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!