Working Dredging Piles

[geodesic9]

We have large dredging piles in California from river dredgers. Some of these piles are 80 feet across and 15 - 20 feet tall.

Anyone developed a technique for working these piles and keeping track of which ones you have worked?

Both Folsom and Snelling, CA have large areas of tailings.

Working my GB 2.

 

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[godigit1]

Ive been thinking about the dredge piles as well every time I go down to Folsom. I don't have a method set for this but was thinking they have to be treated like any tailing pile. Allot of the piles I'm sure are overburden mixed with stuff in between the streaks and then pay dirt, the majority being the later. All we can really do other than moving the whole pile is to scan the surface. I don't know how many times some of the piles have been moved around and or if they are undisturbed but you would think their would be points in the operation where the sluices were overloaded and or they were in hot spots where the natural loss would show up.
So here is a couple thoughts 1 start at the bottom edge work to the top in a straight line and if at any point you start to get some promise work that layer around the pile. 2 work around the bottom and if theirs a good spot work from their to the top. The other thing would be to pay close attention to all pieces of quarts and run over them looking for internal gold.
Good luck, if you give it a shot let me know how you do.
HH
godigit

 

[Lanny in AB]

I've been interested in this topic for years, but I can't seem to get a lot of nugget shooters to comment on it. I would love more input on it.

I've talked to guys in the field that were detecting them and been told to watch for patches of clay with the rocks, as often clay would ball up and roll gold out with it--which may or may not apply as some dredges had trommels for breaking up the clay, while others did not.

Also, I was told to watch for chunks of bedrock and spend more time detecting those areas as well.

I was happy I was using a PI machine as there were TONS of hot rocks!! Even with the PI there were four varieties that sounded off constantly, but I got to know them by sight eventually.

I found cool artifacts, but no nuggets, but I didn't hunt long enough. I usually give an area a couple of days before I give up on it, and I only spent half a day on the tailing piles.

All the best,

Lanny

 

[calisdad]

I spoke with someone who had a rock and sand plant in Snelling as I had the same question. She said they have a gold trap (didn't elaborate on what kind) and they find very little gold. Said the original dredgers were very efficient. Knowing that, If you had access I'd work the untouched edges.

I detected the dredging piles near Moccasin and found more pop tops than you can imagine. Those operators sure liked their beer.

 

[russau]

id sure like to see a picture of their gold trap or get somemore info on it!

 

[Lanny in AB]

I spoke with someone who had a rock and sand plant in Snelling as I had the same question. She said they have a gold trap (didn't elaborate on what kind) and they find very little gold. Said the original dredgers were very efficient. Knowing that, If you had access I'd work the untouched edges.

I detected the dredging piles near Moccasin and found more pop tops than you can imagine. Those operators sure liked their beer.

Good idea!

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Gobpile]

I used to live in Auburn and we would travel to different dredge tailings that where being knocked down for homes or stores and detect them. We would find nuggets that where left by them,nothing large but fun. We would also find tons of nails and dredge parts.

 

[Lanny in AB]

I found all kinds of nails in the piles I detected too, as well as horseshoes, unfired pistol rounds (old cowboy 45 caliber), silverware, tin cups, strap iron, pieces of broken cast iron, hinges, blasting caps, copper wire, iron wire--but I didn't find the kitchen sink!

All the best,

Lanny

 

[Hoser John]

Down by Sac there is a huge UPS distribution center ,a bud works there and detects them old piles and GOOD gold found to almost match his weekly wage. This is where you simply MUST do detective work as there are many state publications such as 191 and county reports that state specifically who,what and where. How deep to bedrock,size of plant,screen sizing MOST IMPORTANT as it tells ya where to look and what sizing to look for. Most draglines and bucket lines were jack legged and left crescent shaped paystreaks where the stacker swung around and deposited the tailings. Made MUCH poundage over the years doing research and a nice big ol'steel rake is your absolute best tool to use with the biggest deepest seeking coil you can slap on that unit your using--tons a au 2 u 2 -John

 

[Goodyguy]

Ive been thinking about the dredge piles as well every time I go down to Folsom. I don't have a method set for this but was thinking they have to be treated like any tailing pile. Allot of the piles I'm sure are overburden mixed with stuff in between the streaks and then pay dirt, the majority being the later. All we can really do other than moving the whole pile is to scan the surface. I don't know how many times some of the piles have been moved around and or if they are undisturbed but you would think their would be points in the operation where the sluices were overloaded and or they were in hot spots where the natural loss would show up.
So here is a couple thoughts 1 start at the bottom edge work to the top in a straight line and if at any point you start to get some promise work that layer around the pile. 2 work around the bottom and if theirs a good spot work from their to the top. The other thing would be to pay close attention to all pieces of quarts and run over them looking for internal gold.
Good luck, if you give it a shot let me know how you do.
HH
godigit

I like the way you think..............
Nice example of a sound methodical plan of attack.

