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

[mariposagold]

Government......Right!! Another place that might be productive would be the school above the courthouse. That's where some kid found a nugget (on the school grounds) right after a rain. I haven't been up there in years, so I don't know if it's fenced in now, or not.

As they say; If you want gold, go where gold has been found. (lol)

I've hunted the school many many times looking for coins and jewelry, not gold and not in the dirt around the school. Interesting is the area above the school. I scouted it out last year and found tons of quartz. Anywhere from shattered fragments to huge boulders. This was before I had my MXT. There is quite a bit of space between the school and the nearest private property fence. I've also heard stories similar, even one in which a young fella got a nugget wedged in his shoe walking down 7th street, practically in front of my house. I need to put my MXT in prospect mode more often around town.

 

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[EagleDown]

I've hunted the school many many times looking for coins and jewelry, not gold and not in the dirt around the school. Interesting is the area above the school. I scouted it out last year and found tons of quartz. Anywhere from shattered fragments to huge boulders. This was before I had my MXT. There is quite a bit of space between the school and the nearest private property fence. I've also heard stories similar, even one in which a young fella got a nugget wedged in his shoe walking down 7th street, practically in front of my house. I need to put my MXT in prospect mode more often around town.

I'd probably keep my MXT in prospect mode all of the time. I know it will find coins, as I've picked up pennies and dimes while in a creek bottom. (Not a lot, but a few).

I never had the opportunity to detect around a school while I was in Bakersfield for 12 years. Every school there has a chain-link fence around it. There's at least 2 schools that I know were built in the late 1800s, but they've been fenced in for well over 25 years. I can only dream of what might be in the "tot lots" and soccer fields.

 

[Rik]

I woke up yesterday and realized I didn't have any obligations so, I jumped into the truck and headed to Briceburg. My first stop was that cabin site you told me about; the one next to the spring. There wasn't any sign of there ever being anything there, other than a spot that had been leveled. All the cabin ruins I've seen in the area have a 3 foot wall around them. They must have built the rest with wood. This didn't have that. After swinging a while, diggin' nails and such I realized this place had a slate floor. That is something else I've never seen in the area. Then I found what reminded me of the embossed tin plating they used to cover trunks with, around the turn of the century. I imagine it was the cabin of an immigrant from over seas. As apposed to a frontiersman who would have chosen lighter luggage. I didn't find anything valuable, but after I got home I was thinking about it. If I wanted to hide my valuables around there, I would want them close, hidden and safe from fire. I would probably lift a stone from the floor and dig out spot. I may need to go back there...

 

[EagleDown]

I woke up yesterday and realized I didn't have any obligations so, I jumped into the truck and headed to Briceburg. My first stop was that cabin site you told me about; the one next to the spring. There wasn't any sign of there ever being anything there, other than a spot that had been leveled. All the cabin ruins I've seen in the area have a 3 foot wall around them. They must have built the rest with wood. This didn't have that. After swinging a while, diggin' nails and such I realized this place had a slate floor. That is something else I've never seen in the area. Then I found what reminded me of the embossed tin plating they used to cover trunks with, around the turn of the century. I imagine it was the cabin of an immigrant from over seas. As apposed to a frontiersman who would have chosen lighter luggage. I didn't find anything valuable, but after I got home I was thinking about it. If I wanted to hide my valuables around there, I would want them close, hidden and safe from fire. I would probably lift a stone from the floor and dig out spot. I may need to go back there...

Hmm, That's strange. There use to be a well built stone wall on the edge of the flat, that faced the river. I wouldn't have thought that it would disappear in only 35 years. Then, perhaps it's covered with slough from above. And, you could be right about hidden valuables under a piece of slate. The most common area for stuff to be hidden would be the floor, generally in a corner.

 

[angelus2k5]

Probably. I'm not sure of the actual name, other than it was Mormon "something". (lol) I think just about every mining area had Mormons somewhere around. (lol) If you do stop in at Stapp & Moores, you might ask about it.

If I remember correctly, San Bernardino was originally settled by the Mormons, due to the arrowhead on the mountain.

Hey eagle just thought I'd let you know that I checked out stapp & mores and it looks as though they aren't in business anymore. Not sure how long they've been out but the building still proudly displays the name of the store. Must be a sign of the times as I know the moratorium must be hitting the mining industry pretty bad. Although this dredging ban has gotten me thinking that scooping up some material from places where you would dredge might be worthwhile

 

[mariposagold]

I'd probably keep my MXT in prospect mode all of the time. I know it will find coins, as I've picked up pennies and dimes while in a creek bottom. (Not a lot, but a few).

I never had the opportunity to detect around a school while I was in Bakersfield for 12 years. Every school there has a chain-link fence around it. There's at least 2 schools that I know were built in the late 1800s, but they've been fenced in for well over 25 years. I can only dream of what might be in the "tot lots" and soccer fields.

