The Many Lost Treasures of Mariposa, CA (Photos Added)

[EagleDown]

Someone found a mine i bet, thats all private property , it may even be posted with fremont signs now that they want to open the josephine mine back up. Eagle i wasnt sure what info you had yes yuh need the name or location, ok back to drawin board lol, good luck, im going to try and head up some day this week and do some crevicing in briceburg, i need a day trip i'll holler at you day before i decide to go up.

You're right about that being ALL private. I have a friend than was metal detecting at the bridge on Pendola Gardens Rd. (Beautiful bed-rock). Anyway, about 5 minutes after he pried out a half oz. nugget, the caretaker showed up and informed him that it was all private property and he'd have to leave. Well, at least he left with a smile on his face. (lol)

For sure, give me some notice and if I have the gas, I'll meet up with you. (If I'm not too busy loading up some of the ore at the old mine). (lol)

 

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[EagleDown]

Eagle Just let me know if you need help moving ore. I'll bring the young kids. They love moving material. Just the other stuff is too much work for them. Lol.

Uhh, would they cost less than a front end loader?? (lol)

Hey, if by chance I do find and aquire this mine, all of my friends would be welcome to come see it. I might even have some samples of ore for them to take home.

 

[3sell]

I just started reading this and I found this lost mine story very VERY interesting. I live in So-Cal and since there is 105 pages to this thread, I of course haven't read them lol. So I was wondering without u having to give a very long reason, why hasn't anyone gone back to this mine or at least tried to dig it out? Also are there any photos?

 

[EagleDown]

I just started reading this and I found this lost mine story very VERY interesting. I live in So-Cal and since there is 105 pages to this thread, I of course haven't read them lol. So I was wondering without u having to give a very long reason, why hasn't anyone gone back to this mine or at least tried to dig it out? Also are there any photos?

If you check out the link that Chupacabra posted on page #104, you'll see that there are a multitude of abandoned mines all over the hills. And, there are no photos (yet) because I discovered it in 1984, when I was putting most of my efforts into dredging for gold. I didn't even own a camera back then, and even if I did, I wasn't interested in 'hard-rock' mining at that time, so I wouldn't have taken pictures in any case. And as far as anyone going back and trying to dig it out, (which I'm hoping hasn't happened), it was so well hidden that it couldn't be seen until you made a trek back through the forrest and was within a 100 ft of it. So, I'm hoping that it is still hidden from sight until I get there. (lol)

 

[Lanny in AB]

If you check out the link that Chupacabra posted on page #104, you'll see that there are a multitude of abandoned mines all over the hills. And, there are no photos (yet) because I discovered it in 1984, when I was putting most of my efforts into dredging for gold. I didn't even own a camera back then, and even if I did, I wasn't interested in 'hard-rock' mining at that time, so I wouldn't have taken pictures in any case. And as far as anyone going back and trying to dig it out, (which I'm hoping hasn't happened), it was so well hidden that it couldn't be seen until you made a trek back through the forrest and was within a 100 ft of it. So, I'm hoping that it is still hidden from sight until I get there. (lol)

Ain't it so true the pictures we didn't take! I keep kicking myself I didn't have my camera when the sluice on the big commercial washplant was loaded with nuggets from top to bottom, the one where they actually were running the dirt so hard that their were nuggets in the very last riffle of the sluice! I had a camera at other times, but since it was film, and since I was in the middle of nowhere, I was always very limited in regards to how many pictures I could take.

With digital cameras now I shoot way too many pictures!! There's some irony for you Eagle.

All the best,

Lanny

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/metal-detecting-gold/69-bedrock-gold-mysteries.html
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/398442-gold-hunting-prospecting-tips.html
http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/g...-north-american-placer-freakin-fantastic.html

 

[3sell]

Oh ok. but if there is bags of gold or even old rifles, that means there could be other things in that mine as well. Its a sad thing if there r bodies but it would be worth it to try and get in this mine to see if there was more gold already dug out or not. It would be great if u were able to go back there and at least take a pic of what the front of the mine looks like and get opinions from us or anyone on the most easy way to dig it out or remove rock/dirt.

