It Only Takes One To Ruin It For All

Demonstrating the proper place to dig and that is in the stream bed.

On our last trip to Byron Maine, it had been brought to our attention that a very selfish individual, one who knows the regulations of the state of Maine, chose to disregard the regulations and dig in the bank while prospecting for gold. It was said that this individual had dug approximately 20 feet into the bank in a nearby stream, he was not on the swift river. Along comes hurricane Irene dumps all her water on the region and swells all the rivers and streams in the area. In this particular stream where this individual had dug in the bank, all this flood water had undermined trees and fell into the stream and causing it to dam thus creating a huge mess. The land owner was not pleased at all. The land in mention is owned by one of the large paper companies who graciously allows recreational prospectors to prospect for gold. Needless to say the land owner was so angry they closed down the property for public use. May I also add that the state of Maine was none to pleased either. This kind of activity could cause the state to make more stringent laws concerning gold prospecting or shut it down entirely thanks to the actions of one selfish, carless individual.

GENERAL REGULATIONS ( Taken from the Department Of conservation State Of Maine Geological Survey Web site)

With the exception of areas administered by the Maine Land use Regulation Commission, gold panning activities in Maine do not require a permit as long as the following restrictions are adhered to:

1. The activity is confined to sandy/gravely/cobbly unvegetated stream beds, with no disturbance of stream banks.
2. The activity is limited to the use of gold pans, sluices of less than 10 square feet, or suction dredges with a hose diameter of 4 inches or less.
3. Permission from the land owner must be obtained. Why? First, it’s a matter of common courtesy to the land owner. But also,trespassing on posted land in Maine can be a matter of civil law. The water in a stream is under the jurisdiction of the state; but the stream bottom and streambank- as well as the access across land to the stream is most likely private property (exceptions include public lots, state parks, etc.). If you cause any damage to that property, even if it is not posted, you may be subject to civil action brought by the land owner. You can avoid these problems by talking to the landowner ahead of time.

You can find this at: www.maine.gov.  type in ” gold in maine” in the search maine.gov.

If we all just follow these simple rules we can ensure that we have a place to prospect tomorrow. These regulations change from state  to state so always check with the state conservation department you wish to prospect in before you engage in such activity.

Hurricane Irene Brings Golden Opportunity

Hillbilly John and I had planned for a couple of weeks another dredging trip to Maine again, probably the last one of the season, then Hurricane Irene hit. After seeing the news and seeing the devastation that Irene had brought to the Northeastern part of the United States we thought we may have to cancel our plans. We weren’t even sure if we could make it to Byron Maine but we left anyway, a day later than we had planned. We made good time it only took us 7 hours to get there and that was with towing a trailer with 2 quads. We arrived and went straight to the East Branch of the Swift River, the river level had gone down to a good level to work with a dredge. We set up camp right along the river, only to get kicked out of that spot the following day by a game officer, it was not an approved camp site, fortunately we didn’t get a fine and we were able to get an available site at Coos Canyon campground and cabins wich was about 5 miles away from our work site. Anyway when we arrived we had gone down to the river and located the site we wanted to work and then found a way in to it. We had gone back to our site and got our equipment, the dredge was dismantled so that we could pack it in to the work site on quads, it took us several trips to get all our equipment and tools in to the work site. We put the dredge together which is a Keene 4 inch, 3 stage. We made preparations so that we could start dredging the following morning, everything was good in the universe. We went back to our camp site had dinner then sat around the campfire and made our plan of attack for the following day.

The next morning we got up and had breakfast and raced down to the river to get started. We put the dredge in the water and went to work and found that the flood waters had washed away much of the overburden we had experienced on a previous trip we had made back in May. We had dredged all day and moved a lot of rock, we did our clean up on our dredge and brought our concentrates back to the camp site, and that is when we discovered the ticket on the windshield of the truck. We figured we better move to the campground. It was late in the day and almost time for the campground office to close so I jumped on the quad and headed down to the campground.Hillbilly John stayed behind and started breaking our camp site down. I had made the office just in time and they only had 2 sites left being labor day weekend, we were very fortunate. I went back up to the spot we had by the river and helped Hillbilly John pack up the rest of our gear. We got to the campground and we still had a little bit of daylight left, we made some quick work of setting up camp again. I started cooking dinner and Hillbilly John started running the concentrates through the Desert Fox. Dinner is now served Hillbilly John took a break from running the material and we both at, I was famished as I usually am after  a hard day of prospecting. After dinner Hillbilly John was back to his task of cleaning up our find, and I washed the dishes. Hillbilly John had finished running the concentrates and he said hey Jack you got to see this we got a small nugget I was like WHAT? Sure enough he had dumped the cup upside down in a gold pan and sure enough we had a small nugget and a lot of small flakes as well. That turned out to be a good hole.

