Spring in the Black Hills...

        Everyone is getting antsy to get out and prospect!

        Chris emailed, “I finally got some dirt! It's muddy muddy muddy! I think I have about 2 inches of mud caked on to the running boards. The dam's filling up though with plenty of run off coming in.”

          We’ve been out and about also, driving mostly on gravel roads since the frost is just coming out of the US Forest Service trails.

          We’ve gotta say, though, that Chris’ comments are pretty unique. We’re not seeing much spring run-off elsewhere.

          Some friends were digging at the Tallent near Rochford… the ground pretty much clear of snow, the creek more like mid-summer than spring run-off!

 

          Further into the Central Hills the weather made a dramatic change to snow, sleet and a few raindrops. We collected some (hopefully) ore specimens, and returned to Rapid Creek. Our friends said they had found some gold, so all were happy.

          About this time every year, we spend a day or two checking winter damage to claim posts, location certificates, signage. We were disappointed on a couple of levels. First we found very little evidence of our lode claim boundaries. We put up new posts, new location certificates and flagging to help make them visible.

          We thought it a little unusual… our spring check usually means putting a post back upright, replacing faded signage, etc.

          One placer claim, location certificate in place, sported a new lode claim post right next to the monument!

          Although the water situation in the Black Hills is pretty grim, there appears to be a fresh “flood” of lode claims staked in the Rochford area. This time they don’t seem to care if there are already claims, placer or lode.

          So again, we are researching new claims. If you have an existing claim in the Rochford area, please be sure your monuments are in place, your location certificate posted.

          You can also feel free to contact us at hillshistory1876@gmail.com and we will research if you have been overstaked.

          Also, we have one lode claim that we may endeavor to open up the addit into the workings.  If you’d like to donate a little pick and shovel time to expose an historic mine entrance, drop us an email! We haven’t made the call yet as to whether we will do it manually or file a Plan of Operation to allow mechanized equipment. A few days of manual labor would expose enough to further investigate the integrity of the old workings.

          A winter storm has us in its embrace… snowed in but breathing easy with temporary relief from fire danger!