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

Uhh, would they cost less than a front end loader?? (lol) Hey, if by chance I do find and aquire this mine, all of my friends would be welcome to come see it. I might even have some samples of ore for them to take home.

Not cheaper for sure. Lol. Eat more than fuel costs.
The pluses though. Quieter, move around without breaking. At least till food energy runs out. Plus they work fast. I thought I'd be running dirt faster than they'd dig. Wrong! The buckets started to pile up.
I'm taking them out in a couple days to test this theory again. Hopefully I can get my energy up. It's been very low lately. Man I miss my younger self. Lol

 

[EagleDown]

Ain't it so true the pictures we didn't take! I keep kicking myself I didn't have my camera when the sluice on the big commercial washplant was loaded with nuggets from top to bottom, the one where they actually were running the dirt so hard that their were nuggets in the very last riffle of the sluice! I had a camera at other times, but since it was film, and since I was in the middle of nowhere, I was always very limited in regards to how many pictures I could take. With digital cameras now I shoot way too many pictures!! There's some irony for you Eagle. All the best, Lanny http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/metal-detecting-gold/69-bedrock-gold-mysteries.html http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/gold-prospecting/398442-gold-hunting-prospecting-tips.html http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/g...-north-american-placer-freakin-fantastic.html

Right!! You can't imagine how many times during the course of this thread that I've thought; "If only I had had a camera back then". Now, when I get home and download the pictures, I generally delete 75% of the ones I took. (lol) Digital cameras are a lot easier and (in the long run), cheaper than the old 45mm cameras. We use to take the photos, then we had to have them developed and printed. Then, there were always ones we couldn't use and ended up throwing away or filing. When I was doing my little stint as an investigative reporter, I found that photos could get a little expensive, especially when I took 20 or 30 and the paper only paid for 1 or 2. (lol)

 

[EagleDown]

Oh ok. but if there is bags of gold or even old rifles, that means there could be other things in that mine as well. Its a sad thing if there r bodies but it would be worth it to try and get in this mine to see if there was more gold already dug out or not. It would be great if u were able to go back there and at least take a pic of what the front of the mine looks like and get opinions from us or anyone on the most easy way to dig it out or remove rock/dirt.

Ahhh, I see where the confusion is. You're talking about an entirely different mine. Further on, you'll find a story about another old (but more modern than the one you're thinking of) abandoned mine. This one had 2 ore-bins filled with "Hand-Graded" ore, with visible gold. I estimated that there was about 10+ tons of ore in the bins, just waiting to be milled.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Ahhh, I see where the confusion is. You're talking about an entirely different mine. Further on, you'll find a story about another old (but more modern than the one you're thinking of) abandoned mine. This one had 2 ore-bins filled with "Hand-Graded" ore, with visible gold. I estimated that there was about 10+ tons of ore in the bins, just waiting to be milled.

Wow! Ten tons of visible, hand-sorted ore!! That's a whole lot of oro!

All the best,

Lanny

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/metal-detecting-gold/69-bedrock-gold-mysteries.html

 

[GarretDiggingAz]

I just want a ton Eagle. Of course milled and panned. So just 1 ton of AU for me would be fine.
Let's go get it. I think that'll take care of the pain. Lol. I just need to let misses know I'll be gone for x amount of time. LOL

 

[Cl1983]

I'd settle for a measly 5lbs. That's only like 3 1/2 years of replacement income for me

 

[3sell]

Ok so I did some research and u really got me thinking!!! So this refers to the story about the dead bodies in the cave/ mine. I believe its one of Joaquin Murrieta's hideouts! It gives the same details of a cave/ mine way up in a mountain type of cayon and the Murrieta gang had around $60,000-100,000 in bags on gold. This is the really crazy part.....the gang picked this specific cave because it had "many skeletons" in it and he knew that the countrymen were superstitious back then and would not look for the stolen gold or enter the cave because of "ghost." NOW TELL ME THAT DOESN'T SOUND JUST LIKE UR STORY!!!! I want to go now and help u dig this mine out LOL. I would be happy with just 20% haha

 

[IMPDLN]

Hello Eagle and all others that frequent Eagle's fine parlor. My name is Dennis, from central Az. Took me awhile but been here reading these 105 pages for days, along with Lanny's fine stories. I just had to sign up so I could add my 2 cents here and there. Super fine stories Eagle, kudos sir.