The following day we worked the hole and moved a lot of boulders it was a productive day. We were going to continue when the sky turned dark and then the heavens opened up, poured,hail, thunder and lightning from every direction the sky looked as if a tornado was about to touch down the way the clouds were churning. We had taken cover on the bank and all we could do was watch the river rise and it rose quick. after about 40 minutes the rain subsided and we pulled the dredge out of the water and secured it on the bank. We cleaned the concentrates from the dredge and went back to camp, it was a wet ride back for the rain was now slow and steady, by the time we got back to the campsite it had stopped for a little while. We cleaned up the concentrates and we had some nice gold again. We had dinner, had a camp fire and called it a day.

The spot we had to move to.

The next day we discovered that the river had risen and the hole we had been working was now to swift to dredge so we had moved the dredge to a spot about 70 feet above where we were working still the same line we had intended to work. We had to push the dredge through some rapids to a pretty calm eddy. We tied the dredge off to a boulder and everything was good. We were ready to start again upon starting the dredge we discovered the air compressor was full of water, I couldn’t get any air to breath. We drained off the water and we were back in business. It was raining again and the air compressor continued to take on water so every so often we had to stop to drain the air out of it. To remedy this we zip tied an umbrella to the snorkel on the air compressor to keep the water out. Never the less with all the issues with the rain, and rain it did for the rest of the time we were there we had gotten gold every day that we were there and that was a good thing thanks to hurricane Irene for cleaning up the river.

See you next time.

