Placer mines.

[Oldyoungtimer]

So are placer mines from back in the day just a bunch of guys with rocker and sluice boxes working a creek? I'm trying to figure this out because the creek I'm working right now used to be an old placer mine. I'm finding decent gold (for me anyways) and I'm trying to get an idea of what went on back in the day. Thanks

 

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[kuger]

Placer Mining? What's that? Watch the videos & learn ¬¬ Hydraulic Gold Mining, The Series - YouTube

Reed...forgive me....I dont have the bandwidth to watch the video's but it looks like a fantastic description of Hydraulic mining which as you know is a form of placer mining...just wanting to clarify for the newbies as just"Placer",is a bit mis leading

 

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[wa-au-nut]

You experenced miners sharing what your know is a godsend for the newbs. Thank You All.

 

[Fullpan]

u can see here...this has been ground sluiced....a ditch runs across the ridge,and at the head of the draws the ditch was cut....sending torrents of water down,washing the over burden down to the shallow bedrock

Kuger - thanks for posting the above pic. I've never seen "ground sluicing" evidence as all my searches were in steep canyons. That area looks like good
pasture now, something the extremos will call "destroyed land", huh?

 

[kuger]

...yea,and in a "normal year",the grass there is a good foot taller by now.We have had a very dry winter,and if we dont get some moisture soon,we will be bathing with the chickens!!
Its tough to see in the picture but if you look at the "wash fan's",those banks are 5-6' tall........meaning they washed that much over burden off!!!!To the untrained eye today........hardly noticeable huh?

 

[Fullpan]

Just curious, how much money do you think it would take if the landowner "restored" this hillside? I'm doing some research on grants given out to restore areas
"ruined by legacy mining activities" Proposition 84 monies for 2012-13 amount to over 5 mil to be awarded yet. And from what I'm reading, the restoration
for the above parcel would run about 200,000 with pre and post project monitoring, CEQA determination, biological resource studies, cultural resource studies,
report writing, and "administration costs" all paid for with opms.(other peoples money). Thirty years ago the owner would have probably consulted with the
agriculture extension office, rented a bulldozer, re-contoured the hillside in a week, planted some pasture grass, and been done with it.

 

[kuger]

Boy,I dont know....I do know that anytime you start using the words you just did.....I see,and hear $$$$$$$ for somebody,and its often more than was allotted...example...recently a Fuel tanker fell over here....OK,I understand ya gotta clean it up,well this turned into a two week ordeal...the State Hwy. was completly shutdown for over a week...24/7,they totally removed a section of the hwy,removed 8' deep and over 50 yrds long section...trucked to a Hazardous waste dump,replace dthe dirt with approved soil....all the while had a full staffed Fire engine on standby,two Hwy Patrol Officers 24 /7 on guard of the "Road Closed",signs...My point is Millions of dollars were "spent". I dont think this ground needs "rehabed",has been doing just fine,and nobody has cared about it cultural significance all this while?(except me)More $$$ with Archies,and Indian Tribes,and whats more.....mined areas of past....mean gold was/is there...what do we tell newbies?Look where gold has been found........you wont be if its rehabbed....likely have boarded nature walks...dont want to bend the grass!!!

 

[kuger]

...I am not normal but my head is always on a swivel wherever I go,looking for and admiring 1850's style mining evidence.Something I never paid attention to as a kid.Now I have my daughter doing it.That tells a story,the history of what was done,and who was here before us,what made this State.You rehab it,and that is History lost.Like tearing down Civil War Earthworks IMHO

 

[Fullpan]

Your fuel truck story points out the complete insanity we've allowed to happen. Shame on us!!

 

[spillercanyon]

u can see here...this has been ground sluiced....a ditch runs across the ridge,and at the head of the draws the ditch was cut....sending torrents of water down,washing the over burden down to the shallow bedrock

Kuger, you sure have a lot of knowledge dude, I've seen areas like this (probably the one in the picture included) that I was wondering how they had worked it. I know of a very remote placer area that I need to go back to and figure out how they worked it. I'll either have to take some pictures or drag you out there, but either way, that will have to wait until later in the year. Thanks for sharing Kuger!!!

 

[KevinInColorado]

Couldn't they have just cordoned it off and then tossed a match on the spill??!! That would be simple. Then reseed, repave and ...good to go!

 

[spillercanyon]

That tanker spilled over 2,000 gallons of gasoline. The gas went into the culvert and then followed the cleavage of the slate to spread out all over the place. As far as restoring these old areas, I say leave them alone, they aren't hurting anything, the historical value is too great and the government is broke.

 

[kuger]

Couldn't they have just cordoned it off and then tossed a match on the spill??!! That would be simple. Then reseed, repave and ...good to go!

...That is exactly what we all said...funny thing was I was one of the first that came upon it,and I dont see how any got on the road.....makes ya wonder.

Fullpan,you very well may know right where this is....they are actually talking about putting it in Olive/grapes.....I hope not

Shoot me some pics,or yea, we have to get together my friend

 

[kuger]

That tanker spilled over 2,000 gallons of gasoline. The gas went into the culvert and then followed the cleavage of the slate to spread out all over the place. As far as restoring these old areas, I say leave them alone, they aren't hurting anything, the historical value is too great and the government is broke.

.....so is that why that cut the road out....it went under it?I could understand that.Did you notice they were initially saying diesel...now it was gas?At any rate....it did have to be cleaned up........I drooled looking at that tertiery gravel they scooped out.......see....bet not people realized driving by...there was likely a pretty good amount of gold in there!!

 

[spillercanyon]

.....so is that why that cut the road out....it went under it?I could understand that.Did you notice they were initially saying diesel...now it was gas?At any rate....it did have to be cleaned up........I drooled looking at that tertiery gravel they scooped out.......see....bet not people realized driving by...there was likely a pretty good amount of gold in there!!

Yep, that spread much further than anyone had anticipated and I was told by the CHP that it was gas (Arco gas being hauld by Williams Trucking). That's hilarious, I thought the same thing when I saw them digging that out. I almost spun out on that drool you left behind but I left an even bigger drool. If you look to the other side of the road (yes, looking all the time), it was heavily worked, you know that gold continued to the side of the road with the spill.

 

[kuger]

....That whole area(District),was/is rich....with fairly shallow bedrock....there is coyote hole/tunnels,all throughout that whole valley.Several times horseback I have heard the ground like your walking on a drum,and seen sinkholes

 

[homestead-hunter]

Just curious, how much money do you think it would take if the landowner "restored" this hillside? I'm doing some research on grants given out to restore areas
"ruined by legacy mining activities" Proposition 84 monies for 2012-13 amount to over 5 mil to be awarded yet. And from what I'm reading, the restoration
for the above parcel would run about 200,000 with pre and post project monitoring, CEQA determination, biological resource studies, cultural resource studies,
report writing, and "administration costs" all paid for with opms.(other peoples money). Thirty years ago the owner would have probably consulted with the
agriculture extension office, rented a bulldozer, re-contoured the hillside in a week, planted some pasture grass, and been done with it.

As much as you can give him.

 

[kuger]

FP,I think I didnt do your question any justice.....if it was trully in need of restoration,$200,000 doesnt seem like much?The need for stabilization after new soil was redistrubuted would...or could run $100,000 alone with BMP's...to prevent any Storm Water pollutant issues?