Kevin in Colorado...and elsewhere

401 views. Great article! Thanks for sharing with the community.
- Brian
 

Out sampling a new (to me) area. Can you even imagine a prettier spot?!
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1499750879.800955.jpg
Only a few specks of color though :(
 

that's panning paradise Kevin!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk
 

Out sampling a new (to me) area. Can you even imagine a prettier spot?!
View attachment 1470882
Only a few specks of color though :(

Take your fly rod along too.....Looks like good trout water when the gold is not good and you have the time. Not a fly fisherman then bait up with a grasshopper and have fun.
 

Last edited:
Beautiful countryside. I don't recognize it (mountains in background not very definitive) so I am going to go to your blog and see if you have written it up yet! :)
 

Beautiful countryside. I don't recognize it (mountains in background not very definitive) so I am going to go to your blog and see if you have written it up yet! :)

Thanks, it won't make the blog as the gold was almost non-existent. :(

It's a little creek feeding into the upper Taylor River.
 

Met the owner of the Hard Tack mine yesterday, ended up getting a free VIP tour of the "tourist mine" section of his property :)
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500008291.684328.jpg
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500008313.367542.jpg
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500008336.482018.jpg

Cool guy :) Pretty typical underground mine tour until you get to the last room...his AMAZING gem and gold and mineral collection. Jaw dropping museum quality!
 

Went to visit the Summitville Mine and town today. Underground mined in the 1870s-1890s, again underground and open pit from the 1930s-1992.
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500088522.932950.jpg
We were on a special tour so we got to see the whole site:mine, maintenance facilities, and modern water treatment plant. Cool stuff.
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500088996.092698.jpg
 

Afterward I went downstream and panned out a sample of the gold that led the prospectors to this site back in the day.
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500089779.050465.jpg
...and then stumbled over the remains is a 5 stamp,stamp mill.
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500092247.239110.jpg
 

Last edited:
Most of the gold I've found in the Taylor park/union park area is deep and must be old deposits being buried like that. I read about a guy that hit a new pay layer in Union park another seven feet down in their diggings hehe. I'm sure there is gold closer to the surface but the snow has kept me from going any higher yet. I have a few test holes started there in different places but it's a work in progress. There is some interesting glacial features that have my attention as well as old placer workings.
 

Went ghost town hopping and creek sampling today...
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500272365.652304.jpg
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500272380.625598.jpg
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500272400.308627.jpg
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500324257.603146.jpg
That last pic shows 130 year old miners cabins which the NFS renovated and rents out by the night!
Found a little gold on Clear Creek near the ghost towns and one creek over at Cache Creek too. Fun times :)
 

Last edited:
Went ghost town hopping and creek sampling today...
View attachment 1473275
View attachment 1473276
View attachment 1473277
View attachment 1473502
That last pic shows 130 year old miners cabins which the NFS renovated and rents out by the night!
Found a little gold on Clear Creek near the ghost towns and one creek over at Cache Creek too. Fun times :)

Yeah, on the more western Clear Creek--the one that runs into the Arkansas, not into the South Platte. I never found much gold there, but I haven't panned there for, oh, 30 years. Cache Creek (if I was over there way) was much better and back 30 years ago, much more open (that was before the BLM took it over; you know that, but others reading this may not).
 

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500868041.845549.jpg
Visited the Argo Gold Mill and Tunnel today. Fun times!
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500868111.078658.jpg
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500868137.240813.jpg
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500868155.456888.jpg
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500868173.518450.jpg

Able to process ore from a variety of mines, it had a wide variety of equipment to handle everything pushed through it.
 

ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500868391.460568.jpg
Got special permission to go into the Central City Glory Hole on Friday. Amazing place!
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1500868561.769960.jpg
Notice how they cut the pit right down through the old tunnels.
 

Hmmmmm. Seems like some of your other posts also included some "authors privileges"(?) while visiting historic mine sites. Always best to have personally guided tours or free rein to explore usually closed areas when you are doing research.:thumbsup:

On a side note: I will be in Rico early next week and will spend some time on a private placer claim which is located away from any running water. I also may work the Dolores River itself or some feeder creeks. After doing some checking I did not see anywhere if stream bank digging is allowed or just digging within the wetted area of the stream bed. I remember that you did some sluicing a couple of years ago just down stream from Rico. I think I know where you were from your description at the time (actually close to one of the claims). What type of digging did you do?

Thanks and good luck on your book.
 

Last edited:
All of your Mine visit pictures will really add some interesting information for the book, that is, I assume they will be in the book!!............63bkpkr
 

The Argo is a gem (Yes I had some dirt in my pocket when I left, shame on me!) :P
I... I have to tie my shoe! lol
Keep slinging them boyo's!
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top