The Quest for Maine Gold

[OreCart]

I had mineral "trespass" once however.

Years ago I was down to my gravel pit and noticed that about a hundred yards of sand had been taken. I had an idea who it was that took it, but did not know for sure. My ex-wife at the time, she was all belligerent about it, but I said they would pay up in time, and waited.

Three months goes by, and then we get a check in the mail, and it happened to be the guy who I thought had taken it. No harm, no foul. Its been sitting there for thousands of years since the glaciers pushed it around, so why should I be in a hurry to get paid once its moved a bit more? (LOL)

Here, it sometimes takes people some time to square up, but they eventually do.

 

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[OreCart]

I have not had much time to prospect lately as I have been working on the front yard of my house, hauling gravel, building bridges, and moving loam. But it has also been raining, and its is VERY wet out there, too wet to work today, so I went out prospecting.

I keep track of all the sites I sample, rank the site for various factors, but also get pictures of each spot; or shall I say most spots. Number Two site did not have any pictures so I went there to get some, but while I was there I heard a running stream. That should not surprise anyone in Maine. It is May 20th, and out of 20 days in May, 17 have been rain!

I visited this stream when I was a kid, BUT back then we went up the stream and got hopelessly lost. It made me gunshy enough so I have not been back until today.

I test panned it and found a few specks in three pans, so I was pretty happy with that and headed down stream, but you can tell by the ribbons in the photo, I own this spot, but barely! Too bad, it really is a pretty spot.

(Post 1 of 3 in this series)

 

[OreCart]

So I headed down stream, skirted a fairly big swamp and thought I would check a stream that ran between one swamp and another. Its not vey long, maybe 300 feet in length, but when I got there the beavers had beaten me too it. In all my years, I have never seen a time when the beavers were not in one of these two swamps, and this year they took pride in their work. It is hard to see, but in three hundred feet, they had (3) beaver dams.

It was mostly muck, but I found some gravel and found a few specks of gold in that in two test pans.

The first picture shows the triple beaver dams, while the second shows the gravel I found in the muck where I test panned.

(Post 2 of 3 in this series)

 

[OreCart]

By this point I was in the heart of Kittyville (Bobcat country), but put on my Big Boy Pants because I forgot my gun again, and headed deep into the woods. Down here I am about two miles from anywhere.

I have been here before, but it was deep with snow then so very limited locations I could test pan. This was the real surprise. I found an incredible sippy hole; a nice keyhole in bedrock, fished out the gravel and found NOTHING. There was a speck or two, but I figured I would find quite a bit jammed in this crack.

The only thing I can think of is that the gold is down deep. I never found the bottom of the hole. It was compacted gravel, and the more I wiggled my hand trowel, it just sank and sank until the whole hand trowel was under water.

The whole time Lucifer was beating his wife, (also known as, raining; despite the sun being out) so I was soaked to the bone, and did not want to fuss with finding out if this was false bedrock, or a deep hole in real bedrock.

I followed the stream down to the next swamp, but did not see any really great spots. A lot of it was blackwater, so I lit for home...wary of Kitties.

The first picture shows the bedrock/submerged boulder in the middle of the stream.
The second picture shows the Key-holed shaped sippy hole with my almost submerged hand trowel in it to show depth. That should have been a natural gold trap.
The third picture shows me (sorry it is not Katie posing) grabbing some gravel off the bedrock/submerged boulder.

(Post 3 of 3 in this series)

 

[placertogo]

Check the dirt under the moss on those cobbles in the stream. If gold currently runs in that stream the moss will catch it.

 

[DizzyDigger]

I agree 100% about checking that moss. You can grab a
bucketful pretty easily, and all ya gotta do is wash all the
dirt out of it, then pan the dirt.

Don't be worrying about those bobcats...they aren't going
to bother you so long as you don't corner one. They're also
mostly nighttime hunters. Bears? I'd worry about, but
bobcat, no.

 

[OreCart]

I agree 100% about checking that moss. You can grab a
bucketful pretty easily, and all ya gotta do is wash all the
dirt out of it, then pan the dirt.

Don't be worrying about those bobcats...they aren't going
to bother you so long as you don't corner one. They're also
mostly nighttime hunters. Bears? I'd worry about, but
bobcat, no.

I read where many people were utilizing the moss, but was not sure on the exact procedure. That makes a lot of sense.

Just about everywhere I go there is moss because the streams tend to be very shady from all the trees Maine has.

I was never too worried about Bobcat's, until a few weeks ago I ended up being stalked by one...a HUGE one, and then a few days later I read a report about a woman getting attacked by one in CT. That started worrying me.