Swift River Byron Maine

Just got back from a ten-day prospecting adventure in Byron Maine. It was a really great time and for me ten days was not enough time. We had started our adventure on July 17, this time I had brought my wife Doris my son Charlie who is 8 years old the little girl who my wife baby sits for Nora who is 7 and my parents Alice and Maynard. There were also other family and friends that  were meeting us at the camp ground, all had never prospected before. I had brought my sluice high banker dredge combo that I had mentioned in a previous post with me and I was very eager to try it out. I brought enough pans for every one to use of various sizes and of course shovels, buckets and so on. My jeep was packed to the hilt. My parents met at my house in New York, they live in New Jersey, and their vehicle was also packed. We left my house at 6am and arrived in Byron Maine at 2 pm, it was an 8 hour trip. We camped at Coos Canyon  Campground and Cabins.Doris the kids and I rented a lean-to. My parents rented a tent site with electricity. We unloaded the vehicles and set up camp as soon as I was done with that I was down over the bank to the river in Coos Canyon to do some panning. Doris went over to the cabins to meet up with her sister Kathy who was spending a couple of nights in the cabin with her husband and daughter. Meanwhile another group in our party had arrived, family of ours from Maine Russ, Sue and their two kids Mike and Katie. They had a tent site in between us and my parents. While I was panning I did find a little color that was a good sign. I went to check on how every one was coming along with setting up their tents. We also had some other friends from New Hampshire staying next to my parents wich they had gotten there the day before us. We were all settled in, we ate dinner and had a nice campfire. I made my plans for the next day. I don’t know about everyone else but I slept great. I fell asleep to the sound of the river’s waters cascading over the centuries worn ledge rock and awoke to the same with the sun’s golden rays beaming down through the evergreen canopy and the smell of the lush pines and hemlocks. I got up got a fresh pot of coffee going on the camp stove and made bacon and eggs for the adults. My wife Doris got up and made blueberry pancakes for the kids. Then I started making preparations for the day. For all those who were interested converged on our camp site by 10 am. A group of us headed for the river with the sluice box, pans, buckets and shovels. Doris and I gave some panning lessons, and then a demonstration on how a sluice box worked. Some people panned while others dug in the riverbed and ran the material through the sluice box. The younger kids got bored with it and spent their time with swimming and catching minnows. We spent a good portion of the day at it and then we did our clean up. Not much gold just a few salt and pepper size pieces. We gave the gold to Chuck my brother-in-law because he had to leave that evening and we will get more gold the next day. It was a good learning experience for those who had never panned or sluiced before. After the prospecting it was back up to our camp site for a bar-b-que. We all ate good and then it was relaxation and conversation by the campfire with some good coffee. The following day Doris took a group of people down to the lower end of Coos Canyon for some panning and crevicing and swimming for the kids. While Mike, my dad and I went up river to where the East branch of the swift river ran into the main branch for some dredging. We parked the jeep along the main branch and we had to carry everything across the main branch to the East branch, we each had to make a couple of trips. There were a few prospectors already there sluicing and panning of course I had to go see how they were making out, they were finding some color. One of them was from Michigan the others were from Maine. It took a little time to get set up I had to put the dredge together. It’s a two and a half-inch dredge/high banker conversion kit that bolts up to my sluice box. I had added some ribbed matting that I had bought at Coos Canyon Rock and Gift, Rosey the proprietor has a good selection of prospecting supplies. While we were in there Rosey had informed us that on that past sunday a prospector dredging on the East Branch had found a five eighths oz. nugget and a good number of nice sized flakes. She showed us pictures of it and I swear it was over an ounce of gold. Well any way we got the dredge together and up and running, My dad tended the box while Mike and I took turns at the nozzle and moving the big rocks. I was very happy with the performance of the dredge. At the end of the day we had color in our pan. Mike is 16 years old, he was leaving the following day so we gave him the gold to take home with him, He thought it was a cool experience.The following day my dad and I worked the same hole, we found a little gold not much I decided it was time to move. The hole was about as deep as I could reach with just a snorkel and mask.I had moved our operation further up the East Branch. For the next couple of days we had dredged in this spot and now it was me Doris, my son Charlie and Nora. It was fun The kids had a chance to work the dredge we found a little more gold. There were  a good number of prospectors in this area, some dredging, some panning and some others sluicing. some were experienced well seasoned prospectors and some were first timers. I had a good time showing people how to set up their sluice box and how to pan, I enjoy the camaraderie, I also enjoy in sharing in the excitement of those that are new to prospecting when they find gold. The following day we had stayed down by the camp ground, we were expecting some more family to stop in to see us. I did some sluicing in coos canyon while the kids swam. Doris sat on the ledge while making her jewelry. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shinning and we were all content. Kathy and Chuck found us, I put their son Scott to work shoveling while their daughters Erica and Gina enjoyed the water. They had brought a picnic lunch and drinks and that was greatly appreciated. I cleaned up the sluice found a small bit of gold and we went back to the camp site. I wanted to try yet another area so the following day I went to a spot on the East Branch for some sluicing. This spot had some nice looking ledge outcropping. Found a hole that someone else had been working, dug a few inches more and  hit bedrock. I started following the bed rock and this is where I found my best pieces of gold yet. Got a nice flake and several other small bits. We had one more day left I figured I should try the high banker out so that is what I did. I found some more nice pieces, I was very pleased with the operation of the high banker configuration. It figures though on the last two days I was starting to find the best gold. I should have started with this spot. Oh well next time. It was a great time and an experience I am sure the kids will not forget.

Versatility of The Keene A52 Sluicebox

If you are considering some new prospecting equipment consider this. Last year my wife bought me a Keene A52 sluicebox for my birthday I was very happy with its performance, I retrieved some nice gold with it. As you are running your material through you can see the gold being caught in the ribbed matting at the top of the sluice. There are add ons that you can get for the A52 so that you can upgrade. Over the past year I have purchased these upgrades. First I bought the leg stand, then for Christmas my wife got me the highbanker- dredge conversion kit and then the pump. The dredge is a two and a half-inch. Everything bolts right on to the A52. This set up gives me the ability to use it three different ways. I can use it for sluicing, for highbanking or for dredging depending on the situation. I am getting ready to test it out in Maine.

A Trip To Loud Mine Georgia (GPAA Outing)