Add to it HJ's insight and idea of using a rake and you should do well.

It's a shame that we couldn't have been around in the 1800's.
Now all we seem to do is scavenge for the leftovers.

The good thing is, the leftovers are worth more nowadays
With today's technology and equipment, think how hard it will be for future generations to find the stuff we missed.

Of course the way it's going, recreational prospecting will either be totally outlawed or financially prohibitive due to permits, fees, etc. by then.

GG~

 

[dave wiseman]

One would think that most of the good gold would be in the quartz cobbles and boulders from the oversize material....

 

[trinityau]

Hey All, this is an interesting topic and one that I thought would have surfaced along time ago. There are big dredge tailings all over the Northstate and there are literally thousands of doodlebug tailing piles. I personally have done very well with the doodlebug piles, many of my larger nuggets have come from them. Use a good VLF and be methodical in your search. I will make this statement before I go. "I have sat on many a rockpile laughing to myself while holding a nice chunk of gold or platinum and saying this isnt Gaines Creek, Alaska is it ?" TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[kiwi jw]

One would think that most of the good gold would be in the quartz cobbles and boulders from the oversize material....

Yes.....& of course.....oversize nuggets too, that just skiped on down & through the rotating trommel screen & out the back of the dredge along with all the waste tailings to end up on the tailings pile.

Hi Guys, Very intereting.. This detecting of these old, in New Zealand, bucket dredge tailings piles, is something I too have ponded over for a while. I think NZ was the birth place of these MONSTERS, in later years, that ravaged the river banks & the alluvial flats. As long as they had water to float in, there was no stopping these rattling, clunking, shreking, moaning & groaning powerfull piles of steel & metal. Only when the gold ran out or there pond of water drained away & broke there backs. The farmers & pastoliasts & public grew to hate them. To the farmer & pastolist they just destroyed the best flat & furtile land leaving in there wake a moon scape of piles of rock & rubble that was only good for breeding rabbits, possums, gorse, broom & briar.
Over time many of these piles have been bulldozed flat & turned back into good useable pasture, at a cost of course. But some have been left in historic reserves so we can be reminded of what they were like. Even as I tap these keys a modern day plant is processing ground besides one such reserve. Whether it is re processing old tailings or just carrying on where the old bucket derdges stopped, I arent sure.

Here is a link to a photo & more informtion about this historic tailings plie reserve for those of you interested enough to have a look.

http://www.centralotagonz.com/Earnscleugh-Dredge-Tailings

I like the idea of hitting these tailings with my biggest coil, a nugget finder 25" mono. Might not be the easiest to swing as the tailings I am sure are going to be difficult ground to clamber about on. Maybe the 24 x 12 elliptical will be better suited. Time will tell. But I think you do have to go for depth as any gold is either going to be big nuggets that went through with the tailing or as Dave said, going to be in with the quartz rocks & boulders. Being heavy it would have sunk in to the piles a bit over the years I am sure, so is going to be down a bit. There isnt going to be any bed rock so I think it is just going to be a metter of getting in there & getting stuck in to it. Maybe starting at the top & working down & around. I am picking there wont be any sort of patten & just randemly scattered & dumped. There may be "patches" where bed rock may have been dredged up with a pocket or crevice of bigger gold that went through the plant & dumped. Here is hoping. I am bound not to be the first to do this, I know I arent, but I will let you know how I do. I am looking at doing this in the new year.

Happy hunting & good luck out there.

JW

 

[trinityau]

Hey Kiwi, I go along with everything you have said except the part about only big pieces and quartzlocked gold. I had a uncle that ran a doodlebug in Weaverville, Ca. We had the remains of one in our backyard on Weaver Creek. He use to show me different things that would go wrong with them and cause a massive amount of gold loss, any size, all sizes. If you are lucky enough to run across one of these piles you can highbank or drywash them and make very good wages. He said many times the unit would continue operating for several hours, sometimes days before having the problem found and fixed. I have run across a few of these piles and done very well.

