Gold in every pan...

        It’s a legend, right? 

        Well that depends on where you go, what you dig, how experienced you are at recognizing the pay zone!

        A recent experience is worth relating to those skeptics who say, “the gold’s all been mined out of the Black Hills.”

        We have a geologist friend who, in his limited spare time, tags along to check out our current claims and new prospects.  The trip usually includes one of our located claims and one or two new prospects.

        Last weekend we stopped at an old favorite location to do a little metal detecting at the spot where we first found a nugget metal detecting a number of years ago.  Skunked, we found the usual nails, tabs, an interesting looking valve off an antique vehicle.

        We had a quick burger at Rochford, always fun, and then proceeded to one of our claims.  Now here’s where we play the wily old prospector, in that what we found there we’re not really willing to disclose location!  Let it suffice to say it was in the Central Hills and a location we are currently devoting a considerable amount of time to. 

        We drove into the area the day after a decent rain.  We gave the mini-tour and pulled over near what was probably once a holding pond for sluice operations.

        Journeying toward the creekbed, we were pleasantly shocked to see the recent rain had created a little runoff and we actually had some running water… enough for a sluice but while the guys explored I decided to try a pan.

        I hopped across the little stream, used my shovel to kick off grass and take a sample. I shoveled enough depression in the creek to pan. The first pan showed a bit of black sands and some nice garnets.

        The geologist also grabbed a bucket and concentrator and said he’d find a place to dig.

        I kept quiet until I had concentrated half of a 2-1/2 gallon bucket, panned my first pan and there were now two slightly large flecks!  I’ll have to figure a way to save garnets too, though, because they range in color from non-transparent dark to transparent red, orange toned, and pinkish.

        About then, Bob and friend migrated back my way yielding a bucket full of material.

        Bob asked, as always, did you find gold?

        Well yes, I did!  He was surprised, to say the least.  Our friend compared his material to what I was panning and it appeared similar.

        Days later, the geologist gives us a call.  He’s been working in the Hills during the day, then panning the material he brought back in the evening.

        He says he’s quite excited about that claim… he found 3-4 pieces of gold when he panned!

         I can’t stress the importance of experience.  Bob knows that area and where to expect to find gold.  The geologist might be a greenhorn, but he knows what to look for geologically in gold-bearing areas.  The final factor is shallow gravels that hold gold closer to the surface.

        So it’s there, if you look in the right area!

         Note:  We ran into some Michigan gold prospectors headed for Alaska… they got turned around at the Canadian border.  If you’re intent on Alaska gold via Canada, you might want to check requirements for entry into Canada.