A little about myself.....I've been prospecting a few years now. Mostly metal detecting as I have found that works best for me. Got a little experience under my belt mostly with my Minelab SD2100 V-2. Took awhile to get consistent with it but I have been successful and seem to be getting better all the time.

While reading through this parlor of fine posting I can't help but feel a need to offer some assistance to a particular poster here, GarrettDiggingAz.
Sir, I know what you are going through as I have been there in similar situation myself. I am self taught with my metal detectors and a very persistent individual. I feel that I can offer some advice that might shorten your learning curve here in Az. Of course others here might benefit from my way of looking at things as well.

By the way, I don't mean to hijack this fabulous thread, but I think what I have to say might be appreciated by others as well. Be patient with me as sometimes I am a little long winded even when typing, lol.

Ok, to the point......Garrett Digger, no offense, but you are doing too much work for too little reward. I think I can help. First of all don't waste your money buying yet another metal detector to collect dust. You have a fine machine already you just need to take it for a walk more often. If you have a need to spend some money on more gear I suggest maybe get a second coil for the machine you have. If you don't have the smallest coil already, that is the 1 you should concentrate on getting and using to locate at least your 1st Az. nugget, and I will help you refine your tactics to do so.

What I mean by refining your tactics. Instead of going out doing all that digging for little return, try a different approach. I suggest you concentrate your efforts on swinging your metal detector. Get them kids to dig your targets to save on all the bending over. Concentrate your efforts on dry washes with either exposed bedrock or at least shallow bedrock. Remember gold is heavy and nuggets out here are mostly found on bedrock, and often down inside cracks and crevices. Don't get in a hurry. You must be patient and pace yourself. Be very thorough and make sure to overlap your coil swings and keep the coil flat to the surface. Being thorough and taking your time is more important than covering a lot of ground. Always run in all metal mode, dig all targets, especially faint questionable signals as those are the signals that most people miss that are often nuggets. As you scrape overburden off questionable signals, a valid target will become more positive.

It is very important to read your manual cover to cover multiple times and doesn't hurt to reread to the point that you pretty much have it memorized. Now a few tools will also help you. I recommend a good metal detecting pick, you know the ones you see with the triangular shaped head. IE, sharp point on one end and wide blade at the other. I also recommend a plastic bristle brush, like a large tooth brush looking brush, with good stiff plastic bristles......plastic because wire brushes just make more junk targets. Three more tools I recommend are a plastic garden trowel, crevicing tool, which could be as simple as a flat blade screw driver or like the ones sold at prospecting shops with a sharp pointed end and a small scoop end......the type I use....and a straw. I prefer a more durable straw than the typical disposable type. The thicker expandable straws like what come with the really large, like 64oz mugs.

Now I think most can figure out what to do with these tools. All of them help with recovery. Oh, by the way, your pick should have a few super magnets as well. Some models come with them already installed. Never hurts to have 3-4, I have 3 on mine.....2 on the blade and 1 on the top.....this helps get iron targets out of the way faster. Because I use a PI my pick has the 36'' handle so digging deeper holes when using the larger coils is easier. Not necessary to carry the extra weight of the larger pick when using a VLF.

Ok, I'll get on with my method that I think might help you. Instead of digging willie nillie sample holes all over creation, try metal detecting first. As you go along and detect targets you want to find gold of course. Don't concern yourself so much with typical iron junk, but when you dig a lead slug, old bullet or even a larger heavy chunk of iron on bedrock, then I suggest take a sample of the dirt on bedrock around the slug. You can just carry a small bucket with some ziplock freezer bags or something similar. Clean the bedrock real good using the brush and trowel and just bag that dirt up for later. You should mark the bag or you can put the slug in with the dirt. I myself remember which targets came from which hole, but do what works best for you so you can relate what bag of dirt came from whichever hole. Give it some time and be patient.