I might just have to practice using Prospect mode and give it a shot while hunting around town. As long as it picks up Gold Coins that would make a great hunt.

Yes, the Lockdown public school problem. I've encountered it. When I like to hunt, some schools are in lockdown. We made a trip up to Manteca to visit my wife's High school. She could remember really good spots for hunting. So we drove up there for nothing. It was locked and she was very disappointed. While in the area, we decided to try locating her parents property. She new the house was gone, but she believed the area still had some houses nearby and here parents property became part of a local industrial complex. No such luck. It's now the home of Lathrop High School (Locked). She says her brother buried all kinds of stuff there, including whole motor cycles before going of to Viet Nam. Her parents held sizable parties at that place as well. I can only imagine the digging that could have been done there.

 

[EagleDown]

Hey eagle just thought I'd let you know that I checked out stapp & mores and it looks as though they aren't in business anymore. Not sure how long they've been out but the building still proudly displays the name of the store. Must be a sign of the times as I know the moratorium must be hitting the mining industry pretty bad. Although this dredging ban has gotten me thinking that scooping up some material from places where you would dredge might be worthwhile

Figures! They opened in about 1980, a couple of years before Terry retired from the Air Force. Now the Government he
fought to defend has put him out of business. What's new?? I can't help but wonder when/or if, the sheeple will say: "Enough is enough"!!

Taking materials home would work, IF, the bed rock is shallow enough to take the materials off of it.

 

[EagleDown]

I might just have to practice using Prospect mode and give it a shot while hunting around town. As long as it picks up Gold Coins that would make a great hunt.

Yes, the Lockdown public school problem. I've encountered it. When I like to hunt, some schools are in lockdown. We made a trip up to Manteca to visit my wife's High school. She could remember really good spots for hunting. So we drove up there for nothing. It was locked and she was very disappointed. While in the area, we decided to try locating her parents property. She new the house was gone, but she believed the area still had some houses nearby and here parents property became part of a local industrial complex. No such luck. It's now the home of Lathrop High School (Locked). She says her brother buried all kinds of stuff there, including whole motor cycles before going of to Viet Nam. Her parents held sizable parties at that place as well. I can only imagine the digging that could have been done there.

I guess the trick here would be to "borrow" a five dollar gold piece and see. Unfortunately, I've never been fortunate enough to find a gold coin, so I can't say for sure. You might talk to Fred at his mining supply, (behind Subway), and see if he would at least let you do an "air test" on a gold coin. He's a good hearted guy, and might be willing to help. (Of course, it would probably help if you bought something while there). (lol)

Wow, that would blow my mind to dig up a motorcycle. (lol)

 

[EagleDown]

Now here's one of the tricks my weird memory likes to pull on me occasionally. If you remember, back near the beginning of this thread, I mentioned a small meat market, but couldn't remember the name. Well, last night, I was sitting, reading the news, and "out of the blue", the name popped into my mind. How's that for delayed reaction?

So, just to fill in that little blank space, the name was: Kemps' Meat Market. (lol)

 

[CharlesP]

Eagle I went back to the Wells Fargo hole again today and got blanked. I'm finding sniping to be a lot like metal detecting. It's easy to get the equipment but hard to find the gold. Lol

Also I saw the area where you guys were working the old river bed, and you guys are crazy. Lol. Trying to kill yourself. Lol.

One more thing, just passed the briceburg bridge there is a high bench on the right side that is 40 feet high in the air from the road. How long ago do you estimate the Merced ran that high on the mountainside?

Btw when I left the Toyota said the canyon temp was 109! Crazy

 

[EagleDown]

Eagle I went back to the Wells Fargo hole again today and got blanked. I'm finding sniping to be a lot like metal detecting. It's easy to get the equipment but hard to find the gold. Lol

Also I saw the area where you guys were working the old river bed, and you guys are crazy. Lol. Trying to kill yourself. Lol.

One more thing, just passed the briceburg bridge there is a high bench on the right side that is 40 feet high in the air from the road. How long ago do you estimate the Merced ran that high on the mountainside?

Btw when I left the Toyota said the canyon temp was 109! Crazy

Too bad about the Wells Fargo hole. But, over the years, I've found that the best looking areas on the river can sometimes be barren. But, we still keep looking. Actually, that area is so visable, it's probably been "over worked" in the past few years.

Of course we're crazy! But aren't all gold prospectors a little crazy? (lol)

I think it's been about 20,000 years since the glaciers that scraped out Yosemite melted. I would imagine there was so much water coming from the park, that it was at least 40 ft. higher than the present river level. Probably about that time when a couple of mountains were undercut and fell down on the ancient bedrock, diverting the river from its older channel.

