Sluice box efficiency...

We have in our hands, “Use of Nuclear Tracers to Evaluate Gold Recovery Efficiency,” a bulletin dated April 1994. This bulletin addresses feed rates and water flows for recovery of different types, size and weight of placer gold.

The study was based on gold tracers (irradiated particles) tracked through a large sluicing operation to determine the most efficient means of gold recovery.  A large amount of the information does not apply to the small placer miner, but some interesting facts apply to both large and small scale operations.

In a comparison of expanded metal versus angle iron, the report states, “Flat bar riffles are not recommended for fine gold recovery.” An example of this would be homemade angle iron riffles. “The vortex is launched up to the top of a turbulent slurry column instead of onto the next riffle,” meaning the force of the water (vortex) carries the gold into turbulence rather than onto the next riffle, floating it right out of the sluice box due to bubbling and irregularity of gold particles.

“Regular or modified angle iron riffles should have a 40-60mm. gap and be tilted at 15 degrees upstream of the sluice box‘s vertical in a sluice run, with a slope of 12-15 degrees. Packing and extreme gold loss were often observed when any of the following conditions occurred: Shallow slopes, narrow gaps between riffles, excessive feed rates, insufficient water flow, and riffles larger than 25mm.

“Expanded metal riffles are shallow riffles which are sensitive to scouring and the resulting (which results in) coarse gold losses when they are subjected to surging or excessive water flows and/or steep sluice box gradients.”

We’ve run into this situation many times with our guests… more is better! A high water flow will float finer gold right out of the sluice box. They are amazed that we even watch the ebb and flow of the stream during the day, adjusting for increased water flow.  We try to remove our sluice box if an afternoon rain occurs... the increased flow of the stream might clean it out for us!

Feed rates, as mentioned above, are also critical. Many times a tired prospector starts feeding too much material to the sluice. This will not only dislodge accumulated gold but also float gold across overloaded riffles right back into the stream! We’ve joked about re-running the tailings of someone we know is overloading the sluice box or has too much water flow… but content ourselves with testing our own tailings periodically by pan to adjust for possible loss of gold.

Use of expanded metal or angle iron is stated to, “severely reduces the opportunity for gravels and anything but very coarse gold and nuggets to enter the riffles.”

For those of you wanting to build your own sluice box, a 15 degree upstream angle is needed on riffles, and a slope of 12-15 degrees of your sluice box in the creek.

The article concludes with, “The fine screened sluice boxes had the lowest loss of all… one of the triple run boxes and a single run box lost more gold than they recovered. The fine screen systems with recommended sluice box designs recovered 99% of their placer gold.”

Claimholders beware!!

We see a lot of claimholders being over staked by overzealous gold prospectors. We’ve been guilty of it once ourselves, but that was an error in BLM records (something every claimholder needs to check). We‘ve made errors and caught multiple BLM errors! One of these days we’ll discuss in depth how to use LR2000 on the BLM website, or maybe I’ll write one of those “LR2000 for greenhorns” manuals!

The history of one of our claims is a composite example of what anyone who owns a claim might expect from those who don’t know, have been misinformed or just plain don’t care!

We became the proud grandparents of our first grandson in 2001. We hadn’t been all that active prospecting… things like getting four teenagers through high school, holding down full-time jobs to support that effort, and developing a rural property into a home had all contributed to little free time and opportunity.

Bob did, by his continued research, find a claim that was “just too good to pass up.” We knew the area was in high demand, so Bob and a friend walked the creek looking for a location certificate or claim posts, then found discovery. The following day we prepared a location certificate in the name of our grandson and returned to hang paper that day.

We were so excited to be claimholders again! Sunday morning dawned and we grabbed some shovels and a sluice box, our trusty pans and some boots. Our excitement made an hour drive seem like minutes, planning and speculating on what we might find!

Well, what we found wasn’t quite what we had anticipated. As we rounded the last curve to our new claim, we spotted a vehicle parked exactly where we had hung one day before.

