if you go into this with your eyes wide open.

Good Luck!

Heavy Pans

 

[The_Piratess]

Thanks for the great and very generous information Clay!

 

[sprailroad]

Wow, Clay Diggins would be the "Go To" guy on this topic. Best & most complete advice I've ever seen. Most all of which I knew nothing of years ago. This just shows that you can & do get great advice on this forum.

 

[johnedoe]

Great info there Clay.....
Thank you for you time and energy on that......

 

[Rail Dawg]

I have claims for sale in Rye Patch, NV.

One of the best known areas in Nevada for placer gold.

Section 08 in T32 R32.

Not advertising here simply pointing out that for $2500 you get a claim in a section known for it's gold.

I bought a claim in Rye Patch off eBay and it worked out well.

Got me into actual mining and gave me time to learn the ropes.

Staking claims correctly is very difficult and getting claims in known areas for gold is even harder.

Buying and selling claims is a part of mining that goes back centuries.

Nothing wrong with it if you do your homework.

Maybe not the popular opinion here but I'd buy another claim again in a heartbeat if I was just starting out.

 

[et1955]

It is all about options, Ebay is one of them, yes there are scammers on there but ounce in a while a good seller comes on with a good valid claim. There is a reason they call it mining the internet.