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

[MHRprospecting]

Eagle i just wanted to say that ive been reading this forum for a few days now and im wow'd 100%. im 26 and must say you inspire me and would like to search for some of these lost treasures that you had searched for. i have just recently in the past 30 days started my hunts in briceburg. i moved back to california about 4 yrs ago and now right after the ban went into effect so i was unaware of that when i bought my dredge combo. I as well am a native, not local to california but a registered deleware( technically adopted cherokee) so im hoping our paths will cross just like they have online :-). BTW my wife really hopes you make a book, shes a big time reader!

 

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[EagleDown]

Eagle i just wanted to say that ive been reading this forum for a few days now and im wow'd 100%. im 26 and must say you inspire me and would like to search for some of these lost treasures that you had searched for. i have just recently in the past 30 days started my hunts in briceburg. i moved back to california about 4 yrs ago and now right after the ban went into effect so i was unaware of that when i bought my dredge combo. I as well am a native, not local to california but a registered deleware( technically adopted cherokee) so im hoping our paths will cross just like they have online :-). BTW my wife really hopes you make a book, shes a big time reader!

Welcome to this thread My Brother!!
Right now, I've decided to go to Briceburg this Saturday. I just replaced my thermostat and radiator and want to check it out to make sure there'll be no more overheating. (Best excuse I can think of). (lol) Anyway, perhaps I'll see you there.
I drive a dark green, old Ford Explorer. I'll probably be in the vicinity of Good's Gulch. (About 3 miles down from Briceburg). If I'm not there, I'll be a short distance further down. Hope to see you (and anyone else) there.

Love and Respect,

Eagle

 

[mr_rich]

Thanks for the posts EagleDown and everyone, lotsa good reading here. It makes me want to come out and try some panning. I have a question: Have you ever had run-ins with Bears or Mountain lions?

 

[EagleDown]

The headline on this ICMJ artical sounds like it would be hopeless to hope for an end to the moratorium on dredging in CA.
BUT, if you read the whole artical, there's still hope for us. We need financial help to get this done!!
I've done enough complaining about my small income that you all know that I have to watch my expenditures carefully, but I'm going to send them as much as I can and I hope that some of you care enough to help also. Make sure you mark
May, 2014 in your calender and help them get the necessary paperwork early enough to be able to fight for our rights.

A note to dredgers/miners; If asked about your dredging activities, DO NOT REPLY that you are a recreational dredger,
rather, say that you depended on gold dredging for a significant part of your income.

Please take the time to read this whole artical:
Judge refuses to grant preliminary injunction to end suction gold dredging moratorium in California - Miner's News - ICMJ's Prospecting and Mining Journal

 

[Oakview2]

Nail hit squarely on the head. The 1872 Mining Laws protect miners, not hobbyist... I think the other side came up with the term recreational miner.

 

[EagleDown]

Thanks for the posts EagleDown and everyone, lotsa good reading here. It makes me want to come out and try some panning. I have a question: Have you ever had run-ins with Bears or Mountain lions?

In close to 50 years (on and off) of going to the river, I've seen 2 mountain lions and one bear. And those were all prior to 1985. Too many people for them right now. Beside the fact that both prefer higher elevations.

 

[EagleDown]

Not getting much of a response, but I did say I'd let everyone know when I'll be on the river. So, I'll be on the river
somewhere below McCabe Flats on Saturday morning, around 9am. As said before, I drive a 1992 Ford Explorer 4X4, dark
green. And, I'll have my black dog there to protect me from squirrels. (lol)

If any of my Friends can make it, you'll be more than welcome!!

 

[Alex Burke]

I would have met you there for sure but I had to work and I need to plan around that. Post next time your going and ill try and meet you there. I love the Briceburg area and it would be great to meet you in real life Eagle. HH

 

[EagleDown]

I would have met you there for sure but I had to work and I need to plan around that. Post next time your going and ill try and meet you there. I love the Briceburg area and it would be great to meet you in real life Eagle. HH

You got it my Friend.

It was a beautiful morning on the river. Temp. was about 74, with scattered clouds. I arrived at Willow Placer at 9am and spent a half hour trying to figure out why my TDI wasn't working properly. I finally gave up and laid it on the hood of the car. Then, I spent about 30 minutes throwing a ball for Flash to chase after. After that little work-out, I decided to give the TDI another chance. I checked all the settings carefully, then found I had forgot to turn the ground balance on!!

After that little fiasco, I got in an hour of digging trash out for the BLM, before a few small drops of rain started falling and I remembered I had some things I should get under cover, just in case, so I headed home.