Now Bob is a pretty mellow guy, but not too tolerant of people who flagrantly abuse a clear-cut legal issue. He did maintain his composure and approached the party (I followed with a camera). As I snapped photos of them hanging a location certificate over the top of ours, Bob queried them as to what they were doing?

Here’s lesson no. 1 on what not to do while staking a claim… The party proceeded to tell Bob they had prepared a claim certificate and driven to the Billings BLM (Bureau of Land Management) office to file the claim. They had been turned away at BLM, being informed they had to find discovery, post a location certificate on the property and file at the county level before filing at BLM. The sequence of events is critical: find discovery, post location certificate, file at county, file at BLM.

They knew the process now, but didn’t seem to notice that there was already a location certificate on the property!  Lesson no. 2: Always look for location certificates, affidavit of assessment or any indication that a claim is staked!

The day wasn’t entirely ruined, but it was a little disappointing to find claim jumpers rather than gold!

The story doesn’t end here… there’s not a happily ever after to this story, just a year-by-year challenge!

We ran into this same party several weeks later when they approached us to say they had “bought into” an adjacent claim and they were putting in boundary posts. Bob asked to see their claim map because they seemed to be confused about the boundaries. He noticed that the claim had been re-located and asked why? He was informed that BLM had said they needed the location certificate amended and misconstrued that as needing re-location. The party was upset, frustrated when given a fly-over of our claim boundaries to show exactly how it laid, and stated he would assign his own MMC (mining mineral claim) number and didn’t want to deal with BLM! He proceeded to put in posts (PVC at that, you might know how we feel about (PVC!) at least 100 feet within our claim boundaries.

Now lesson #3 on what constitutes amendment of a claim and what constitutes re-location… I took this information directly from the BLM website so I didn’t misrepresent the issue:
AMENDMENTS/RELOCATIONS:
“An amendment to a location for an active mining claim or site can be made at any time and must be filed with the appropriate State Recorder’s Office before filing in the proper BLM State Office within 90 days of recording. It can be made on the same type of form as was used for the original location with “Amended” added to the title of the location notice. An amended location relates back to the original date that the mining claim or site was located. (Info on filing fees left out.)
“Amendments are used to:
1. Correct or clarify omissions or defects in the original location certification;
2. Correct legal descriptions, due to an error made on the original certificate (the location on the ground cannot be changed); and
3. Change the claim name.
“A relocation, on the other hand, is treated as a new original location which essentially covers the same land as a prior mining claim/site. As such, a relocation will be issued a new serial number and date stamp. A processing fee… is required. A relocation does not relate back to the date of any prior location and is adverse to any prior location.
“A relocation may not be established by the use of an ‘amended location notice,’ but requires a new, original notice or certificate as prescribed by state law.“This ‘relocation’ usually occurs when a miner fails to timely file the required annual filings and the claim was on federal land that is open for mineral entry so the miner wants to “re-stake” the same claim.“The major difference between an amendment and a relocation is an amendment cannot take in new acreage, but a relocation can.”

The fact was, since they had re-located the claim, our claim location pre-dated them. We had used the original boundaries of the adjacent claim as our adjoining claim line. Their re-location adjusted boundaries into our existing claim. We pretty much let that go, pointing out the discrepancy. Since that day, an annual replacement of adjacent posts has been necessary because they are moved or removed!

Again through research, we see that this same adjacent claim is not showing up on LR2000 in the township, range and section where it was located. We prepare a location certificate and proceed to the claim to determine if the location has been abandoned. A claim certificate is posted, but the MMC number is not uniform with those found in the Black Hills. We returned home (pre-cell phone days) and called BLM. They did not show a claim by that name or by that claimholders’ name, or MMC # in South Dakota. We assumed that the party had done just as they said, assigned their own MMC #.
We returned to the claim (now this is an hour’s drive to and fro each time) and proceeded to nail up our location certificate. A vehicle screeches to a halt on this dusty gravel road, and a man identifiable to us as the former claimholder proceeds to rant and rave that we have over staked him and we are claim jumping! We removed our location certificate and left, but not before showing him that his claim does not show on the BLM printout that we have.