But you make a valid point on Bobcat's versus Bears. I have seen bears while out in the wood, but in 45 years of life, in the same place, I have only seen two, but I have never seen Bobcat's, just tracks. Fresh tracks, but tracks.

With bears I mostly see evidence of their presence. Like for some strange reason, thy like to roll in our fields of corn. Silly things will knock down half an acre in a night! Or you will walk among the corn and they will have gone down a row and bit the ears off the corn one stalk after another.

Not to get on a gold-logging-wildlife tangent, but it has been reassuring to see a LOT of rabbits lately. This has been right in Kittyville too (the base of some ledges where the Bobcat's hole up, then drop down into the deer yard where the rabbits hang out as well). The coyotes have put a dent on them the last decade or so, but the hunters have been pounding the coyotes hard, and two years ago took out 70 coyotes on me they said. My dog has killed two, and taken out two fox as well.

She almost took out an Eagle a few weeks ago. I watched an Eagle swoop out of the sky, talons out, ready to grab a newborn lamb, and the dog starts tearing across the field towards the Eagle, and it flew off without the lamb. They track the eagles here, so I am not sure what would be said about a domestic dog killing an eagle, but she is a Livestock Guard Dog so I cannot tell her no; protect sheep is what she does, 365 days a year. And she does it well I might add. Two coyotes and two fox notches on her collar attest to that. In fact we told our daughters, if you ever get scared of anyone, jump in the pasture, the dog would protect you! She looks like a big old white fluff ball, but I do not recommend putting your hand inside the fence. We had a hunter walk halfway across our field...but only halfway. (LOL)

 

[arizau]

Most/all(?) reported bobcat attacks are by rabid animals. Good to be on the lookout not only for them but other animals that approach you. Here is a link for you concerning mossing for gold. https://www.google.com/search?q=mos...me..69i57j0.7358j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.

 

[placertogo]

If you happen to be in an area where removal of moss is not allowed, wait until after the water has receded and the moss has dried out, use a portable cordless vacuum to remove the dry dirt from the moss, leaving the moss in place. You will recover most of the retained gold that way.

 

[OreCart]

Most/all(?) reported bobcat attacks are by rabid animals. Good to be on the lookout not only for them but other animals that approach you. Here is a link for you concerning mossing for gold. https://www.google.com/search?q=mos...me..69i57j0.7358j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8.

The Game Wardens say that there is no Mountain Lions in Maine, but there have been several sightings on Game Camera's and personal sightings. My Sister said she saw one, and a father of one of the kids we watch at our Day Care Center, says he has seen one as well.

I would live in prime habitat for a Mountain Lion if they were here, but in talking to the area hunters, they said they have been trying to take out a large Bobcat in my area, but have yet to be able to get it.

If it was a Bobcat, it sure was a big kitty!

 

[OreCart]

If you happen to be in an area where removal of moss is not allowed, wait until after the water has receded and the moss has dried out, use a portable cordless vacuum to remove the dry dirt from the moss, leaving the moss in place. You will recover most of the retained gold that way.

I am not sure, as I have never looked into that particular law.

Do you know if the removal of moss is based on designation of a stream status, or is it just in individual streams, or streams included in a given watershed?

 

[placertogo]

I am not sure, as I have never looked into that particular law.

Do you know if the removal of moss is based on designation of a stream status, or is it just in individual streams, or streams included in a given watershed?

According to Title 38 MRSA Section 480-q "5. Gold panning. Notwithstanding section 480-C, a permit shall not be required for panning gold, provided that stream banks are not disturbed and no unlicensed discharge is created;" it basically says we cannot disturb "stream banks" so I would say unless the moss is on a bank, we are okay. The moss which carries most of the gold is on boulders which are within the travel of the stream during high water and are high and dry after the water has receded. It is generally accepted you can remove or disturb cobbles which are within the stream bed. In some streams, nearly all of the cobbles are covered by moss. The intent of the law is clearly to not remove vegetation which retains the integrity of the stream banks. So we wait for a good flood and then it is the water, not the prospector, which erodes the stream banks.

 

[OreCart]

According to Title 38 MRSA Section 480-q "5. Gold panning. Notwithstanding section 480-C, a permit shall not be required for panning gold, provided that stream banks are not disturbed and no unlicensed discharge is created;" it basically says we cannot disturb "stream banks" so I would say unless the moss is on a bank, we are okay. The moss which carries most of the gold is on boulders which are within the travel of the stream during high water and are high and dry after the water has receded. It is generally accepted you can remove or disturb cobbles which are within the stream bed. In some streams, nearly all of the cobbles are covered by moss. The intent of the law is clearly to not remove vegetation which retains the integrity of the stream banks. So we wait for a good flood and then it is the water, not the prospector, which erodes the stream banks.