 

[CharlesP]

Too bad about the Wells Fargo hole. But, over the years, I've found that the best looking areas on the river can sometimes be barren. But, we still keep looking. Actually, that area is so visable, it's probably been "over worked" in the past few years.

Of course we're crazy! But aren't all gold prospectors a little crazy? (lol)

I think it's been about 20,000 years since the glaciers that scraped out Yosemite melted. I would imagine there was so much water coming from the park, that it was at least 40 ft. higher than the present river level. Probably about that time when a couple of mountains were undercut and fell down on the ancient bedrock, diverting the river from its older channel.

You just freaking blew my mind with your take on the river. Wow thank you so much for that perspective.

 

[calisdad]

Interesting that you would mention mountains being undercut. About 5 or 6 crow miles due north of Briceburg I've found river rock where it doesn't seem to belong on a hillside and another 5 or 6 crow miles due north of that near Buck Meadows more river rock up on a ridgeline. It leads me to believe the ancient rivers ran south to north, not east to west as they do now.

 

[EagleDown]

Interesting that you would mention mountains being undercut. About 5 or 6 crow miles due north of Briceburg I've found river rock where it doesn't seem to belong on a hillside and another 5 or 6 crow miles due north of that near Buck Meadows more river rock up on a ridgeline. It leads me to believe the ancient rivers ran south to north, not east to west as they do now.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if that was the case. In fact, I find very little surprises me about geology every since I read a report that geologists had found proof that rivers in the continintal U.S. had reversed their flows more than one time in the distant past. And, you're right about the North/South, South/North flows. We have the "Big Blue" as proof of that.
(I hope I got the name right). For those who are not familiar with the "Big Blue", it's an ancient aluvial deposit left when a river ran from (possibly) Alaska down into almost Southern California. The located evidence of its passage is mostly on the tops of the mountains. (lol) And then, there are the basalt boulders I posted pictures of. They're on the side of the river road, at least 20+ feet above the river. And, no volcanic activity in the area? Got to make you stop and go hmmm.

 

[Oakview2]

There is a ancient channel and you are correct on the north and south...

Tertiary Gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California: Waldemar Lindgren: 978089

Interesting that you would mention mountains being undercut. About 5 or 6 crow miles due north of Briceburg I've found river rock where it doesn't seem to belong on a hillside and another 5 or 6 crow miles due north of that near Buck Meadows more river rock up on a ridgeline. It leads me to believe the ancient rivers ran south to north, not east to west as they do now.

 

[calisdad]

Thanks Oakview2. I tromp a lot of woods in the fall and winter with my quail hunting and find interesting things where I least expect them. I had seen the maps for sale online but they were a bit pricey for me. One of these sites appears to have been a hydraulic mining site that I've been meaning to investigate further. It's rather difficult to reach so maybe there's leftover pickers in the crevices.

 

[Oakview2]

Posted the wrong link, here is a PDF where you can either read it online or print it..
The Tertiary gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California - Waldemar Lindgren, Frank Hall Knowlton - Google Books

Thanks Oakview2. I tromp a lot of woods in the fall and winter with my quail hunting and find interesting things where I least expect them. I had seen the maps for sale online but they were a bit pricey for me. One of these sites appears to have been a hydraulic mining site that I've been meaning to investigate further. It's rather difficult to reach so maybe there's leftover pickers in the crevices.

 

[calisdad]

Posted the wrong link, here is a PDF where you can either read it online or print it..
The Tertiary gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California - Waldemar Lindgren, Frank Hall Knowlton - Google Books

Awesome Info!!
The areas I were referring to are mentioned on the bottom of page 217 and top of 218. What a wealth of information! Maybe some of those 75# nuggets he talks about are still there. :-)

Thanks for posting!

 

[Oakview2]

You owe me some pics of those big nuggetts

 

[angelus2k5]

Figures! They opened in about 1980, a couple of years before Terry retired from the Air Force. Now the Government he
fought to defend has put him out of business. What's new?? I can't help but wonder when/or if, the sheeple will say: "Enough is enough"!!

Taking materials home would work, IF, the bed rock is shallow enough to take the materials off of it.

What if we cut out the whole taking material home? Would it be possible to sift through that material while still under water? Sure you might miss out on the fine gold but wouldn’t you still be able to get some good sized "pickers" out of it? Being a tenderfoot I know little to nothing about the whole prospecting thing so I’m not too sure if this action would be allowed. My theory is just based on the fact that since dredging has been suspended, the good sized pieces of gold that would have otherwise been cleaned out should still be there. I’m assuming all you would have to do is just get some kind of strainer/classifier that you could use while under water and just sift away. Of course I have no idea if you would be able to just sift through material while underwater so I don’t know if this would even be allowed. What do you think Eagle? (Or anyone else that wants to chirp in)