NOTE: I am presently looking for a position in caretaking property and or campground in the Gold Country. Please let me know if you have any ideas or openings. I have resume and will respond ASAP
Introduction
North Fork of Middle Fork American River
Most all gold prospecting sites mention how to find gold, how to pan and so on. I'm not going to get into that. This site is about my history of mining/prospecting, where I have been including photos. My main objective is to mention subjects that seems like no one else has really covered. Lessons I been taught or learned from mistakes or just my common sense. I'm basically just passing on information that has taking a lifetime to acquire. Why keep it to myself? Sharing my knowledge to anyone interested in the hope I can make a difference while camping, prospecting or just taking a hike in the hills.
I head to the hills quite often so, if you would like to schedule a trip to the Gold Country with me, or have a question or comment, or if you're just looking for some advice, please visit the contact page link at the top and drop me a line. I'll respond within 24 hours or less. If you like, leave your number and I would be happy to call you. I am located in the San Francisco Bay Area . Check out my site, enjoy and please fill out the form on the contact page and let me know what you think.
You can contact me personnaly at [email protected]
I head to the hills quite often so, if you would like to schedule a trip to the Gold Country with me, or have a question or comment, or if you're just looking for some advice, please visit the contact page link at the top and drop me a line. I'll respond within 24 hours or less. If you like, leave your number and I would be happy to call you. I am located in the San Francisco Bay Area . Check out my site, enjoy and please fill out the form on the contact page and let me know what you think.
You can contact me personnaly at [email protected]
How I Got Started
It all started back when my lifelong best friend Steve and I were backpacking around the Sierras during the Spring of 79. We were on the Hayfork River, in Trinity County. Following the river upstream for no apparent reason, we came upon an old geezer sitting on a rock beside the river. He had this contraption floating in the middle of the river and was wearing a wet suit. He bummed a smoke and a light off me and I asked him what he was doing. He replied " I'm a miner and I'm dredging for gold" "Really? Gold? There is still gold around?" we asked. We spent hours listening to him about mining, prospecting and what kind of equipment we would need. As we said goodbye, he waded back into the river and started his dredge and slowly disappeared under the water. After finding a nice place to set up camp, we sat around our campfire thinking about what the old geezer had shared. Steve turned to me and said, "There is gold in these hills". We both agreed that there is no other reason we backpack other than we enjoy it but, if we got into this prospecting stuff, this will give us something to do besides hike around. As we sat in front of the fire we dreamed of getting rich, hitting the mother lode and becoming millionaires.
First time dredging with 2"
It wasn't long after we got home that Steve and I were looking for a dredge. We bought a 2" backpack dredge and we were off to get rich. We started dredging in a small creek in Sierra County. All day we moved rocks, sucking everything that could go up the hose and checking our sluice every couple of minutes or so to see if we were rich. Looking back today that seems so funny. Looks like we need a bigger dredge. We shopped around and bought piece by piece until finally we had a homemade 3" dredge.
First Homemade 3"
Off to the Middle Fork Yuba River we went. It took days of packing in, building and putting together the dredge. Finally, we had it running.
By the middle of the afternoon, just like the miner we first met, with nozzle in hand, I slowly disappeared to the bottom of the river. I was hooked and have been dredging and prospecting in the Gold Country ever since, and yes, we got great color the first day. I asked Steve, "How do you pan again?"
By the middle of the afternoon, just like the miner we first met, with nozzle in hand, I slowly disappeared to the bottom of the river. I was hooked and have been dredging and prospecting in the Gold Country ever since, and yes, we got great color the first day. I asked Steve, "How do you pan again?"