Or just say that the Moose must have licked off the moss! :-)

Of course in Maine, the only way you can tell the women-folk from moose is that the former wear plaid! If you do not believe me, you should see my ex-wife! (Katie is a bit different, she looks pretty good in her plaid miniskirt, but only if you like the Naughty School Girl look!) LOL

I have used your same methodology to skirt land clearing laws before. I can do anything I want if it is in regards to logging, but if the land is to be used for farming, stumps cannot be removed in forested wetlands.

So I logged off all the hardwood, and pushed the stumps out...for logging roads of course, but left only the big softwoods...big hemlock in this case. But with clear-cut all around, the wind slammed into those big trees now catching all the wind, and soon the were blown over by the wind and uprooted. The laws on recovering "windfalls" goes back to antiquity, so that is allowed. Nope: I never stumped the area, the wind did!

 

[OreCart]

I take a lot of pictures when I am out and about, but of course do not always post them.

This particular stream is in some really old growth forest. It is about 2 miles from the nearest road, so it makes logging tough, but I did log that area back in 1994. It is hard to make money pulling wood that far, but it was good wood, making it profitable. I snapped a lot of main cables trying to get all the wood I could on behind the skidder though. But all that old growth really makes for some moss, not to mention being on the Northeast side of the mountain.

 

[OreCart]

I guess technically this is a Non-Update because I have nothing to report.

My interest in searching for Gold has not wavered, but after some serious decision making, Katie and I decided that we wanted to free up some cash. Katie and I are both "givers", and lately with everything just sitting, we have not really been able to help our community out like we used to. Property taxes are killing us, and we want to do some vacations as a family before our kids leave the nest, so we decided to sell two of our houses.

Selling one is bad enough, but two means a "lot of polishing", so I have been just inundated with doing odd jobs to get things ready to sell. So I have just not had time to go out looking for where the gold is.

Hopefully they will sell pretty quick, and I can resume the search, maybe even investing in some equipment to start getting the gold out of the ground. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...wash plant! :-)

 

[OreCart]

Between ground work and fixing up houses to sell, I have not been out in the woods a lot. My father in law has been here a few times, but we never got out as we had kids birthday parties to go to and stuff. It got some interest in the houses, so that is good.

But that does not mean I am not doing anything gold wise.

I decided if I had no time to get more samples, the least I could do was get more testing done of the samples I do have. So, in the interest of finding out what site location had for other mineralization, I sent in a bunch of samples and was rather shocked at what I found.

I should have a Zinc Mine here!

My samples came back on 3/4 of the sites I have tested so far to be two hundred times higher than average. 200 TIMES!

But some other surprising things came out of the testing. Copper is elevated, but not as much as I thought it would be, and yet almost no lead. Iron was also close to 200 times higher than average, so this leads me to conclude what I had thought was Galena, is actually Wurtzite. That would explain the high iron content, and yet lack of lead, and mid-range sulfur levels. I suppose this should not have shocked me, the garnet I have been finding is black in color; the black coming from titanium making the garnet Ilmenite, so the mineralization here is on the zinc-iron side of things.

Again, this should not be a huge surprise. As a farmer I have been clearing forest into field in a pretty big way (100 acres), and noted that the soil was red. This indicates two things according to the USDA wetland expert. The soil has a LOT of iron in it, and the forest was old growth forest. If it had been a field at one time, or even pasture, the iron would have been stirred up and the iron previously rusted away. What happens is, as I log and the feller-buncher and skidder tires churn up the soil, all that iron begins to rust, and turns red.

All this is good news. Zinc and Iron are indicators of gold.

Zinc however has cadmium too, which my samples are not being tested for. Considering my two bouts with Brain and Thyroid Cancer, I think I will check to see if I have any of that lurking around.

 

[Goldwasher]

above the water table is the oxidization zone.

the soil doesn't have to be disturbed to turn red if it is high in iron.

does the redness not go much below the surface?

 

[OreCart]

above the water table is the oxidization zone.

the soil doesn't have to be disturbed to turn red if it is high in iron.

does the redness not go much below the surface?

You only see the redness where the soil is churned up, and it takes a few weeks to show up. Like if I go and spin the feller-buncher around, it just looks like dirt where the tracks spun up the soil, but then a few weeks later, it is all red.

I originally thought it was the tannins in the hemlock bark because there is a lot of Eastern Hemlock here, but the USDA Wetland Expert said it was from the iron and rusting.