By doing this you will accomplish a few things at the same time. First of all you will become more accustomed to using your metal detector and the more you use it the better you will get with it and the better your chances of realizing that nugget you desire. Second, this is a much more methodical way to sample. Third, as an individual looking for gold you will actually increase your chances of finding a nice pocket as gold will often land where lead does.

After cleaning off the area use the straw to gently blow off any left over dust and such and if a crevice exists with material wedged in it use the crevicing tool to scrape that material out and save that too. Pay attention when blowing off the fluff as often small flakes will be revealed in this process. Of course this technic applies if the soil is dry. If there are multiple cracks and crevices and you see some flakes, by all means this is possibly a good place to scrape the fluff off and clean the bedrock nooks, cracks, and crevices.

With the exception of using the straw, this method of detecting and sampling works well in wet places like Lynx too. You will find pockets of lead with your metal detector up there and may not immediately detect a nugget. But certainly metal detect, find lead pockets and clean them up, bag that stuff and process later at home or at camp after supper. I assure you if you try this method, some day soon you will be pleasantly surprised when you start finding pickers, then nuggets, and then you might even just straight up detect a nugget in the process.

A little more about me.....I detected my 1st nugget in about 35 hours of actually sweeping my coil.....not typical.... Never used a metal detector in my life and taught myself. My second, third, fourth, and fifth nuggets detected took another 14 months....more typical. However with the method I described I dug out many pickers and 3 nuggets around 1 gram or so in size that I never heard on the detector. This let me know I needed to try harder and listen better to my machine. I am sure my machine saw those missed by me nuggets, but I didn't know what it was telling me. Now I have been doing this long enough that I find nuggets often. I am sure I don't get them all, but I miss fewer that is for sure. Oh, by the way be diligent about ground balance, do it often as ground changes often. Also wear headphones.

I'll throw a couple pics of my most recent Az. nugget. 10.9 gram, as Lanny would say, sassy gold nugget. I've taken enough space on this thread for now. Nice to meet all of you here in advance and I hope some of you, especially Garrett Digger are able to benefit from this post. Good GOLD to all......Dennis

 

[IMPDLN]

By the way, this nugget was found last week in central Az. It was shallow on bedrock, along the edge of and under a boulder. Any detector could have found it. My understudy found a 14.7 gram specie in the same wash a few days before with a Gold Bug SE, only his 9th nugget. He found his first-fifth on New Years day this year. I am very proud of him. I might have taught him too well as my best nugget is the same 14.7 gram weight and it took me a few years to find, lol. But I don't mind. I am kind of like Eagle in that respect, I don't mind sharing my knowledge. I just don't have as many years prospecting so I am still learning as I go. Dennis

 

[Lanny in AB]

