Placer Claim Mined Out?

[desertgolddigger]

I belong to a local club that owns a claim. This club has had this claim for many years, and acquired it after the old timers had mined it previously, and others after they commercial outfits closed up.
I walked quite a bit of the 160 acre claim, and noted that just about every wash had been worked. Most of the surface nuggets has also been detected by those with gold detectors. In other words, this place has been picked over and over and over.
But I m a stubborn type of person, and I figured, just watching how people ram their puffer and blower drywashers, that some gold was just being blown through them. maybe not much, but some small stuff that never got a chance to settle behind the riffles.
I know many of you would never go to the effort of digging for three to four hours through the tailings in these washes. Again, I'm a bit stubborn, and anyway, I just wanted to have some fun locally, instead of driving 300 miles roundtrip to something that gives a little more for less effort.
I've spent the last three weeks, digging a few times a week along about 30 yards of wash, and have recovered just about a gram of gold. That might not seem like much, but I have only dug up 5 grams, not counting this one gram in almost 20 years out here drywashing in the desert of southern California.
As you would know, things always seem to go wrong. My gas powered blower motor decided it was time for the repair shop, and haven't heard from the shop in two weeks. So I purchased a WORX WG521 corded electric leaf blower to use with my Royal Large drywasher. I'm using a portable generator to provide the power. And it actually is working better than with my old gas powered blower. I have to run the blower on the lowest speed, or I just blow everything through the riffles. Results are very good, as I am getting gold specks so small that I will have to use the Blue bowl in order to recover them.
I'm not only getting a little gold, I'm having some fun, and I am getting a good workout. I've lost 10 pounds since I started. So things are going well.
I'm still digging test holes around the old time hard rock mines in the hope I will find where the gold has drifted downhill below these mines. So far just a couple specks here and there. I figure I just have to move laterally one way or the other before I get something better Of course, I' don't really know if the old timers stripped the hillsides. Even if they have, they apparently aren't as thorough as I am. I hope that I may be lucky and find a larger piece of gold that the old timers, previous placer miners, and detectorists have missed.
Hope everyone is having as much fun as I have been having.

 

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[Clay Diggins]

I've finally been able to get on "The Land Matters", and at least see the two colored box types with the notations about placer, and lode mines. But I haven't been able to find a way to download the data for San Bernardino and Riverside Counties concerning active claims. I'm trying to locate those four data bases in KML format so I can import them into Google Earth. I once saw a Video the showed how this was done, but cannot locate it now.

I'd like to get these claims plotted on Google Earth so that when I do go out prospecting, I'm not on someone's claim.

Can anyone show me the links to these four data bases in KML format for importing into Google Earth. As I remember, these bits of data plot the claim boundaries, so you know where you are.

Just to let you know, I spent the last two hours trying to locate these data bases. I found four listing old mines and prospects, and placer mines, but nothing of current claims.

Those databases don't exist and never have. There is no mapping of mining claims to their boundaries available in the lower 48 states. You are looking for something that doesn't exist.

There is a way to determine what claims exist in an area and to plot the boundaries of those claim. That process is explained in detail on the Land Matters website. I would suggest beginning with the Land Matters Active Mining Claims instructional video and then a course of study of the PLSS and MTP systems. You can find those books and video courses in the Tutorial section of the website.

This may seem like a lot of work, and it is, but it's the way prospectors and miners have conducted business as long as there has been mining in the United States. If a prospector in 1880 could do this with limited access you can certainly do it from the comfort of your home with modern technology.

Educate yourself and you will soon have the ability to determine what areas are open for you to prospect. It's just one more of the many skills a successful prospector has to have in their toolkit.

Google Earth is great for getting an idea of access to an area. Google Earth is a very bad choice if you are looking for accuracy in claim locations. Google Earth is not designed for accuracy or precision. It's designed for entertainment. From Google:
"Google makes no claims as to the accuracy of the coordinates in Google Earth. These are provided for entertainment only and should not be used for any navigational or other purpose requiring any accuracy whatsoever".
Generally you can expect up to 89 meters (291 feet) in deviation from the actual ground position with Google Earth in the United States. Their stated accuracy goal worldwide is 1/4 kilometer (820 feet) but there are still areas in the world with a lot less accuracy.