We returned home, called BLM again! The adjacent claimholder had already called and we got a lecture from BLM about claim jumping, stating they had made an entry error, the MMC # was in Montana, but the claim was valid. We restate: always check your claim with BLM!
So that was a lesson learned… check, double check, then re-check!

This same plaeer claim, located in 2001, was in 2005 blanketed by a mining company with lode claims. Lesson no. 4 -- you cannot locate a lode or placer claim over an existing claim. Mining companies do this… they blanket a section with claims regardless of existing claims. Individuals do this… at least once a year someone tries to overstake our placer claim(s) regardless of what paperwork is hanging, how many signs we post, how much time we spend on the claim(s). If you’re not there 24/7 and you’ve got a good claim, they will come!

This leaves an interesting situation, however. Our 2001 claim is valid. It pre-dates the lode claims. Our adjacent claimholder, however, re-located once again in 2008, which forfeited all his rights to the placer claim because of a lode claim dated 2005.  We don't think he is aware of that, but seriously doubt he would appreciate any input from us!

This is a lot of information. It is also some of the worst-case scenario(s) all encompassed on one individual claim. The lesson(s) learned would be to keep track of your claim, ask the right questions of the right people, and always preserve the integrity of your original claim if possible.

Overlooked cache of gold...

Driving through the Iron Creek region of the Northern Black Hills this week, we see claims on every creek, one of which we own.

Family, friends and acquaintances constantly approach us about “where to find gold“. Our Iron Creek claim is an excellent example of both stream and bench gravel containing gold. The stream is intermittent, usually running water only until the drier months of July or August. The lack of water these months would discourage the average prospector.

Throughout the Black Hills, there are huge reserves of un-worked gravel benches. The old-timers often spoke of stranded dry placers in small valleys and ravines. Oftentimes a ditch was dug to divert water to the workings. That practice now requires a lot of paperwork, and the dry placers have all but been forgotten due to lack of water.

How we find them… Dry placer workings are hard to see unless you know what to look for. Indications of old workings would be irregular mounding, not necessarily next to the creek. Some of the high bench deposits are stranded at elevations of 5000-6000 feet, but also exist in low lying valleys. If you know your geology and follow the strike of vein deposits close to lode mines, you almost always find stranded placers in the drainages. Bob has found these stranded bench deposits on the side of Richmond Hill above Squaw Creek while running an exploration dozer. They lay in like snowdrifts of red iron-stained gravels, which he was told are very rich. This is private property within a federal mine site, but just one graphic example of the possibilities.

What do you do with such a claim if you stake it! Basic equipment would demand at least a shovel and 5-gallon bucket to transport material to water, either a creek or home. We have spent many hours recovering gold with a household hose and sluice box! Modern-day technology includes recirc systems (buy or build) that contain water which is re-circulated through the sluice box. This would consist of a sluice box, marine pump, a 20-30 gallon rubber tub and a power source. Water would have to be hauled to the location or again, you can use a household garden hose and haul the material home!

Just a reminder, any mechanized mining in South Dakota requires a permit!

Spiral pans might be another option. They are partially submerged in a tub of water, run by a battery and separate the heavy minerals out of concentrates.

Dry washers are commonly used in desert regions and work best on sandy material, almost nonexistent in the Black Hills. Almost all our placers are clay laden and would not dry wash efficiently.

So if you are thinking of obtaining a claim, don’t overlooked these under-worked gold resources!

Check out our website at http:/www.blackhillsgoldmines.com if you want a claim of your own!  A good weekend on any claim we find for you would pay enough to cover our asking price!

Gravel and clay... what to look for!

Snowbound is what we are… not enough to cause travel problems but enough to keep us from trekking through the woods.  It’s a good time to discuss where and how to look for gold…

The Black Hills gold rush was mostly composed of would-be prospectors (we call them Greenhorns) looking for gold nuggets to be plucked out of the creek!  A small minority of those rushers knew their stuff… and generally were the ones who ended up striking it rich!

We project that 25% of the population wants to be gold prospectors… of that 25%, maybe 1% know what to look for!  Most of the claim jumping on our claims is harmless; they don’t know where or what to look for so they just dig in the creek and probably find enough gold to figure out it is hard work for a few flecks of gold!