Glad I did now. I got everything covered, went inside to fix a late lunch, when it started thundering. By the time I finished eating, someone was dumping buckets of rain on my motorhome. (lol) I believe we got over an inch of rain within 45 minutes. (And, I found that I have 2 leaks in the roof I have to patch).

So there you have a typical day in the life of the Eagle. (lol)

Oh yeah, the only "keeper" I found was 3 inches deep in the solid clay; A rusty fish hook! (lol)

 

[panner59]

Thanks for everything Eagle I hope your doing well. How was the water level on the river? looking to do some sniping soon. A good guy by the name of Fred that owns a mining shop in Mariposa told me of a great spot near the bridge and another just down stream. Hoping to meet you some day on the river.
Thanks again
Panner59

 

[Alex Burke]

Sounds like my metal detecting experiences in a nutshell lol. I figured I'd possibly find enough gold with a lesser detector to finance a new one, boy was I wrong ... I even borrowed my friends GB2 a couple of times and I still dug trash all day At some point I realized I better just go back to shoveling everything into a sluice as my detecting "technique." I do sometimes use it to try and find magnetite streaks and don't have to worry about an expensive detector getting damaged or stolen so it serves its purpose. I would like a PI if I ever got a chance to go to Australia and time to learn how to use it right Glad you had a safe trip and I'm sure the BLM says thanks for digging the trash Eagle!

 

[shepcal]

MM, don't give up! Trash is funny. If'n you're in a gold bearing area, trash means there are still good possibilities for gold! Many that get into a trashy area will give up, when the next target could well be that nugget of a lifetime! A good approach to this situation, is if it's a spot you'll be at for a while or go back to, depending on how trashy, set a perimeter (5', 10' square), dig every target (or even give it a time frame), and if no gold- go explore. Don't wear yourself out on one spot and all trash.
To be honest with you, I fit in that group that gives up, but I do try it (and haven't had much luck; but the theory is excellent!), and know people that it has worked for!
I've got dredges (can't use in Kalifornication, but in my opinion, best way to recover gold), sluice boxes, dry washers, high bankers, and still always go back to the detector. All it takes is one nugget! Gotta think positive!
Just say'n, Shep

Eagle, had a customer that physically can't use his quad anymore. Haven't seen it, but was told it was a 90's (?) Timberwolf w/ new tires, so 250, Yamaha, but only 2wd. Price (from son, have to talk to his dad to confirm). Let me know if interested.

 

[EagleDown]

MM, don't give up! Trash is funny. If'n you're in a gold bearing area, trash means there are still good possibilities for gold! Many that get into a trashy area will give up, when the next target could well be that nugget of a lifetime! A good approach to this situation, is if it's a spot you'll be at for a while or go back to, depending on how trashy, set a perimeter (5', 10' square), dig every target (or even give it a time frame), and if no gold- go explore. Don't wear yourself out on one spot and all trash.
To be honest with you, I fit in that group that gives up, but I do try it (and haven't had much luck; but the theory is excellent!), and know people that it has worked for!
I've got dredges (can't use in Kalifornication, but in my opinion, best way to recover gold), sluice boxes, dry washers, high bankers, and still always go back to the detector. All it takes is one nugget! Gotta think positive!
Just say'n, Shep

Eagle, had a customer that physically can't use his quad anymore. Haven't seen it, but was told it was a 90's (?) Timberwolf w/ new tires, so 250, Yamaha, but only 2wd. Price (from son, have to talk to his dad to confirm). Let me know if interested.

Excellent advise on the metal detecting! I'll take a rake with me the next time I go to my dream spot. Grass was dead, but still too thick and too high to detect.

I'm definately interested, but after buying that motorized drywasher from Fred, not sure if I can come up with enough
money for it. Well, find out the price and we'll go from there. Who knows, maybe I can find
a buyer for my 4k Onan generator.

 

[EagleDown]

Thanks for everything Eagle I hope your doing well. How was the water level on the river? looking to do some sniping soon. A good guy by the name of Fred that owns a mining shop in Mariposa told me of a great spot near the bridge and another just down stream. Hoping to meet you some day on the river.
Thanks again
Panner59

You're very welcome my Friend!! The river was at extreem low yesterday. I doubt there was enough rain last night to
have brought it up much.

 

[MHRprospecting]

hey eagle we were in there but must have missed you, we ended up at RR. I have a question for you? is that old tertiary been worked to death, thats on the right before you hit the last camp?