The easy way to make a map of claims is to get a topo map of your area of interest and pencil in the claim boundaries as you do your research. In the end you will have a very good grasp of who owns what and where you can go to prospect for your own claim.

 

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[desertgolddigger]

Those databases don't exist and never have. There is no mapping of mining claims to their boundaries available in the lower 48 states. You are looking for something that doesn't exist.

There is a way to determine what claims exist in an area and to plot the boundaries of those claim. That process is explained in detail on the Land Matters website. I would suggest beginning with the Land Matters Active Mining Claims instructional video and then a course of study of the PLSS and MTP systems. You can find those books and video courses in the Tutorial section of the website.

This may seem like a lot of work, and it is, but it's the way prospectors and miners have conducted business as long as there has been mining in the United States. If a prospector in 1880 could do this with limited access you can certainly do it from the comfort of your home with modern technology.

Educate yourself and you will soon have the ability to determine what areas are open for you to prospect. It's just one more of the many skills a successful prospector has to have in their toolkit.

Google Earth is great for getting an idea of access to an area. Google Earth is a very bad choice if you are looking for accuracy in claim locations. Google Earth is not designed for accuracy or precision. It's designed for entertainment. From Google:
"Google makes no claims as to the accuracy of the coordinates in Google Earth. These are provided for entertainment only and should not be used for any navigational or other purpose requiring any accuracy whatsoever".
Generally you can expect up to 89 meters (291 feet) in deviation from the actual ground position with Google Earth in the United States. Their stated accuracy goal worldwide is 1/4 kilometer (820 feet) but there are still areas in the world with a lot less accuracy.

The easy way to make a map of claims is to get a topo map of your area of interest and pencil in the claim boundaries as you do your research. In the end you will have a very good grasp of who owns what and where you can go to prospect for your own claim.

Clay Diggins, Thanks so much for cluing me in as to my apparent beating my head against a wall when it comes to data bases. I did download some things to attach to Google Earth, but they are apparently ancient inactive gold mining claims. I also found something that shows the Townships, when I manage to figure the instructions out. I did get some overlay, but it seems it only plots in a small area of interest when you click on an area.

Also, thank you for the heads up on Googles accuracy for their plotting lines.

I quickly browsed the PDF info, and watched the instructional video on the Land Matters maps, and how to interpret them. Will take me a while to go through everything.

But I'm still puzzled as to why most claims out where I look around, do not have discovery markers, and claim corner posts. I was under the impression this was a requirement to having a claim. Guess some people just ignore the rules, if these are still a requirement. I know my club claims have all the required markers, and records.

 

[Clay Diggins]

But I'm still puzzled as to why most claims out where I look around, do not have discovery markers, and claim corner posts. I was under the impression this was a requirement to having a claim. Guess some people just ignore the rules, if these are still a requirement. I know my club claims have all the required markers, and records.

Wow. You are welcome! Usually I just get nonsense posts following any facts I post here. This is refreshing. Hopefully it won't be censored like many of my posts lately.

Placer claims located in California, and several other states, are not required to stake corners if they are locating by the PLSS description. Those claims never had corners staked.

Once monuments are erected on a mining claim things happen to make them go away. Outside of California cattle and large wildlife love the posts miners erect because they can get a good scratch from them as they destroy the stake. In California it's common for visitors to the area to remove mining corner stakes and location monuments. It's just another way for Californicators to harass miners. Many see it as their civic duty.

All that doesn't matter much in the long run because only a few states require those stakes and monuments to be maintained. In most states those stakes only have to exist on the day they are erected. In a few states there is an annual requirement to maintain the markers but that only applies to the day the new stakes are erected each year. There are no states that penalize miners for animals or people obliterating their markers. Claims without markers are just as valid as a marked claim.