But I trust you over him.

He also told me "the soil would be about 15 feet deep here". That was interesting because the grousers on the feller-buncher are 3 inches high and I was pounding over ledgerock on most of this stand (40 acres). The soil on this hill is THIN, when I plow with a 16 inch plow, the resets just quiver because 90% of the time the plowshares are riding on top of ledge.

He also noted "wetland" in places, but the thing was, I bulldozed a road into the stand in 1994. The water had no where to run, so it pooled up. It was not wetland at all, it was a logging road that had no drainage.

These USDA guys are interesting though. I live on a 6% grade, and they came out to build me a "covered, heavy use area with end walls". Now that is something you and I call a BARN. Anyway they had to test the soil for drainage. So they send out the USDA State Soil Engineer. He looks the site over and sees the only level spot around and announces that is where the barn should go. (I do not say anything). He then gets out a shovel and starts smiling, pats me on my back and says, "you should start a gravel pit here. Its all gravel." (I say nothing).

Now I am pretty dumb, but when I go to a place and it is sloped all around, and then in a small spot it is level, I just ASSUME that is the houses leach field.

And also while I admit I am just a dumb farmer and did not go to college for 8 years like he did, I sure can tell the difference between rock tumbled and rounded over by a glacier naturally, from that of 1-1/2 minus rock broken by a gyro-crusher! I wonder what the blooming idiot would have thought if his shovel had hit one of my plastic sewer pipes? (I said nothing in any case; they know more than I do apparently).

 

[placertogo]

You only see the redness where the soil is churned up, and it takes a few weeks to show up. Like if I go and spin the feller-buncher around, it just looks like dirt where the tracks spun up the soil, but then a few weeks later, it is all red.

I originally thought it was the tannins in the hemlock bark because there is a lot of Eastern Hemlock here, but the USDA Wetland Expert said it was from the iron and rusting.

But I trust you over him.

He also told me "the soil would be about 15 feet deep here". That was interesting because the grousers on the feller-buncher are 3 inches high and I was pounding over ledgerock on most of this stand (40 acres). The soil on this hill is THIN, when I plow with a 16 inch plow, the resets just quiver because 90% of the time the plowshares are riding on top of ledge.

He also noted "wetland" in places, but the thing was, I bulldozed a road into the stand in 1994. The water had no where to run, so it pooled up. It was not wetland at all, it was a logging road that had no drainage.

These USDA guys are interesting though. I live on a 6% grade, and they came out to build me a "covered, heavy use area with end walls". Now that is something you and I call a BARN. Anyway they had to test the soil for drainage. So they send out the USDA State Soil Engineer. He looks the site over and sees the only level spot around and announces that is where the barn should go. (I do not say anything). He then gets out a shovel and starts smiling, pats me on my back and says, "you should start a gravel pit here. Its all gravel." (I say nothing).

Now I am pretty dumb, but when I go to a place and it is sloped all around, and then in a small spot it is level, I just ASSUME that is the houses leach field.

And also while I admit I am just a dumb farmer and did not go to college for 8 years like he did, I sure can tell the difference between rock tumbled and rounded over by a glacier naturally, from that of 1-1/2 minus rock broken by a gyro-crusher! I wonder what the blooming idiot would have thought if his shovel had hit one of my plastic sewer pipes? (I said nothing in any case; they know more than I do apparently).

What is known as “bog iron” was fairly common in Maine. Katahdin Iron Works used this bog iron for its smelting ore. My ancestor Joseph Jenks was hired as forgemaster in the 1640’s by the Leonard family who owned Saugus Iron Works in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They used bog iron ore from various sites in Essex County, Massachusetts.

 

[OreCart]

What is known as “bog iron” was fairly common in Maine. Katahdin Iron Works used this bog iron for its smelting ore. My ancestor Joseph Jenks was hired as forgemaster in the 1640’s by the Leonard family who owned Saugus Iron Works in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They used bog iron ore from various sites in Essex County, Massachusetts.

I do not know much about bog iron or Katadin iron Works, although my family is from there. In fact that is where my Great-Great Grandfather was murdered. In his case, it was over timber-theft as he was a Foreman for the Great Northern Paper Company who owned the wood on that site when he was murdered. I have his diary and the last month leading up to his murder, he was pursuing legal action against the timber-thieves.

The timber-thieves got away with murder though, citing it was a hunting accident, but the man's diary spelled out murder.

I have been there many times, but that is about all I know.

I tried my hand as making charcoal last year (like they did up there), but failed miserably. In my case, my wood either burned to ash, or did not burn at all. No charcoal was really made! :-(