Illinois gold prospecting

[mu50stang]

I have been going crazy trying to get an idea in illinois(near chicago) or indiana were i can pan for gold. Any help would so much appreciated. Thanks.

 

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[B H Prospector]

Hi Stang,
hat you will have in Indiana is glacial gold deposits as will be in Illinois. There isn't much information on gold being found in Illinois however. In Indiana look in the Northern third of Brown county, Carrol Co. within 3 miles of Delphi, Cass co. near Logansport, and Fourteen Mile Creek in Clark Co. 3 1/2 miles NE of Charlestown, in Clinton CO. in the Kilmore Branch of the S. Fork of the Wildcat River. These are just a few of the counties in Indiana where gold has been found. Check the inside bends of rivers and creeks and look for exposed bedrock both in the creek and on the banks above the water line. Make sure you have owner permission if on private land. Also the Morgan-Monroe State Forest is open to panning. A permit is required and can be obtained at: Morgan-Monroe State Forest
6220 Forest Road
Martainsville, In 46151
765-342-4026
There is camping there also. Call as rates can change. The Forest personel are said to be helpful. There have been good reports about this site. Good reports have also come from near by Yellowwood State Forest. There are about 11 other counties that have reports of gold also.
Hope this helps. Good Luck .
B H Prospector

 

[russau]

i know several prospectors in the Chicago area. you may want to look into the northern chapter of the GPAA and look over www.midwestprospector.com Chuck Lassiter

 

[CGC Miner]

I have heard of small amounts of gold being found in the streams of Northern Ill and South West Wisconsin that drain from the glacial drumlins of that area.
If I can dig up that information, I will gladly share it with you.
Good Luck,
CGC

 

[wrinkles]

i live in nw illinois. i might be wrong, but i think i read that any kind of gold prospecting in illinois is illegal, that the state owns all the mineral rights. so i guess if you do find gold, you are suppose to turn it into the state. in other words, go tattle on yourself.

 

[russau]

reading and understanding the laws in Ill. would be a great help in knowing what you can or canot do! do your research first,then go out and have some fun!guessing what you can or canot do will only get you and others in trouble!

 

[wrinkles]

i did do the research. it seems you are the one lacking the ability.

Laws & Regulations for Prospecting Gold in Illinois
.

Gold prospecting is allowed in Illinois.
gold image by Raimundas from Fotolia.com Gold has never been mined commercially in Illinois, but some people have had success prospecting for gold along rivers and streams and excavation sites. Prospecting in Illinois is regulated by state laws and violating these laws is punishable by fines and possibly jail time. If you follow the rules, you can prospect gold in Illinois.
Property Rights
The cardinal rule of prospecting in Illinois is that you must have permission from the owner of the property. Prospecting without permission is considered trespassing and you can be arrested. You should contact the owner of the land and get his written permission to prospect the land in case any troubles arises.
Public Land
The state of Illinois has outlawed panning on any and all state-owned sites, including parks and preserves, but other forms of prospecting are allowed with a permit. The only federal land available for prospecting is Shawnee National Forest, but you must first apply and be approved for prospecting and issued a permit by the Forest Supervisor. It is illegal to prospect without a permit.
Mineral Rights
If you are given a permit to prospect for gold on land owned by the state of Illinois, then you are unable to claim mineral rights if you do find gold on public lands through excavation or other means. The state maintains all mineral rights to gold found on public land. You must notify Illinois Department of Natural Resources of any gold found.
.

 

[russau]

Wrinkels ,your comment wasnt called for! i think you read toooo much into my post. dont be so defensive!

 

[Bumpstick]

To Wrinkles.
How can you prospect for gold in Illinois without using a pan?
What other forms of prospecting are allowed?

 

[wrinkles]

it beats me. i'm heading west in a couple of weeks. there is a park in southern illinois where you can look for gold. i can't remember the name.

 

[Snyderoutdoors]

I am in central Illinois and have had some pretty good luck panning, and dredging a few small creeks in my area. I have built some sluice boxes to catch the very fine gold that exists in Illinois... as one has to be very diligent to capture it. The past year has been mostly R&D but have had some fruit for my labor. I own the property I have been dredging on (recreational dredging) and also have also amassed all the paperwork the DNR could give me as well as a large scale dredging permit...if i decide its worth expanding my operation. I am always looking for new places to underwater dredge and test...so if interested drop me a line.
As per your question, look at any topo maps and try to find a glacial moraine in your area. If you can find a streambed below it with washed rock or better yet boulders in it or can find the clay layer or bedrock you will find gold. It may be small and one needs to be pretty handy at panning to make it work...but its there. Guaranteed.

 

[hvacker]

I left Illinois 25 years ago. My reasoning was too much private land. Too many "No Trespassing" signs. Too many rules. Now I'm experiencing a repeat to a lesser extent by others moving here and bringing their old way of life with them. Control issues.
While there might not be much gold in Ill there are a lot of rocks. A geologist said the Ozark mountains ran up to N. Ill but were ground down by glaciers. If that's the case it's a long way to bedrock.
If I was still there I might consider a trip to N. Mich up where the iron & copper are. See if copper = gold. Iron can = platinum. I've found fossils in S. Ill. About all I found in Ill was a lot of work. I hear that's changing too.