With placer claims the system to describe their location on the land is based on the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). That makes it really easy to define the boundaries of an existing placer claim. That's why I pointed you towards a study of the PLSS and MTP systems. Study those materials and I'm sure you will have more questions.

Land tenure isn't taught in the schools in this country so all this stuff is going to be new to you despite the fact that the PLSS was in place before the Constitution was written. The PLSS along with the Northwest Ordinance defined how this nation would grow and the system that would keep that growth organized. It is the legal standard for description of federal and private lands in this country. It's a good thing to learn even if you aren't looking for open ground.

Heavy Pans

 

[desertgolddigger]

How long is your run? my mill was tripping on 12 and a short run 25 feet maybe. Using number 10 now no problem.

I run my Mill off the first section I hardwired, and no problem. All I was running on the 12 gauge extension chord was my big sluice water pump, and two LED lights. I won't have the problem again, as I'm going to extend my hardwired system to the sluicing shed. I always make sure I don't try running two High amp pieces of equipment at the same time. My last run of the hardwired setup should be finished tomorrow. I did the trenching this morning, and cut, and positioned the conduit pipe. Almost finished.

 

[russau]

Pertaining to claim markers ,Over the years when I traveled to different states I noticed a LOT of claim markers were NOT where they were originally placed , BUT TORE DOWN and thrown into the brush ! I agree with Barry's explanation on how it "assumed" came about ! I thought it was federal law that had prenatally for damaging /destroying these Federal posting's GREAT POST'S !!

 

[Assembler]

Pertaining to claim markers ,Over the years when I traveled to different states I noticed a LOT of claim markers were NOT where they were originally placed , BUT TORE DOWN and thrown into the brush ! I agree with Barry's explanation on how it "assumed" came about ! I thought it was federal law that had prenatally for damaging /destroying these Federal posting's GREAT POST'S !!

The "Discovery / Location" is much harder to through into the brush.

 

[russau]

Ha ! Given enough alcohol I I can though OR throw anything and worry about it the next day!

 

[desertgolddigger]

I'm operational at home again. Temperatures were nice enough that I got the electrical completed, and fixed my landscaping I'd torn up for the process. Tested all outlets, and hopefully no more glitches/outages.

Guess I'll have to sluice one of the eight buckets of mesh 80 and smaller, to do an extended test. Hopefully there's something good in that bucket.

 

[Assembler]

Ha ! Given enough alcohol I I can though OR throw anything and worry about it the next day!

Correct my mistake made for a good laugh for today. It is important to laugh at yourself from time to time.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Well, I just couldn't waste a day in the 70's. It's a rarity. I sluiced 40 cup full of the powder (80- mesh). While it wasn't much weight wise, the gold was there in countless specks. Size was just visible with 10X loupe, and probably smaller. It created a very thin line a couple inches long.

Maybe someday I'll get something that doesn't require magnification to see.

 

[desertgolddigger]

I've narrowed down two township areas that show zero claims on them. Probably because of two reasons, 1) no known gold and 2) inaccessibility. But I'll drive out that way anyway, and take a look. I'll drive as far as I can, then set up the equipment, and take samples. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky.

 

[Assembler]

Well, I just couldn't waste a day in the 70's. It's a rarity. I sluiced 40 cup full of the powder (80- mesh). While it wasn't much weight wise, the gold was there in countless specks. Size was just visible with 10X loupe, and probably smaller. It created a very thin line a couple inches long.

Maybe someday I'll get something that doesn't require magnification to see.

Try some digging where others have not been. It could surprise you.

 

[Assembler]

Ha ! Given enough alcohol I I can though OR throw anything and worry about it the next day!

No alcohol is needed if one hurry's to fast with out reading what gets posted..........

 

[desertgolddigger]

Try some digging where others have not been. It could surprise you.

Yes, I'll follow the suggestions of looking for black sand in washes, especially where one or more come together.

