Curious about Old Hard Rock Surface Mines

[desertgolddigger]

I live in 29Palms, California, just about 20 miles or so from the Dale Mining District. Most of the miners were gone by the 50's/60's, but there is still prospecting done by the amateur.

If I can determine if it is safe for me to travel out there in my Honda CRV, I plan to look around after some five years away from the pastime.

I am curious about whether there is still gold in the quartz and surrounding rock of these old surface mines. I know to stay away from shafts and tunnel mines, but there are several that were just gouged out of the earth that are anywhere from a few feet deep to maybe a trench of 15 feet. I don't have any experience with hard rock mining, but watched "Ice Cold Gold" and they seemed to be able to get by with very basic tools like a chisel, sledge hammer, specimen bags and shovel, and elbow grease.

Has anyone ever tried their luck at mines like these, and did you find any gold from the processed rock. To me, finding even a little bit makes me happy. It is the activity, and hunt that excites me, not the amount. I know that unless I happen to get super lucky, I am not even going to pay for my gas and travel. And besides, I am getting fatter, and need the exercise. SMILES!!!

Oh, I did purchase a 10x10 inch square steel plate to pound out lead and other pliable metals some time ago. I imagine that this and the sledge hammer, with some kind of thick cloth over it could be used to smash the rock. I also saw a small manual rock crusher on EBay called a "Sore Thumb" I would imagine that you would still have to fracture your specimens into smaller pebble sized chunks before using this type of crusher.

I would also imagine that any gold that might have been loose in the area has washed downslope. The only problem would be if it has been prospected of late. Not sure how far away gold travels. I am guessing the larger stuff doesn't go too far, but the smaller stuff can travel for some distance.

Anyway, I would love some advice and your experiences in this area. Caley

 

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[Tree!]

Get in with the First Class Miners out of Yucca Valley. You can go to their claims as a member, and it's good networking to make friends there and get leads. They're a great bunch of people!

 

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[desertgolddigger]

I got out this morning, and it almost turned into a disaster. Gold Crown Road is totally different from five years ago. At the road split I went left, where it usually was hardpan. It was sand, eight inches deep. I had to dig lanes out for my front tires twice, but I finally got out, and headed back to the main road, defeated.

I stopped where the miners had set up the rock crushing operation to look around for possible metal detecting. I doubt it is worth trying, as there is so much trash the miners in the old days just tossed. There is also an old vertical mine shaft fenced in. So, apparently they found a pay streak even there.

I checked some of the rocks there, and some were quite heavy, compared to others of similar size. But I did not see any mineralization in them. They were more like quartz aggregate. I brought one home to chip some off of and crush, but nothing but fine powder quartz, and some yellow mineralization, and a tiny bit of black material. Just no shining gold colour. This rock totally resisted a two pound sledge hammer, but I managed a few chips which were what I sampled.

I think I will be going to the Valley Prospectors meeting, down in San Bernardino this Thursday to attend their monthly meeting. They require $40 per year membership, and I believe, a $100 buy in to be a prospecting member. But they have a bunch of claims, though the closest is probably 100 miles away. I guess a trip once a month would be just fine, especially if I can get a few hundredths of a gram, at least something to show for the effort.

Hopefully I can connect with someone who can tell me if my car can traverse the roads to their claims. I definitely cannot get out into the local area. It just isn't safe anymore. Caley

 

[Jeff95531]

Welcome to the forum Caley. I just caught up with the posts here on your thread. I am not a desert prospector but I congratulate you on getting out and having a plan B. There ALWAYS seems to be some sort of mayhem with ANY prospecting trip...you can count on it. I agree the metal detector would be the way to go in your area/situation. Something to look forward to (as I do...as I can afford it).

I would drive as far as your current vehicle can go safely and hike to areas (too hot for that now...but always tell a trusted buddy where you might be if you go alone). Nothing like boots on the ground for research. Of course, lots of research first...which will tell you where and if you can make it.

Also, I'd like to offer up some helpful links to subscribe to:

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/m...9-bedrock-gold-mysteries-139.html#post4574696

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/398442-gold-hunting-prospecting-tips.html

Tons of good info in the two above. The first is more in line with metal detecting but you'll likely read both front to back as they are EXCELLENT!

The next link is from gold tramp. It is located in yet another part of this forum called Prospectors Journals which ALSO has tons of stories and tips.

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/454148-desert-prospecting.html

Finally, there is the research end. For decades we have tried to do on our own what Clay Diggins has done. Put tons of searchable information on gold in one central location. Welcome to Land Matters

It is technical in nature and I am a bit (OK, a LOT) impatient when it comes to learning new things, so I had another member (goldenIrishman) teach me how to use it (over the phone no less). He has been in the AZ desert prospecting full time for the past few months and is a great guy just like most here. http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/p...3-goldenirishman-s-monsoon-mining-thread.html

Good luck to you and hope you find some good gold. You are in a great area, it just has it's own unique way of giving up the gold it holds. Stick with us and you'll find it.
Jeff

 

[desertgolddigger]

Hi Jeff, Thanks for the warm welcome, and thanks for the links. I really am not much of a prospector. I actually just like to dry wash for gold, and unfortunately, the local area is just too dangerous to attempt in my car, as I mentioned. The best metal detecting areas for the Gold Crown Road area are actually about 10 miles in, so that is just a tad farther than hiking distance. Five years ago I could easily get my car around Gold Crown Road. I just made the mistake of coming back through another route, and failed to negotiate the climb out of that wash, getting stuck badly, twice. I won't even attempt to go back into that area after today. I guess the only vehicles that can make it now are 4x4's, and that is a few years off for me.

Yes, my Plan B is to join another club, the Valley Prospectors. The local club, the First Class Miners have their claims in areas I cannot get into with my vehicle, so no point in rejoining it. Hopefully things will happen to me positively for a change. I just cannot take getting stranded in the desert again. I know there have to be claims that are accessible by my front wheel car, Honda CRV. It's just a matter of finding one. Caley

 

[goldenIrishman]

One last thing, if you are going to get into crushing rocks... Get a good belt, I hadn't worn one since high school.. I wear one now...
Crushing rocks gets addictive, and I was picking them up everywhere and putting them in my pockets, and my pants kept falling down.

Thanks Bob! That was a visual I didn't need running through my head!

 

[desertgolddigger]

Oh darn, and I wasn't there to see.

I may eventually try crushing rocks, but not for now. I just became a member of the Valley Prospectors out of San Bernardino, California. They have quite a few claims, and many are hard packed roads, unlike my local area, that has many roads that are not maintained. I will have to travel quite a ways farther, but that is better than having to get towed. Cheaper in the long run. Caley