Hello Eagle and all others that frequent Eagle's fine parlor. My name is Dennis, from central Az. Took me awhile but been here reading these 105 pages for days, along with Lanny's fine stories. I just had to sign up so I could add my 2 cents here and there. Super fine stories Eagle, kudos sir. A little about myself.....I've been prospecting a few years now. Mostly metal detecting as I have found that works best for me. Got a little experience under my belt mostly with my Minelab SD2100 V-2. Took awhile to get consistent with it but I have been successful and seem to be getting better all the time. While reading through this parlor of fine posting I can't help but feel a need to offer some assistance to a particular poster here, GarrettDiggingAz. Sir, I know what you are going through as I have been there in similar situation myself. I am self taught with my metal detectors and a very persistent individual. I feel that I can offer some advice that might shorten your learning curve here in Az. Of course others here might benefit from my way of looking at things as well. By the way, I don't mean to hijack this fabulous thread, but I think what I have to say might be appreciated by others as well. Be patient with me as sometimes I am a little long winded even when typing, lol. Ok, to the point......Garrett Digger, no offense, but you are doing too much work for too little reward. I think I can help. First of all don't waste your money buying yet another metal detector to collect dust. You have a fine machine already you just need to take it for a walk more often. If you have a need to spend some money on more gear I suggest maybe get a second coil for the machine you have. If you don't have the smallest coil already, that is the 1 you should concentrate on getting and using to locate at least your 1st Az. nugget, and I will help you refine your tactics to do so. What I mean by refining your tactics. Instead of going out doing all that digging for little return, try a different approach. I suggest you concentrate your efforts on swinging your metal detector. Get them kids to dig your targets to save on all the bending over. Concentrate your efforts on dry washes with either exposed bedrock or at least shallow bedrock. Remember gold is heavy and nuggets out here are mostly found on bedrock, and often down inside cracks and crevices. Don't get in a hurry. You must be patient and pace yourself. Be very thorough and make sure to overlap your coil swings and keep the coil flat to the surface. Being thorough and taking your time is more important than covering a lot of ground. Always run in all metal mode, dig all targets, especially faint questionable signals as those are the signals that most people miss that are often nuggets. As you scrape overburden off questionable signals, a valid target will become more positive. It is very important to read your manual cover to cover multiple times and doesn't hurt to reread to the point that you pretty much have it memorized. Now a few tools will also help you. I recommend a good metal detecting pick, you know the ones you see with the triangular shaped head. IE, sharp point on one end and wide blade at the other. I also recommend a plastic bristle brush, like a large tooth brush looking brush, with good stiff plastic bristles......plastic because wire brushes just make more junk targets. Three more tools I recommend are a plastic garden trowel, crevicing tool, which could be as simple as a flat blade screw driver or like the ones sold at prospecting shops with a sharp pointed end and a small scoop end......the type I use....and a straw. I prefer a more durable straw than the typical disposable type. The thicker expandable straws like what come with the really large, like 64oz mugs. Now I think most can figure out what to do with these tools. All of them help with recovery. Oh, by the way, your pick should have a few super magnets as well. Some models come with them already installed. Never hurts to have 3-4, I have 3 on mine.....2 on the blade and 1 on the top.....this helps get iron targets out of the way faster. Because I use a PI my pick has the 36'' handle so digging deeper holes when using the larger coils is easier. Not necessary to carry the extra weight of the larger pick when using a VLF. Ok, I'll get on with my method that I think might help you. Instead of digging willie nillie sample holes all over creation, try metal detecting first. As you go along and detect targets you want to find gold of course. Don't concern yourself so much with typical iron junk, but when you dig a lead slug, old bullet or even a larger heavy chunk of iron on bedrock, then I suggest take a sample of the dirt on bedrock around the slug. You can just carry a small bucket with some ziplock freezer bags or something similar. Clean the bedrock real good using the brush and trowel and just bag that dirt up for later. You should mark the bag or you can put the slug in with the dirt. I myself remember which targets came from which hole, but do what works best for you so you can relate what bag of dirt came from whichever hole. Give it some time and be patient. By doing this you will accomplish a few things at the same time. First of all you will become more accustomed to using your metal detector and the more you use it the better you will get with it and the better your chances of realizing that nugget you desire. Second, this is a much more methodical way to sample. Third, as an individual looking for gold you will actually increase your chances of finding a nice pocket as gold will often land where lead does. After cleaning off the area use the straw to gently blow off any left over dust and such and if a crevice exists with material wedged in it use the crevicing tool to scrape that material out and save that too. Pay attention when blowing off the fluff as often small flakes will be revealed in this process. Of course this technic applies if the soil is dry. If there are multiple cracks and crevices and you see some flakes, by all means this is possibly a good place to scrape the fluff off and clean the bedrock nooks, cracks, and crevices. With the exception of using the straw, this method of detecting and sampling works well in wet places like Lynx too. You will find pockets of lead with your metal detector up there and may not immediately detect a nugget. But certainly metal detect, find lead pockets and clean them up, bag that stuff and process later at home or at camp after supper. I assure you if you try this method, some day soon you will be pleasantly surprised when you start finding pickers, then nuggets, and then you might even just straight up detect a nugget in the process. A little more about me.....I detected my 1st nugget in about 35 hours of actually sweeping my coil.....not typical.... Never used a metal detector in my life and taught myself. My second, third, fourth, and fifth nuggets detected took another 14 months....more typical. However with the method I described I dug out many pickers and 3 nuggets around 1 gram or so in size that I never heard on the detector. This let me know I needed to try harder and listen better to my machine. I am sure my machine saw those missed by me nuggets, but I didn't know what it was telling me. Now I have been doing this long enough that I find nuggets often. I am sure I don't get them all, but I miss fewer that is for sure. Oh, by the way be diligent about ground balance, do it often as ground changes often. Also wear headphones. I'll throw a couple pics of my most recent Az. nugget. 10.9 gram, as Lanny would say, sassy gold nugget. I've taken enough space on this thread for now. Nice to meet all of you here in advance and I hope some of you, especially Garrett Digger are able to benefit from this post. Good GOLD to all......Dennis