Can't go out for a few days, as I put off some chores around the property so I could fix my electrical problem.

I located some free topo maps online for the general area that "the Land Matters" website says are vacant of claims of any kind. There are actually a few old prospects in this area if these online maps are accurate. The area is rolling hills, with plenty of dirt roads, though some are pretty rough. I've driven in this area before, while just exploring.

 

[Assembler]

Yes, I'll follow the suggestions of looking for black sand in washes, especially where one or more come together.

Can't go out for a few days, as I put off some chores around the property so I could fix my electrical problem.

I located some free topo maps online for the general area that "the Land Matters" website says are vacant of claims of any kind. There are actually a few old prospects in this area if these online maps are accurate. The area is rolling hills, with plenty of dirt roads, though some are pretty rough. I've driven in this area before, while just exploring.

This is good as you could be the first to dig at least in some spots. Starting near other old prospects is likely a good idea to see what they where finding then fan out to look for the same or maybe better material.

 

[russau]

DGD I had 350 topo maps that I collected over the years from various sources and when my little run was over (I tried to donate them to gold clubs that had helped / advised me in the past BUT NOBODY wanted them............after using /storing them for years they eventually went into the trash! with LOTS of MEMORIES !!

 

[Assembler]

DGD I had 350 topo maps that I collected over the years from various sources and when my little run was over (I tried to donate them to gold clubs that had helped / advised me in the past BUT NOBODY wanted them............after using /storing them for years they eventually went into the trash! with LOTS of MEMORIES !!

I hear what you are saying as most people today want everything in a digitized format of some kind.
Yet the cost of printing out on paper can cost a lot today and waterproofed to use out in the field for a lot of detail that can be seen in almost any light.

One can use a GPS that takes pictures with all the coordinates along the outside of the picture and link notes to that picture. This has taken place only in the last fifteen years or so for most people.

One can also GPS a picture to help remember every detail you see out in the field.

 

[Assembler]

I've narrowed down two township areas that show zero claims on them. Probably because of two reasons, 1) no known gold and 2) inaccessibility. But I'll drive out that way anyway, and take a look. I'll drive as far as I can, then set up the equipment, and take samples. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky.

Something to think about with factor #2 inaccessibility. Now with all of the fires happening or even planed one can now have some better access to what used to be hard to access plus see with your own eye's what most others have not even looked at for a long time or if you are lucky you could be the first to look at and quickly dig it up before someone else.

 

[desertgolddigger]

Something to think about with factor #2 inaccessibility. Now with all of the fires happening or even planed one can now have some better access to what used to be hard to access plus see with your own eye's what most others have not even looked at for a long time or if you are lucky you could be the first to look at and quickly dig it up before someone else.

The problem isn't growth, as there's very little in the area of interest. The problem are thr large rocks. While I have a 4x4, mine isn't designed to deal with such obstacles. If it's just a few big rocks here and there, they can be moved, but won't bother if I don't find a gold source.

I'm going out tomorrow, weather permitting, and will check two locations. It will take a very long time to scour a complete Township area.

EDITED: I goofed! It isn't a complete Township section, but one of the 36 sections contained within the township. Still learning. I believe the size is 880x880 feet. Much less ground to cover.

 

[Assembler]

The problem isn't growth, as there's very little in the area of interest. The problem are thr large rocks. While I have a 4x4, mine isn't designed to deal with such obstacles. If it's just a few big rocks here and there, they can be moved, but won't bother if I don't find a gold source.

I'm going out tomorrow, weather permitting, and will check two locations. It will take a very long time to scour a complete Township area.

EDITED: I goofed! It isn't a complete Township section, but one of the 36 sections contained within the township. Still learning. I believe the size is 880x880 feet. Much less ground to cover.

Just wondering if there is something in the big rocks?

Brush here can be so over grown that it can take 1 hour to go just 1/3 - 1/2 mile as you are swimming through the brush as a general rule. Forget any kind of animal / quad going through it.