Gravel bars are a good prospect.  This is rounded rock that has migrated down the creek through multiple flood events.  The gravel is deposited in layers with each successive season.  Gold is heavy, so it quickly settles through the layers to either bedrock or false bedrock. Gold found while digging a bit in the creek was probably deposited recently and it is doubtful you will find paying quantities.

Here’s where it gets tricky!  You’ve found a gravel deposit… where is the gold?

Clay can be false bedrock and will be either your friend or foe.  Clay bands are easily recognizable in an exposed bank.  They can be false bedrock that keeps the gold from settling to bedrock, but they are also what we like to call “a sluice robber.”  Clay in your sluice box will collect gold and carry it back into the stream. 

We’ve encountered a variety of clays, everything from gritty red clay to slimy yellow smectite. 

There are instances in the Black Hills of yellow clay being high-grade clay containing gold.   Historically documented near the modern day Gilt Edge Mine, is a gold rush era article stating, “recent strike at depth of 32 feet proven to be an immense flat body of rich ore resembling yellow mud.”

All clay should be tested before sluicing to determine gold content.  Why??  We have trouble convincing “greenhorns” that the ore can’t be put in the sluice box and end up having visible gold in the box “disappear” with clay-bound ore. 

So before you sluice suspicious ore, break clay balls and rinse ore extensively while panning.  This helps determine the gold content and whether or not the clay becomes water soluble.  There is a product called Clay Gone that will help break down the clay, or a few drops of environmentally-friendly dish detergent might accomplish the same purpose.  We also “clean” the sluice box before attempting to sluice gold-rich clay-bound material.  That way you haven’t lost acquired gold, but might recover gold from the clay.

The Bear Gulch area is said to have a clay band within inches or feet of bedrock.  Between the clay and bedrock the gravel is said to be extremely rich in placer gold.  It would be assumed that the gold was laid down in gravel, some sedimentary event covered it, and eventually decomposed into a clay.  Through the eons other gravel was deposited upon the clay, creating false bedrock.

We’ve also found, at another location nearby, a gold-rich iron-stained band above a grayish-silver clay, the clay band from 6 inches to 3 feet deep.  The clay looks like a decomposed bedrock.  We’ve never found what is below the clay band because penetration of the clay brings in water.

In another region quite geographically distant, gold tends to be concentrated closer to the surface.  Some bands are completely barren of gold and others are low-grade.  We’ve found gray clay, more than likely decomposed porphrey, which seems to carry a lot of nice flour and small nuggets.  If  bedrock can be reached, very nice pockets of nuggets exist in a red clay zone which is blackish-red sand carrying small, rounded hematite nodules in abundance.

Clay, therefore, is your friend because it may help collect gold to a specific layer.  It is your foe because it absorbs and carries the gold you are trying to recover!

We can’t emphasize strongly enough… look for clay bands to test, but don’t run clays through your sluice box if it already carries gold!

Rochford to Castleton... a prospector's view

A Saturday outing… we don’t get many of those but I’m recovering from tooth extraction and need to take it easy today. Bob is feeling pretty good after his surgery three weeks ago, so a drive in the Hills is just what the doctor ordered!  (Thanks to the higher powers for great weather... today we have a winter storm!)

Our first stop is for King’s pasties at Central City between Deadwood and Lead. These are traditional miner’s fare and the handiest take-along lunch we’ve found, not to mention good!


Rapid Creek is icing over

 We then travel toward Rochford, noticing that the recent snow tapers off a bit as we travel. That’s what we had hoped for -- depths drop from shin high to scattered snow cover as we proceed toward the central Hills. Rochford is quiet and very little traffic on the road this Thanksgiving weekend.

The advantage of winter prospecting is that leaves have fallen and sometimes the snow helps outline things you don’t notice otherwise. Today we see a gulch above our Rapid Creek claim has considerable placer workings, so we trek up the gulch a little and discuss next summer’s plans for the area. A nice piece of “float” appears to be conglomerate with fragments of quartz, schist and creek debris. That certainly justifies further prospecting next spring!