Calisdad, Do you mean the edges of the dredge field ? If so that is where the doodlebugs came in. When the big dredges could not get close enough to tough shallow ground then the doodlebugs were used. What you are looking for is the direction the dredged channel was flowing and then go opposite direction and work those hillsides that look barren. These alluvials were moved and pushed over these hills to get where they are today. This is where I have had some heydays. Most times there are no round rock or bedrock exposed on these hills, long since been washed down by nature. However, the gold is still there on many of them. There are many of these hills that are right in sight of many of our highways and freeways and guess what the gold is too. These are findings that took me years. TRINITYAU/RAYMILLS

 

[kiwi jw]

Hi Ray, Please excuse my ignorance....what is a doddlebug??
This is a very interesting topic & has really got me thinking.....& that hurts
I came across some good info here.

http://www.clark-wiltz.com/servlet/content/choosing_metal_detector.html

Where I detect down in Central Otago is mostly schist & shale & also gone through a lot of glaciation & sounds like the same kind of country minus the trees & bush so very similar to what Steve is talking about in the above info, so good food for thought for me.
I will add other bits & pieces I come across to this tread to enlighten us all. Thanks guys

Happy hunting

JW

 

[Goodyguy]

Now I'm wondering if it would pay to stake a claim on some old dredge tailing piles.

 

[kiwi jw]

Now I'm wondering if it would pay to stake a claim on some old dredge tailing piles.

Hi there GG, Well.....there is a thought

JW

 

[Doug Watson]

Another thought is that without flowing water I think the gold would pretty much stay put and not move down much. Also with the storms and what not the lighter material should be washing down the piles leaving gold exposed on top. Sort of like in a desert. Doug.

 

[jog]

I have a claim in eastern Oregon that has a lot of these dredge tailings on it. What they could not get with the dredge they got with a dragline, these draglines were not very good at getting in around the bedrock out crops or exposed bedrock. I have run these tailings through my trommel and have found color but I believe every stack is going to be different in regards to the size and amount of gold. I have just filed my notice of intent with the USFS and hope to have some test holes dug this spring near a rock outcrop that should produce very well. I think when MDing thes piles a lot depends on the size gold that was in the ground to start with. It would be hard to MD if all the gold was fine.

 

[Lanny in AB]

One would think that most of the good gold would be in the quartz cobbles and boulders from the oversize material....

Yes.....& of course.....oversize nuggets too, that just skiped on down & through the rotating trommel screen & out the back of the dredge along with all the waste tailings to end up on the tailings pile.

Hi Guys, Very intereting.. This detecting of these old, in New Zealand, bucket dredge tailings piles, is something I too have ponded over for a while. I think NZ was the birth place of these MONSTERS, in later years, that ravaged the river banks & the alluvial flats. As long as they had water to float in, there was no stopping these rattling, clunking, shreking, moaning & groaning powerfull piles of steel & metal. Only when the gold ran out or there pond of water drained away & broke there backs. The farmers & pastoliasts & public grew to hate them. To the farmer & pastolist they just destroyed the best flat & furtile land leaving in there wake a moon scape of piles of rock & rubble that was only good for breeding rabbits, possums, gorse, broom & briar.
Over time many of these piles have been bulldozed flat & turned back into good useable pasture, at a cost of course. But some have been left in historic reserves so we can be reminded of what they were like. Even as I tap these keys a modern day plant is processing ground besides one such reserve. Whether it is re processing old tailings or just carrying on where the old bucket derdges stopped, I arent sure.

Here is a link to a photo & more informtion about this historic tailings plie reserve for those of you interested enough to have a look.

http://www.centralotagonz.com/Earnscleugh-Dredge-Tailings

I like the idea of hitting these tailings with my biggest coil, a nugget finder 25" mono. Might not be the easiest to swing as the tailings I am sure are going to be difficult ground to clamber about on. Maybe the 24 x 12 elliptical will be better suited. Time will tell. But I think you do have to go for depth as any gold is either going to be big nuggets that went through with the tailing or as Dave said, going to be in with the quartz rocks & boulders. Being heavy it would have sunk in to the piles a bit over the years I am sure, so is going to be down a bit. There isnt going to be any bed rock so I think it is just going to be a metter of getting in there & getting stuck in to it. Maybe starting at the top & working down & around. I am picking there wont be any sort of patten & just randemly scattered & dumped. There may be "patches" where bed rock may have been dredged up with a pocket or crevice of bigger gold that went through the plant & dumped. Here is hoping. I am bound not to be the first to do this, I know I arent, but I will let you know how I do. I am looking at doing this in the new year.

Happy hunting & good luck out there.

JW

JW--good thoughts, and added to some research about the size of the gold they were getting (as suggested by jog), you may find some nice gold.

All the best, and thanks for the link,

Lanny