Georgetown Divide Gold

[Asmbandits]

As some of you know I spend a lot of time on the Georgetown and Forest hill divides, I have a claim that I am still in the prospect stage with and am beginning to find a a nice pay streak of sorts which is great as the gold there is very hard to find compared to other areas. I spent a day here with the old man on sunday, half the day was spent exploring the claim and areas ive never been above and below just looking around, I caught a 5" brook trout with my gold pan with little effort this day, was in the right place at the right time walking past a finger of water in bedrock no larger that half a bath tub and saw the trout in there, quickly I put my pan down at the mouth and the trout darted for the exit and wound up swimming right into my pan! I carried him in the pan all the way back to the claim only to show my dad and then realized I did not have my phone on me to take a pic oh well I thought it was kinda of neat and so did pops, I then let him go and he swam off un harmed.

We did a lot of sampling this day found about 1.5 grams with just pans and hand tools and some know how and hard work, he managed to spy a nice picker where he dug and I found myself a nice chunky one as well, in all was a great day.

The next day we went to a area we had only been to one other time, its way way out there, a good hour ride from camp and one of the most difficult and dangerous rides we have ever done. Then from where we park the bikes its another super ruff mile hiking with no trial to follow, we had to blaze one ourselves. We got to the area and started sampling and were coming up with very little , very surprising for the area but we were seeing decent color here and there. We were working and area about 30-40 feet out of the water, very traveled bedrock pockets here and there so I knew if I found something it would probably be on the larger size are it would have to be to get stuck here as the water must have been moving fast through there some time eons ago. We were just about give up and make the trek out when I did just one more pan and bam!

Found a nice 4.72 gram nugget stuck in the garret 1/2" classifier! ALWAYS CHECK YOUR CLASSIFIER! you just never know... This piece is a beauty, it looks like a large crystalline leaf thats been very traveled and worn and folded over, definitely made the long hard trek out there worth it.

Here is a photo, all of the small gold is my take from the claim while the larger nugget is from the new prospect. I know ill be back to this area again some day but it damn near killed me getting in and out, definitely will have to rest up and come up with a game plan and hit it again when the time and temperature are right. Yellow Pans to you all!

 

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[Asmbandits]

Sorry about the inverted pics, I tried to correct it and it just made it worse..

 

[Hefty1]

Nice!

 

[mytimetoshine]

Wow what a beauty!
Looks like foot.

 

[Asmbandits]

LOL your right it does never noticed that until you said it.

Im tempted to un fold it as really like one super big flake, and it has so much crystalline character im sure it would look amazing but I don't want to break it in the process and this is how I found it and thats neat in itself..

 

[huntsman53]

Congrats on some nice Gold and a really nice and interesting looking nugget! I think that I would leave it as found but if you try to unfold it, you might try heating with a high heat blow (hair) dryer which should loosen the molecules in the Gold enough for it to unfold.


Frank

 

[Asmbandits]

Thanks Frank thats a good idea, Im leaning towards just leaving it be at this point, I cleaned it up some and man im one happy prospector! Ive been starting to find a few pieces of gold that have a crystalline appearance. This piece was definitely a large fanned out feather like piece that got smashed together during its travels, here another small flake that I found last time on the claim that has similar characteristics, this one less traveled.

 

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

Nice find man! ...I need to do some more homework-Apparently it pays off!

 

[Aufisher]

Nice slug!

 

[Asmbandits]

Yeah research lead me on to this area but like my dad said you dig enough areas and enough time spent at it your bound to come up with something good one day. Probably did a thousand pans over years of searching and it just so happened this time I ended up with something good. Its all an odds game really, you can affect your odds more in your favor with research and devotion knowledge, equipment, ground ect but you gotta put that stuff to use on a regular as well. The more time you spend searching its only a matter of time until you un earth something substantial. Heck its not the greatest find but its another step closer to one.

I think this is why I love panning and keeping it simple, it allows you to really get out and search and look for the honey holes, I think I like the adventure and discovery part of prospecting more than the just finding a spot and digging for hours like I should be doing on my claim lol.. I guess if the ground was paying enough consistently I might change my mine on that..

On another note I weighted the little chunk I pulled from the claim and it came in at .53 grams, not bad for a little picker.. Definitely doesn't look like it would weigh that much.

 

[huntsman53]

Thanks Frank thats a good idea, Im leaning towards just leaving it be at this point, I cleaned it up some and man im one happy prospector! Ive been starting to find a few pieces of gold that have a crystalline appearance. This piece was definitely a large fanned out feather like piece that got smashed together during its travels, here another small flake that I found last time on the claim that has similar characteristics, this one less traveled.

View attachment 1176092

That is another awesome looking Gold nugget! It would be something to see them in the host rocks which were probably Quartz and with the Gold still attached, it probably looked like Brain Coral.


Frank

 

[Hoser John]

Amazing place there around Georgetown. The remenents of the old road used to go down to the MFA just outta town and sure was nice gold down there. Cherokee Bar and Drivers Flats way over regulated now and hit pretty hard. Old story about a crowd of Chinese miners attacked by white miners and holed up in a huge cave(north side) and the miners blew up the entrance. Supposed to be their camp in there also with gold stash. That is one cold canyon in the winter as a bummer when you must remove the engine oil at night and take it home to keep it warm for engine to start in the am or no go as frozen- Lotza luck-John

 

[Asmbandits]

Yes its a very interesting area indeed, lots of history and remnants of old workings that shaped the land into what it is now. Its tricky getting down to the MFA, there are a few roads and trail but some are now on private property and some you still have to hike a long ways down. Cherokee bar is worked hard but the old workings down there still hold traces of gold here and there and is a good spot to take a newbie if you want to for sure get some color (if you know where to dig)

Ive heard that story about the Chinese miners so many different ways, in the cave, in a house set on fire, shoot in the house etc. but in all it was a massacre and the Chinese were hated there for years after still, the white miners even went to congress trying to get help removing them. Heard a story about counterfeit gold dust that was traced back to the Chinese on the MFA as at the time all the white men were working the creeks, drifts and seams above and the Chinese were the only ones still working the rivers. Turns out the counterfeit gold dust was actually platinum..

 

[CApicker]

Wow fantastic find. Cheers!

 

[calsierra-Dan]

Ahh yes Gtown lotsof chunky crystiline gold out there! Nice nug

 

[Honest Samuel]

Sorry about the inverted pics, I tried to correct it and it just made it worse..

Relax, you are doing the best you can. Good hunting and good luck.

 

[Asmbandits]

Thanks Dan! Im still looking for this guys big brother.. and sister...and.......

Here are some better pics of this piece since I've unfolded and cleaned it.
View attachment 1475916

View attachment 1475918

 

[calsierra-Dan]

Yeah ive been lookin as well ill post a pict of a piece i found last year ! only .50 but cant beat raw gold!

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

Nice that you have paying bedrock on un-claimed ground so close to your mining claim.
I'd be cleaning out some of the crevices in that area for sure!

 

[Asmbandits]

I actually have yet t go back to this location since it was so hard to get to, not close to my claim at all actually on the other side of the divide. My brother went over the trail on his bike last trip there, luckily the trial switch backs up the mountain and we were able to get his bike down to the trail below.. If not for this the bike would still be down there in the canyon..

I am planning on getting back up there this season if I can get down the trail, Its going to be some adventure for sure and will make for some good video!