We proceed toward Mystic and just down the road see a man shoveling a pickup load of dirt into a sluice box. Some of these miners are hardy, but the price of gold gives new meaning to “pay dirt.” A day’s work right now can produce a lot more than pocket change!

The ghost town of Castleton looms, and we venture up the Castle Creek road. A large portion of this area is either private property or part of a protected withdrawn area. We observe how many old diggings, both lode and placer, that are not available for claim because of an abandoned campground! Such is the nature of government….

A few people are cutting Christmas trees… probably not a legitimate venture in this area!

We arrive at the old Lookout Mill on private property because I recalled some timbers still there, even though it appears to have burned several years ago. The mill site and several lots behind it are for sale and we speculate on buying land that remote from all our other claims. Hmmmm….

We venture back to the Rochford area. A quick stop for sampling at the Montezuma shows us that our paperwork and some posts have been removed, so that goes on our list of “things to do.” It’s a little icy in the area, so we don’t spend much time trying to walk on the snow-crusted rocks.

There’s one more area to check. Bob remembers some workings to the north he wants to investigate. We find them with no wrong turns, a pretty good feat on these forest trails! He samples those dumps, finding a piece of ore with a minute piece of crystalline gold! We try another trail we haven’t checked out yet. To our surprise, there are considerable workings about ¼ mile up that trail still on Forest Service property. A couple of hunters have the area staked out, so we’ll return another day to explore!

Prospecting our Iron Creek claim

It’s snowing and cold…. Brrrrrr! We can’t trek the Hills, but we have several placer claims of our own and will take you on a verbal prospecting tour of each through the next few weeks.
We acquired a claim on Iron Creek in the northern Black Hills in 2001 and named it after our first grandson born that spring. New placer claims in this area are not available due to a mining company having blanketed several sections with lode claims.

We have recovered ¼ ounce per yard with small pickers and peanut-sized nuggets. It appears that some of the nuggets are still attached to quartz, which gives us rough specimen as well as rounded, well-traveled placer gold from the ancient placers.

We’ve found gravels to be 8-10 feet deep, with 1 foot of material on clay false bedrock which appears to be an old river channel. We’ve observed 2, possibly 3 of these old channels, which appear to be quite rich. The lower portion of the claim was trommeled, documented as producing an ounce an hour with a small steam shovel and trommel operation using 1-½ inch hose for hydraulicing. It appears that some boulders were too large for this old machinery to handle and the equipment bounced right over them!

Black sands are plentiful! Black sands of this area are known to bear Hematite, Magnetite, Cassiterite and Tantalum plus an array of heavy pegmatite minerals. The claim has an intermittent stream which usually runs into July and August.

The claim is 60 acres and also has a lode deposit and old shafts. The lode deposit appears to be a fractured zone in limestone. Old reports tell us the gold ran up to $10/ton at $20 ounce. Even though this vein is narrow, it runs at least ½ ounce per ton. The other shaft, which appears to be 70 feet deep and open, was in
a porphyry/igneous deposit with unknown values.

Multiple trails on this claim provide good camping, and less than ¼ mile away is the Iron Creek Campground, with a seasonal store and restaurant, rustic cabins and camping, fishing, swimming and family fun!

We are in the process of acquiring a small-scale placer mining permit for this claim.  We'll keep you posted as the project progresses!

Prospecting Bear Gulch area of the Black Hills



It doesn't really matter where you look for gold... the true test is "in the pan."  Amanda doesn't get back home very often, but panning is always on her list of "things to do..."   

 Every one of our claims is unique -- we often chuckle at having to re-learn panning techniques at different locations. We look for different indicators, have knowledge of the history of the area, and Bob’s geology sure comes in handy!

The closer you are to the source of the gold, the more likely you are to find nuggets. Gold is heavy and even in our spring run-off it drops out when the water slows, maybe the ravine widens or it hits an obstacle.
One area known for nuggets is Bear Gulch, mostly private property. The surrounding area, however, should have some of the same characteristics to look for when prospecting. Look at this as a guide to that region and what to look for in nearby gulches.

