Hi Eagle,
It is with great interest and fond memories that I'm reading this thread. I haven't made it through all 99 pages yet, but I am thoroughly enjoying your stories about the Briceburg area. I moved to Yosemite in 1980 and after finding my first flakes on Hall's Gulch, I was bitten by the "gold bug". I spent the next 6 years panning, sluicing, busting cracks and moving boulders all over the area. I even dabbled in some hard-rock mining for a year. Needless to say, it was probably the best 6 years of my life. I'm now in my fifties, and have been patiently waiting for judicial litigation to end on a lawsuit involving a large amount of stock I own (long story), but if I ever get paid for my shares, I'm looking forward to buying a formidable piece of property in/and/or around the Whitlock, Colorado, Midpines area..... retire, and spend the rest of my days "playing in the dirt ". Although, I'm going to go about it much differently than I did 30 years ago..... needless to say, this old body doesn't quite work the way it used to. In reading some of your stories, I'm wondering if we ever met during the eighties.... we sure have a lot in common. Anyway, here are some of my memories from the El Portal to Bagby area:
Over those 6 years, I covered every square-inch of Bear Creek from Midpines to Briceburg. I spent many a night camped out underneath the Hwy. 140 bridge at the top of the Briceburg grade. At the turnout just below there with the cedar tree where you found the merc dime, I found a "Doctor Kilmer's Swamp Root Kidney and Liver Cure" bottle. I was told that the rock foundations, etc. at that spot was once a whorehouse back in the day.
I remember many a greasy burger at the Octagon (and when I say "greasy", I mean the best-tasting, most satisfying grub... especially after a hard days work busting cracks). I used to head down to the Bear behind the Octagon (with permission) and camp on the flats below. I actually had a close "bear encounter" one night...... imagine, a black bear on Bear Creek!
One time, I had a terrible urge to pan Saxon Creek. I jumped into the Merced about an 1/8th mile upstream from Saxon, swam/floated/flailed across and had about my best day panning ever! Got a 14-gram quartzy nugget!
I knew Jack Bass well (and his "less-than-desirable" nephews). I sold him my 1967 mustang that broke down (motor seized) when my wife at the time let it run out of water and oil and left on the side of the highway near Jack's.
I remember that there was another "hermit miner" (not Pete?) that lived either on Saxon or Sherlock. I think his name was either Guy or Gus. He had some bikers giving him problems on his claim, so he hauled off and shot one of them in the ass!
For one summer, I worked the Cranberry Mine (across the canyon from Cedar Lodge). Grover Hoskins leased the hard-rock mine from Jim Law in El Portal. We used "weepy" dynamite from old man Bob Metzler at Ned's Gulch.
I used to frequently visit the LeMire family who lived in an underground hogan at Hite's Cove during that time. Ron was a real nice guy, showed me around the mines, and I was good friends with his son Alfie... I panned and sluiced quite a bit on the South Fork of the Merced, even when the trail was closed for the summer, with permission from Lettie at Savage's Trading Post. As I panned closer and closer to Hite's, the gold started to become covered with mercury. Did you ever hear the tale of the assayer's safe that was lost into the river at Hite's during a big flood in the late 1800's? It was full of amalgam, and I'm sure it's still there, in the bottom of the river, somewhere..........
I used to do yearly assessment work for a few claim owners in the area. I spent a few days re-building the mine entrance to the Gold Star mine. It still stands to this day.
Anyway, there are so many other tales to tell. Thanks again for the memories. I'm looking forward to reading more of the pages in this remarkable thread. If I ever fulfill my dream of moving back up there, we'll have to get together and swap more stories and experiences.
Regards,
Rick
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