Prospectors Research Tools

[Clay Diggins]

Prospector's Research Tools

I haven't been around much this summer and with the desert prospecting season just starting it's a good time to show off what I did this long hot summer. I have been working with a few friends on a new non-profit organization to give you a single place for all your land research.

The result is MyLandMatters.Org. This is the gateway to your land information repository. Maps, books, tutorials, community resources and quality, easy-to-access information about the land around you.

No ads, No memberships, No log-in required.

This past spring while sitting around with some friends we came to the conclusion that most of the important and useful things that we want to know about the land around us was difficult to locate and tough to understand. Despite the many sources of information there was no single place to find the information available.

We decided we could do something about that. We agreed to put our time and energy into creating a single place that anyone could find the answers to questions about the land.

It's a big project. It has taken a lot of work, learning and resources to get things started. But after six months of long days, and more than a few nights, the Land Matters repository is ready for you to use.

Land Matters is all about the land. You can find Land Status Maps, Active Mining Claims Maps (with live direct links into the current LR2000 claims database), A great collection of mining books, Land Laws, Geology books and maps, Forest Travel Plans and a whole lot more.

Land Matters is for land users. Our collections are guided by community input. That's you. Let us know what kind of material you would like to find in our Library or a particular map you would like to see. Help us build Land Matters to best serve the community.

We've already got a lot of things that prospectors have been asking for - the claims maps alone were almost universally requested. Land Matters isn't just for prospectors and miners. But you can help prioritize our efforts and drive the content of Land Matters. Prospectors now have a unique opportunity to help guide and build an information resource designed by prospectors and for prospectors.

We are just getting started filling the Library but there will be hundreds of books, maps and items added in the next few weeks. We've even got a Newsletter so you can get regular updates about new additions to the Land Matters repository.

Check it out and let me know what you think. Here are a few good places to start:

Tutorials - the current focus is on understanding Land Status.
Maps - We all like maps and we've got some you will love.
Library - search for something.

Heavy Pans
Barry & Leigh

 

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[fowledup]

YOU ALL ROCK!!!!!!! Thank you so much! Knew it was coming, kept my mouth shut and patiently waited, sort of. As far as I'm concerned I just got my birthday and X-mas present!!!

 

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[fowledup]

Just took it for a test spin- OH BABY! Me likey! It's current, accurate, and eazy to use! Not sure what I'm gonna do with the free time I just gained! Thanks again! Very nice gift as well looking forward to using it.

 

[Jeff95531]

Wow Clay, I was not expecting CA to show up so soon! I know what an undertaking that must have been...and thank you for shedding light on issues I wasn't even aware of. I plan to make a donation soon but before I do...please reassure me my neck of the woods, Del Norte county is in there? TYVM!

 

[goldenIrishman]

Be sure to check out the County Recorders map layer. After you have pulled the BLM LR2000 report you can look up the County records too.

WOW! Will we get a CR layer for the AZ map too? That could save me hours at the recorders office!!!

Soon as I got my update notice I called a few of the guys in California to make sure they knew it was up and running.

 

[goldenIrishman]

Just took it for a test spin- OH BABY! Me likey! It's current, accurate, and eazy to use! Not sure what I'm gonna do with the free time I just gained! Thanks again! Very nice gift as well looking forward to using it.

Now do you understand why I've been happy as a clam with the AZ map? I've saved tons of time thanks to the efforts of Clay and his web team.

As to the free time..... Go dig of course!!!!

 

[Clay Diggins]

Thanks everybody! It's really nice to hear when you've done something good.

An even bigger THANK YOU! needs to go out to all who helped Land Matters. Not only will you receive your Gift soon but you helped keep a free resource up and running for another month.

Jeff95531 - All the counties in California are there. We considered leaving out Del Norte just to irritate you but it was too much trouble!

goldenIrishman - I'll bet if you look around to the right of the map you will see a County Recorder layer there. Just click to check the box and reload the map. The links will be in the returned Information window.

All the State's Mining Claims maps have a County Recorder's map layer as well as Land Status, PLSS (Township, Range and Sections) and Historical Claims (Mining Claims Activity). All those different map layers can be displayed (and queried) alone or together in any combination.

Don't forget that you can switch the base layer (background) between street maps, topos and aerial photos. It doesn't matter which other layers you are already viewing.

If you are having trouble viewing a layer or feature you can change the transparency of any layer by right clicking on the layer name and choosing "Transparency" from that drop down list. A slider will pop up and you can set the transparency for that and any other layers individually.

All the maps and books that have been added since Land Matters started have been by request of the users. It's important that you let us know what you want next. That's what keeps Land Matters growing.

Heavy Pans

 

[TheGoldProspector]

Much Thanks for your tireless work Clay (and others)
It is Truly an Amazing Resource for us ALL!

