My first claim and how I obtained it

[QNCrazy]

Yesterday I competed the paperwork for my first claim. I want to share how I found the claim and some pictures. I began by doing a search with LR2000 looking for closed claims in a specific section. Directions for using LR2000 in a thread somewhere on this forum and on the BLM website. The search result were numerous dating back several years. I checked each claim beginning with the most recent and I happened to come across one that hadn't been reclaimed yet. Next I checked with BLM who told me it was still available. The Saturday after Christmas I put boots on the ground looking for location notices around the areaI intended to claim as well as surrounding areas. When I didn't find any I began prospecting. There are two feeder creeks on the claim so I began with each of them running a half bucket from each classified to 1/2". Found gold in both. I did he same for the main creek and found more. To finish the day, I constructed my monument per BLM specifications and placed a copy of my signed location notice inside. The following Tuesday I took my original copy to the county recorder. $20. Yesterday I went to BLM. And finished the paperwork. $212. Here are some pics.


I hope this helps those who are trying to get a claim.

 

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[QNCrazy]

Get yourself 6'-8' of 1/2" round stock, sharpen one end to a point and cut a foot off the other end and weld it on top to form a handle, use it to probe and follow the bedrock

Sensible idea with an inexpensive home made tool (I like). I might have to try it out. However, if you look at the second picture, this creek a made up mostly large rocks, like in the picture. even if I work the spear down throgh the gravels and make solid contact, it might just be another big rock. For this part of the creek, I'm going to have to dig down to find the bedrock. I believe the spear will work on the benches to tell me how much overburden there is before the gravels.

On another note, I just ran a report on LR2000 and my claim showed up. I was at the BLM office last Thursday. So it didn't take too long to show up. How out of date is the LR2000 really? Just a little FYI. I do realize that at the end of the year (August/September) it gets pretty busy and the LR2000 can fall a behind.

 

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[fowledup]

Sensible idea with an inexpensive home made tool (I like). I might have to try it out. However, if you look at the second picture, this creek a made up mostly large rocks, like in the picture. even if I work the spear down throgh the gravels and make solid contact, it might just be another big rock. For this part of the creek, I'm going to have to dig down to find the bedrock. I believe the spear will work on the benches to tell me how much overburden there is before the gravels.

On another note, I just ran a report on LR2000 and my claim showed up. I was at the BLM office last Thursday. So it didn't take too long to show up. How out of date is the LR2000 really? Just a little FYI. I do realize that at the end of the year (August/September) it gets pretty busy and the LR2000 can fall a behind.

Start where you know there is bedrock and go up or downstream from there. Should be somewhat consistent and once you get the hang of it you'll get where you "feel/see" the boulders.
LR2000- all depends on the data entry person. If seen some go in the next day and others take a month or more.

 

[Desertphile]

Congratulations! I wish you tons and tons of gold!

 

[Desertphile]

On another note, I just ran a report on LR2000 and my claim showed up. I was at the BLM office last Thursday. So it didn't take too long to show up. How out of date is the LR2000 really? Just a little FYI. I do realize that at the end of the year (August/September) it gets pretty busy and the LR2000 can fall a behind.

Heh! There are active mineral claims, filed with the San Bernardino County Recorder's Office, that are not in the BLM's LR2000 database, going back more than three years. I assume the holder of those claims filed paper with the county but not the BLM, or the BLM is very lazy.

 

[QNCrazy]

Heh! There are active mineral claims, filed with the San Bernardino County Recorder's Office, that are not in the BLM's LR2000 database, going back more than three years. I assume the holder of those claims filed paper with the county but not the BLM, or the BLM is very lazy.

Exactly! That's why a call or visit to BLM is important as well as boots on ground prior to filing.

 

[Clay Diggins]

The BLM is very inconsistent on keeping claims information current.

One of our members here made a new claim in Arizona a few years ago and it took three months to show up on the LR2000.

The year before last the California BLM didn't even start processing the small miners claims until August 3 of the following year. Many of those claims weren't updated in the LR2000 for well over a year. To say that California BLM is often behind in their record keeping would be an understatement.

Data entry is sometimes the problem. BLM agents that have a "greenie" interest in an area have delayed listings to the LR2000. When a Performance bond has been posted and a claim is void the BLM won't change the claim status at the LR2000 until all the reclamation and money issues have been cleared. In BLM land that can take several years.

Often you can only see the cause of BLM delays by studying the lead file for a claim. That lead file will be kept open in a pending state until all of a claim owners claims case files are finalized.

Please remember that calling the BLM produces nothing you can count on. Often know nothing counter people will tell you something just so you won't call back. BLM employees are not required to give you accurate information either on the phone or in person.

The BLM does have some good employees. In my extensive experience the BLM as an agency should never be relied on for accurate claims information.

Heavy Pans

 

[QNCrazy]

The BLM is very inconsistent on keeping claims information current.

One of our members here made a new claim in Arizona a few years ago and it took three months to show up on the LR2000.

The year before last the California BLM didn't even start processing the small miners claims until August 3 of the following year. Many of those claims weren't updated in the LR2000 for well over a year. To say that California BLM is often behind in their record keeping would be an understatement.

Data entry is sometimes the problem. BLM agents that have a "greenie" interest in an area have delayed listings to the LR2000. When a Performance bond has been posted and a claim is void the BLM won't change the claim status at the LR2000 until all the reclamation and money issues have been cleared. In BLM land that can take several years.

Often you can only see the cause of BLM delays by studying the lead file for a claim. That lead file will be kept open in a pending state until all of a claim owners claims case files are finalized.

Please remember that calling the BLM produces nothing you can count on. Often know nothing counter people will tell you something just so you won't call back. BLM employees are not required to give you accurate information either on the phone or in person.

The BLM does have some good employees. In my extensive experience the BLM as an agency should never be relied on for accurate claims information.

Heavy Pans

Very true about the counter people. The guy I dealt with was trying to tell me I was claiming over someone else. Understand that I already knew I wasn't. I had him pull the files for the claims downstream and upstream. When looking at the file for the downstream claim there were two claims owned by the same people so two location notices in the file. The maps were attached to the wrong location notices. I have to say, the claimants didn't do a very good job with their maps either. Anyhow, after pointing this out, the guy still wanted to argue with me not only about the maps being attached to the wrong location notice, but also about my claim. Eventually he agreed.