 

[J bone]

There is plenty of gold in Illinois .. I have found allot ... little Wabash river is a good start under the sand bars big rocks ... there are great spots in southern illinois but it is a secret society here lol.. truth is Canada mountains were crushed by the glaciers and flooded this area with gold for a very long time...I have seen big nuggets and seen quartz with allot of gold inside them up to a gram after its crushed... the creeks are full of quartz biggest nugget I found was 3/4 gram I seen some much bigger found...Indiana too..don't let Placer gold fool you..or the locals lol. . Illinois law... you can hunt for gold any way you please except flooding or mining without a license on private land as long as you have permission by the land owner... written permission legally covers you in court but most people in Jefferson and Hamilton County are friendly and don't mind even think your crazy for looking for gold in illinois... federal and state land you may not recover ancient artifacts, historical coins or minerals by any means without a license. .. to metal detect or pan for gold on state or federal land you must contact the office in charge of the land for instructions... creeks, streams, rivers are highly successful in private land...state land has been mostly coal mined ...I only have experience on private land and bedrock is not exposed but I have found gold approximately 10 - 14 inches deep quarts in creeks use your metal detector and bust it open...good luck..

 

[russau]

when in doubt , its best bet is to keep the location / results to yourself . or itll be invaded by the very next weekend.

 

[Welderboy88]

I wanna pick some brains on here if anyone could help it b greatly appreciated. I found a really really concentrated spot with 50 100 and 200 mesh gold down in abundance . I've been seiving down the material to 50 and 100 to run on my easy liner Miller table. I can't seem to get the table to blow the sands away without losing alot of gold or taking way seems to long after alot of reasearch. I know it's a slow process but my tables almost slightly tipped back with a higher flow the gold blows ahead and sticks and I sniffer it and stir the sands again etc. Not quite wat is spose to happen I know . I think I need to maybe sluice the material then reclassify ? Maybe the sands to high a percentage to work the table properly? Either way I've tested the flour gold it's 22 k at least it's not mika not pyrite it's in a past proven location . Everything seems perfect a small miners dream but I just can't get the gold to stay at the top of the table and sands to go first . I've tried hobbico chalk paint so far easy liner proven best, I tried different angles flow rates and always seems that the gold goes first and sticks but can't hang on thru the sand blowing over it. So I snuffer it qwik and keep trying to get it. Only thing I can think is a rifle sluice with square ribs. Please help !!!?

 

[arizau]

I wanna pick some brains on here if anyone could help it b greatly appreciated. I found a really really concentrated spot with 50 100 and 200 mesh gold down in abundance . I've been seiving down the material to 50 and 100 to run on my easy liner Miller table. I can't seem to get the table to blow the sands away without losing alot of gold or taking way seems to long after alot of reasearch. I know it's a slow process but my tables almost slightly tipped back with a higher flow the gold blows ahead and sticks and I sniffer it and stir the sands again etc. Not quite wat is spose to happen I know . I think I need to maybe sluice the material then reclassify ? Maybe the sands to high a percentage to work the table properly? Either way I've tested the flour gold it's 22 k at least it's not mika not pyrite it's in a past proven location . Everything seems perfect a small miners dream but I just can't get the gold to stay at the top of the table and sands to go first . I've tried hobbico chalk paint so far easy liner proven best, I tried different angles flow rates and always seems that the gold goes first and sticks but can't hang on thru the sand blowing over it. So I snuffer it qwik and keep trying to get it. Only thing I can think is a rifle sluice with square ribs. Please help !!!?

It sounds like you are running unconcentrated feed (?). If that is the case then you need to concentrate your feed first! It takes a lot of effort to classfy so the less material you have to deal with (concentrate) the better. I am also thinking that even though you are classifying you may not have complete classification eg. your feed actually consists of mixed sizes and that would account for the gold moving first and/or being dislodged. Incomplete screening can easily happen especially if you overload the screens. Try putting in maybe only enough to cover the screen by about 1/2" or less when it is spread out, and clean the screens often. Sometimes it is helpful to just screen by individual size and not try to stack them to do it all at once.

Good luck

 

[Goodyguy]

I wanna pick some brains on here if anyone could help it b greatly appreciated. I found a really really concentrated spot with 50 100 and 200 mesh gold down in abundance . I've been seiving down the material to 50 and 100 to run on my easy liner Miller table. I can't seem to get the table to blow the sands away without losing alot of gold or taking way seems to long after alot of reasearch. I know it's a slow process but my tables almost slightly tipped back with a higher flow the gold blows ahead and sticks and I sniffer it and stir the sands again etc. Not quite wat is spose to happen I know . I think I need to maybe sluice the material then reclassify ? Maybe the sands to high a percentage to work the table properly? Either way I've tested the flour gold it's 22 k at least it's not mika not pyrite it's in a past proven location . Everything seems perfect a small miners dream but I just can't get the gold to stay at the top of the table and sands to go first . I've tried hobbico chalk paint so far easy liner proven best, I tried different angles flow rates and always seems that the gold goes first and sticks but can't hang on thru the sand blowing over it. So I snuffer it qwik and keep trying to get it. Only thing I can think is a rifle sluice with square ribs. Please help !!!?

Getting 150 mesh and 200 mesh classifiers will help with that flour gold.
Did you get rid of the magnetic sands first?

When dealing with flour gold you may want to look into getting a blue bowl to run those concentrates.
Either way you still need 150 and 200 mesh classifiers.

When all the particles are the same size, gold will stay and the other particles will wash away first.
A few drops of jet dry may help. Just put them in your recirculating tub.

GG~

 

[bluveinthrobber]

Im from decatur illinois. Anx when i told people that there is hold even in small amounts i got laughed at.

 

[flinthunter]

Im from decatur illinois. Anx when i told people that there is hold even in small amounts i got laughed at.

I sometimes get that too. That's ok, the fewer people that are prospecting our creeks, the more gold for us Illinois "crazy gold prospectors" to find.

 

[KevinInColorado]

I sometimes get that too. That's ok, the fewer people that are prospecting our creeks, the more gold for us Illinois "crazy gold prospectors" to find.

...and the less law making/enforcement you'll face.