 

[goldenIrishman]

Yeah... I'm blind in one eye and can't see out of the other Clay. Looks like Mohave County doesn't make their records available on-line. At least that's what the splash page on their site states. Still, all I need is a peek at the records with my trusty notebook and I'll be set. Maybe I've been in "research mode" for too long here and need to get out in the field and clear out the cobwebs off my brain and un-cross my eyes.

 

[Jeff95531]

Thanks Clay. I too must be blind as I didn't notice I had the option to skip the donation to view the maps. I'll get Jeff on the phone today and he can walk me thru it as right now, not seeing much when you get close to Crescent City.

 

[goldenIrishman]

Thanks Clay. I too must be blind as I didn't notice I had the option to skip the donation to view the maps. I'll get Jeff on the phone today and he can walk me thru it as right now, not seeing much when you get close to Crescent City.

Yeah... I might be blind but I can still take a hint. Calling now

 

[delnorter]

Jeff, there isn't much to see in the way of claims in Del Norte County any more. I believe there is only one placer claim left in the whole county. It is shown on Land Matters maps between Hiouchi and Gasquet along the middle fork of the Smith River. The owner is a friend of mine and has recovered great gold on it, as well as some diamonds. This was a few years ago when we could still dredge in California.

Jerry Hobbs, of PLP, had a couple placer claims further up river, by Patrick Creek, but must have let them go. It's too bad, I would have liked to know; perhaps been able to maintain or buy them from him.

Mike

 

[Jeff95531]

Yes Mike...maybe called Big Nugget? I played with the claim part of the site map and found a little more thru experimenting....tho I don't know enough yet to talk like I know about it. Something I was looking for was the French Hill Mine, which I saw was for sale sometime ago...something like 80 acres and 7 figures.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Jeff95531 the California Claims Map doesn't directly show individual private properties like the patented French Hill mine. It does show land management and the areas with no color overlay you see when that layer is on are private property.

The Big Nugget is all there is up there for claims, click on the link in the information window for the BLM report and you will see it's been there since 1980. It's 60 acres. There were nearly a hundred claims in that area but, as I have pointed out before, assuming that a mining claim is made for gold is a bad bet. Most of the earlier claims were for nickel deposits. You've gotten some good first hand information from Mike on what some of those other claims were.

You can see the past claims for that area by turning on the Historical Claims layer. It's surprising how many claims there were. Clicking on the map for information with that layer on will lead you to a page showing the history of claims in that clicked section since 1976.

There is a wilderness area to the east of you. You can see the extent of that wilderness boundary by opening the Wilderness Areas Map and zooming in to that area. If you turn on the Land Status layer on the Wilderness Areas Map you will see the area still open between the Redwood National Park along the Coast, The Yurok and Hoopa reservations and the Siskiyou and Marble Mountain Wildernesses. Most, but not all, of that area is in the Six Rivers National Forest. I wouldn't be surprised if most of it was open to claim.

You live in a really beautiful area Jeff. I worked a season driving tractor at the Smith River farms and spent most of my free time cruising the trails up there. I loved it. If you could find a good paying gold claim there I think you might be very close to paradise.

Heavy Pans

 

[Clay Diggins]

Jerry Hobbs, of PLP, had a couple placer claims further up river, by Patrick Creek, but must have let them go. It's too bad, I would have liked to know; perhaps been able to maintain or buy them from him.

Mike

Mike you should look into the Patrick Creek area. If it's open to claim it would cost very little to locate your own claim there. No need to buy a claim when there is so much open land.

Heavy Pans

 

[delnorter]

I have to head out the door to work, so just a short reply for now. The entire Smith River watershed, including all tributaries has been removed from mineral entry. Many of the past claims were basically invalidated by the federal government.

We've been reduced to pans and small hand tools for any prospecting activity in this watershed on Six River National Forest.

Mike

 

[goldenIrishman]

Mike, See if you can find a copy of the order that removed that area from mineral entry. There might be a date when that order will no longer be in effect unless renewed by the powers that be. I've heard of some guys getting some good claims in areas that had been removed from mineral entry as soon as the order expired. Never hurts to check.

 

[Clay Diggins]

The best claim I ever located was in an area that the withdrawal had just expired on.

Most withdrawals have either a 2 year or a 20 year lifetime.

I'll look into the Smith River area later today and report what I find.

Heavy Pans

 

[Jeff95531]

I LIKE where we're headed with this!

Give me back my back yard!

You guys are GREAT! Thank you!

Clay...I've been all over this side of the world and this IS as close to paradise as I've ever found. They will have to remove me as I ain't going no where.

 

[TheGoldProspector]

Clay-Is Indeed a Great Soul

 

[goldenIrishman]

Well I got "The OTHER Jeff" all set up now. He's got the USGS topo for the area he is working as well as a detailed explanation on how to use the layers on the My Land Matters claims map. While we were talking on the phone, I explained how to use the USGS map(s) to their full advantage. Between it and the historical layer I was able to point out several places he can go check out. There sure was a LOT of mining going on in that area in the past. It's a shame it's been withdrawn!