 

[EagleDown]

hey eagle we were in there but must have missed you, we ended up at RR. I have a question for you? is that old tertiary been worked to death, thats on the right before you hit the last camp?

Yes, it was worked in the 1930s, on up to WW11. Right now, it's part of the "Bigfoot" claims, so even though I found gold in there (years ago), I stay out of that area now.

Back in the late 70s, on up to about '88, Jim and Ziggy, (the owners of the claim), had a front end loader and a trommel
in there. Never did have the chance to ask if they were getting enough to make it worthwhile before the BLM ordered them to stop their operation and remove the equiptment.

 

[MHRprospecting]

Yes, it was worked in the 1930s, on up to WW11. Right now, it's part of the "Bigfoot" claims, so even though I found gold in there (years ago), I stay out of that area now.

Back in the late 70s, on up to about '88, Jim and Ziggy, (the owners of the claim), had a front end loader and a trommel
in there. Never did have the chance to ask if they were getting enough to make it worthwhile before the BLM ordered them to stop their operation and remove the equiptment.

im unfamiliar with the term big foot claim, ive noticed a few people have been diggin in there i saw tell tell signs of new diggin there.

 

[EagleDown]

im unfamiliar with the term big foot claim, ive noticed a few people have been diggin in there i saw tell tell signs of new diggin there.

(lol) All mining operations have names. ie; Colorado, Pine Tree, Mariposa, etc. When they file their claims, they file under
these names, as well as their personal names. The one you're interested in is "BigFoot Mining".

What is happening all over is; People come in for the weekend and figure they can dig where ever they please. Legally, that's called "Claim Jumping". If the claim owner catches them, generally, he'll inform them they can't be digging on his
claims. But, if he's like a couple I've known, he could have them arrested. (Seldom happens). Anyway, that's why it's
always a good idea to ask around. I always allowed people to dredge and sluice on my claims. My only request was: If you
find a lot of gold, let me know where so that I could determine how the paystreak ran in that area.

 

[MHRprospecting]

(lol) All mining operations have names. ie; Colorado, Pine Tree, Mariposa, etc. When they file their claims, they file under
these names, as well as their personal names. The one you're interested in is "BigFoot Mining".

What is happening all over is; People come in for the weekend and figure they can dig where ever they please. Legally, that's called "Claim Jumping". If the claim owner catches them, generally, he'll inform them they can't be digging on his
claims. But, if he's like a couple I've known, he could have them arrested. (Seldom happens). Anyway, that's why it's
always a good idea to ask around. I always allowed people to dredge and sluice on my claims. My only request was: If you
find a lot of gold, let me know where so that I could determine how the paystreak ran in that area.

thats exactly what my wife and i are trying to do is see if these nice gentleman would be willing to allow us there, i met a property owner by the name of kim, plus george(blm) and a couple other weekend warriors lol. i understand the claim thing from location to filing(well the wife does). we know about claim jumping not bad events but it discouraged us from finishing the paperwork. a friends dad let his go a few years ago because he couldnt keep people off or away from his gear. i take pride in busting my butt for the little we accumulate without equipment, so i show other what i find, which so far everyone has pulled out there finds and laugh about how we love to show our gold. its hard to track down claim owners via mail.

 

[EagleDown]

thats exactly what my wife and i are trying to do is see if these nice gentleman would be willing to allow us there, i met a property owner by the name of kim, plus george(blm) and a couple other weekend warriors lol. i understand the claim thing from location to filing(well the wife does). we know about claim jumping not bad events but it discouraged us from finishing the paperwork. a friends dad let his go a few years ago because he couldnt keep people off or away from his gear. i take pride in busting my butt for the little we accumulate without equipment, so i show other what i find, which so far everyone has pulled out there finds and laugh about how we love to show our gold. its hard to track down claim owners via mail.

Sorry to take so long answering, but I've been really busy the last 3 days. Preparing for rain and cold. This last "unexpected" rain let me know I had a couple of leaks in my roof. Well, actually, a wet mattress and bench seat let me know. (lol)
Anyway, you had a question, but I see that you've retracted it. But, I'll answer it anyway. I would go for the gravel bar, since all the gold I've managed to find behind boulders was in the water. Also, though you're more likely to locate the pay
streak at the lower end of the bar, I have seen a couple of nice nuggets come out of the upper end of a bar. Just look at
the advice you get on where to find gold as a generalization, but never think that it is set in stone. Due to thousands of
years of a river meandering through the mountains, gold can be found in places that would seem to be impossible.