Solid gold advice Dennis!

Excellent post.

All the best,

Lanny

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/metal-detecting-gold/69-bedrock-gold-mysteries.html

 

[calisdad]

Ok so I did some research and u really got me thinking!!! So this refers to the story about the dead bodies in the cave/ mine. I believe its one of Joaquin Murrieta's hideouts! It gives the same details of a cave/ mine way up in a mountain type of cayon and the Murrieta gang had around $60,000-100,000 in bags on gold. This is the really crazy part.....the gang picked this specific cave because it had "many skeletons" in it and he knew that the countrymen were superstitious back then and would not look for the stolen gold or enter the cave because of "ghost." NOW TELL ME THAT DOESN'T SOUND JUST LIKE UR STORY!!!! I want to go now and help u dig this mine out LOL. I would be happy with just 20% haha

First off, Welcome both 3sell and IMPDLN.


3sell could you be so kind as to post or PM a link to your Murrieta story? I don't think it's the same cave but another 20 to 25 miles away.


Eagle, Best of Luck on your search. We all have confidence in you. I'd offer my help but I'll be in an arm sling for another month and I'm afraid I'd be of little use.


regards-
C-dad

 

[3sell]

Ya let me find it again haha. I think it would of helped to say what city this was near.....which I forgot to say. Mariposa county is pretty big.

 

[EagleDown]

By the way, this nugget was found last week in central Az. It was shallow on bedrock, along the edge of and under a boulder. Any detector could have found it. My understudy found a 14.7 gram specie in the same wash a few days before with a Gold Bug SE, only his 9th nugget. He found his first-fifth on New Years day this year. I am very proud of him. I might have taught him too well as my best nugget is the same 14.7 gram weight and it took me a few years to find, lol. But I don't mind. I am kind of like Eagle in that respect, I don't mind sharing my knowledge. I just don't have as many years prospecting so I am still learning as I go. Dennis

I don't have a lot to say about your post, other than Welcome to Tnet and it was a fantastic post. I'm sure that there are many readers who will benefit from your advice. (I picked up some valuable info myself). Who knows, I've been wanting to do some prospecting in AZ, perhaps one day, you, Garrett and myself will find ourselves sharing a campfire and a pot of coffee. (lol) Thanks for the post and photos!! Don't be a stranger.

 

[EagleDown]

First off, Welcome both 3sell and IMPDLN. 3sell could you be so kind as to post or PM a link to your Murrieta story? I don't think it's the same cave but another 20 to 25 miles away. Eagle, Best of Luck on your search. We all have confidence in you. I'd offer my help but I'll be in an arm sling for another month and I'm afraid I'd be of little use. regards- C-dad

Well, no matter, it seems that when you get your arm out of the sling, I'll probably still be trying to find the old mine. In other words, the BLM was no help at all. All they did, (typical gov. run-around), was refer me from one to another and talk in circles. I'm not sure yet of where to go from here. They kept telling me I'd have to have the location of mine before they could give me any info. I kept telling them that if I knew the location of the mine, I wouldn't need their help. (lol)

The one thing they verified was that the roads have changed since 1984. New ones for fire control and old ones that have been abandoned for several years. Plus, they told me that a lot of areas around there have been designated "Wilderness" and are inaccessable to motorized anything. I didn't even attempt to find out if that included GPS or metal detectors. (lol)