Black Hills Times Aug. 19, 1880 – “But few men know anything about the Bear Gulch region, although it is one of the first gold camps that was opened up in the Hills. There are certain laws that govern all formations in every mining camp we have ever been in, but in this one the old established theories are all at fault. "It is agreed upon by all old miners that in all placer claims wash gravel is an important factor, and without it there is no use in looking for placer gold.

Placer mines in California and all other countries we know any thing about, have been found in gulches, river beds, the beds of extinct rivers and ravines, but in all of them there have been evidences of the action of water, in the form of boulders and wash gravel, that give evidence of having run over it and deposited the precious metal with the debris carried with it.


“In the Bear gulch district it is entirely different. On the surface of the gulches, and in fact the whole country even to the top of the highest hills, you will find as deep a soil composed of black loam as you will find in any part of the Mississippi valley, and under this you will find a clay subsoil in all respects like the subsoil underlying the country we have mentioned, and this clay goes down to within a few inches of the bedrock, and in the upper stratas there is not a color of gold to be found, but on the bedrock, and in the few inches of intervening material, the pay is to be found. There seems to be but little difference between the gulches and the hills. The formation and extent is about the same, and the pay streak about alike.
“There are thousands of acres of ground that is now covered with a dense growth of pine timber, that with water would give a handsome return to the miner, but the water is what at present is lacking.”

　

Prospecingt gold claims in Black Hills of South Dakota

November 7, 2010

            We have a crazy week ahead!  Bob had minor surgery on Monday and is on the road to recovery.
            We’re encouraging family and friends to grab a placer or lode claim before they get claimed up! 

            First, we want to discuss gold claims in the Black Hills.  Most of the major gold producing drainages (placer) have been claimed by both local and out-of-state prospectors.  One internet site selling claims cites Spring Creek, Palmer Creek, Castle Creek and Rapid Creek as documented sources of gold-bearing gravel in Pennington County, S.D.  That is true, but is such a gross general statement that leaves so much unsaid!  We personally have several exceptional placer claims, one on Rapid Creek, all of which can show gold in every pan.  We chose them for a combination of reasons… historically documented discovery, NOT situated on private property, physically surveying the property for access, geological indications,  claim history and research for active claims and always, ALWAYS looking for new location certificates that haven’t been filed with the Bureau of Land Management.  Now we can find a promising spot and start looking for gold!

            So why so much “digging” for information before even dipping a pan in the creek?  It is the procedure outlined by law for discovery.  If this procedure is not followed, you’re probably claim jumping!  Every spring we get phone calls from friends and fellow claim holders, “You’ve got a claim jumper(s)!”  Or maybe we’re headed for one of our placer claims for an enjoyable day in the Black Hills when we encounter recent diggings or maybe even the guilty party – though they’ve usually heard us approaching and are scurrying for the brush to avoid us.  Now… let me think… guilt or ignorance?  Scurrying would indicate what? 

            Oh and by the way, not every area of Spring Creek, Rapid Creek, Palmer Creek and Castle Creek are good prospects, and a lot of private property not open to claim exists on these drainages.  It is also frivolous to claim seeing gold visible in a creek! We've been at this for a combination of  45 years and only in ideal circumstances at the ideal location will you see gold visible in a creek. But we digress... there are still numerous placer claims to be had which are relatively large producers, and they are not limited to a few choice drainages. There is a lot of historical information on other placer discoveries that is not highly publicized or readily available to the prospector.  Contact us at http://www.blackhillsgoldmines.com/ if you are interested in placer or lode claims.

Our second discussion is on lode mining.  There are a good percentage of people in the Black Hills who think Homestake Mining Company got all the gold!  Lode (minerals in place, often referred to as hard rock mining) claims are being overlooked as a great claim opportunity.  A large mining company coming into the area will “blanket” a section (640-acres) in anticipation of exploration for minerals.  We already see evidence of this occurring in several areas of the Black Hills.

Gold went up $45 in two days and continues its upward march.  If this trend continues as we expect, claim opportunities will diminish rapidly.  We much prefer to see individual claim holders reap the benefits of gold prices.  If a company is interested in an area, they have to negotiate with active claimholders.

Why do people rely on us and not just get their own claim?  All of the reasons we listed above for finding a claim – we do it the right way, in the right sequence of events, with bona fide discovery on each claim we present.

We currently have 14 placer and lode claims.  We will, within the next month, obtain another 6 claims to maximize our holdings allowed by BLM to maintain our small miner status.  All of this research shouldn’t go to waste!  One friend has two claims we secured for him plus being a partner on a large placer claim, and is looking at up to 6 potential claims… others local and out-of-state have recently procured a 120-acre placer claim that we found for them and are looking for any lode prospects we might provide them.  Don’t miss out; don’t kick yourself when a mining company claims it before you do!

Tinton gold

Weekend outing Oct. 17, 2010
Autumn in South Dakota… what an amazing experience after two successive years of early snow.
This weekend’s destination is the Tinton mining region, famous for nuggets and larger “rough” gold. We have a destination in mind south of Tinton, but are well aware that access may not be possible unless a private property owner is in residence and willing to give us permission to pass.
Fall colors are waning, but there are still bright spots here and there. The Iron Creek road out of Spearfish (which in our youth was a two-wheel rut) is showing some washboard from a summer’s traffic.
We detour slightly at our turn-off and check for claim jumpers and status of paperwork on our Iron Creek claim. Claim posts have been removed by claim jumpers or vandals, a common occurrence.



Nugget City

 The road to Tinton takes us past Nugget City and the site of Potato Creek Johnnie’s cabin, or at least what remains of the tool shed. It’s getting difficult for even us native Black Hillers to find the spot.

Only remnants of Potato Creek Johnnie's
cabin site are a few boards from the tool shed.

 Another detour near the head of Beaver Creek, where we spot a indistinct trail toward old workings. A hike down the trail to the north and east exposes placer workings. We encounter a fence line, and knowing that it designates private property, hike up the hill to find several trenches, deep enough to know they must have found something!

Prospect tench is taller than Alex!

Back to our trusty “Old Rusty” Ranger pickup and on down the road. The first promising access is gated with what is becoming a most familiar sign...

So, no go for Old Rusty there. As much as we dispute this infringement on public access, we do our best to play by the rules!

The next road is into private property, but runs along the fringe of the boundary. There is a rutted road through private property and Forest Service, then a residence beyond which the road is padlocked.

So where to go now? We decide to go back to the spot where we detoured and scouted out workings. Just past where we pulled over there is another gated entrance. Bob asks if we want to see an old shaft, and of course we said, “Yes.” We got the usual warning about open workings and unstable ground, but a reminder never hurts!

The trail was pretty well established and, rock picks in hand, we proceeded to break quartz and examine formations.

Around the bend we spotted a tailings pile and proceeded to walk single file (six-year-old Alex in between the two adults). A wide, probably 12-foot deep shaft had caved, but did not appear to have been too deep. Possible ore on the dump site was iron stained quartzite and a dirty brown quartz. A road cut exposed 20 to 30 feet of the vein system, what looked to be on a northwest trend. The trail continued toward a draw with what appeared to be extensive placer workings.

Score another one for Fox mining… claim posted.

Digging for gold

Weather permitting, we're out there!  The snow has arrived, but there are still days when the temperature reaches the 40s and 50s, which drives us out of the house to explore!  Each week we blog about something new, whether it's our current expedition or information we think is worth sharing.

Blogs are chronological, so look for all our blogs listed in the right column------>

Every chance we get we're in the Black Hills.  Maybe we're at one of our placer or lode claims; maybe Bob has discovered a new prospect (oh if we only had the time for all his new prospects); maybe we just needed to get out and enjoy the weather!

We'll be exploring gold and ghost mines of the Black Hills, South Dakota.  If we can't get on the trails, we'll recap some of the Black Hills almost forgotten history on miners and mining.

Tell us what your think... suggest a topic you might want discussed!  We value your comments!