Hillbilly John and I are both GPAA (Gold Prospectors Association of America) members and in May 2010 we went to the Loud mine outing in Georgia and that was quite a drive from New York. When we got down there we met up with Hillbilly John’s uncle Stan, who had his camper already set up. Stan is a long time LDMA (Lost Dutchman’s Mining Association) member.  The LDMA owns the Loud Mine. The outing was a three-day event for us. Our first morning there every one met at the club house, there were probably a couple hundred participants some first timers like me and others who have been many times. We got the rundown of the schedule. The common dig. The common dig consisted of two four-hour shifts; AM and PM. There were a number of different makes, models and types of highbankers set up for the common dig and one trommel. There were huge piles of material to run through by each machine and when the piles ran out they would bring more material to run. All the gold from the common dig would be split up at the end of the outing between those who participated in the common dig. There were other events scheduled throughout the day as well, events like classes on gold panning, things for kids to do like a treasure hunt with metal detectors and a whole lot of other fun. They also had piles of material set up in various locations to run through your own equipment. You could sluice, highbank, dredge or just pan what ever you wanted. Uncle Stan had his highbanker set up so we opted to do that after our shift was over. The Am shift started at Eight in the morning Hillbilly John, Uncle Stan and I were all on that shift. It was great we got on a highbanker and worked it the whole morning,there were a few other people on it with us. We were shoveling like mad men with a bad case of gold fever. Noon time rolled around and we broke for lunch then went to work on Uncle Stan’s highbanker. We worked until about Five and then did our clean up and brought the concentrates back to the camp site. We had some dinner that Stan’s wife Bertha had made and then it was time to go through the concentrates. We found GOLD!!! The next day same routine except Hillbilly John and I made sure we had a crack at every type of highbanker and the trommel. It was a real education and met a lot of good people. That night a pot luck dinner was held at the club house and all the food was delicious. After the meal there was a bon fire and socializing. The next day was the Gold split. It was done in this way: you draw a number between one and two-hundred the lower the number the more gold you got and along with the gold you also got a baggie containing black sand and fine gold. I picked a number in the seventies that was pretty good I thought. A young man from Pittsburgh PA drew the number one, he got a nice size nugget I think it weighed in at eleven grams , we were happy for him. It was a great event, a great place for beginners to get their feet wet. You can find more Information about the GPAA at www.goldprospectors.org

A Prospecting Adventure In Vermont

Hillbilly John and I live in New York and we were looking for a place near by to prospect. We had found a place up in Vermont that is a known site that has gold. It is Buffalo Brook at camp Plymouth. We had found out in our research that there was once an active Gold mine on this brook. We located the place on the map and figured it would take us a few hours to get there. We found out that in Vermont you may not use any kind of motorized equipment , electric or gas, such as highbankers, dredges or any kind of automatic spiral type pans nor can you use a sluicebox, it is limited solely to panning. So we decided to check it out, we went the weekend after labor day this was now the off-season and camp Plymouth was actually closed but you were still allowed on the property. We had all our gear with us shovels of various sizes, several 5 gallon buckets, sieve for classifying material,gold pans, tweezers, viles to put our gold in, all our camping gear and food. It was over cast the whole way there but it was a beautiful ride non the less,the Green mountains were breathtaking. We were hoping for it not to rain. We arrived got out our backpacks loaded with the equipment we need and we set out to find Buffalo Brook. We located a hiking trail that led us to the brook and it followed right along side the brook. We located a nice looking spot to get started and as we were getting our gear out it started to rain. We weren’t going to let a little rain stop us, we broke out the ponchos and put them on. We dug some material from the stream bed and ran it through the sieve to classify it that is to say remove the bigger rocks from it. When you do this you always look in the sieve which is called a classifier, for any gold nuggets that may be in there before you discard it. We did this procedure untill the 5 gallon bucket was almost full. We then proceeded to pan this classified material. It wasn’t easy with the rain splashing down in the pan. We had panned all of the classified material from the bucket and found nothing so we decided to move upstream. we hiked up this trail that looked like an old road and it criss crossed the brook several times. We noticed a depression in the side of the hill to the left of the trail and we went to investigate. It was the remains of the mine. The adit (the entrance) had been filled in but there were remains of the tracks that went into the mine. We knew then that we were in the right place.  We went back down to the brook and we went to work we panned another bucket or two and it was starting to get late in the day we figured we better find a place to set up camp and of course it was still raining but letting up a bit. We headed back down to the car and we thought we may be able to stay at camp Plymouth. We found the care takers of the camp and asked permission to stay we were told no but they directed us to nearby Coolidge State Park which had a campground. We went over there and we rented a really nice lean-to. It was now getting dark but at least the rain had stopped. We made a fire which was not easy with wet wood and Hillbilly John cooked us up some grub, It was delicious. Theres just something about cooking over an open fire that makes anything taste great. We turned in for the night. I slept like a baby, Hillbilly John on the other hand didn’t sleep so good he had accidentally grabbed a child sized sleeping bag and he had a hard time getting comfortable with that. We got up the next morning and the sun was coming out, we had some breakfast and we headed back to camp Plymouth for some more prospecting. We hiked back up the trail to a spot we had been working the previous day. I figured we had probably leave around 1pm we both had to work the following day. We had panned all morning I found nothing  but Hillbilly John had found a grain of sand sized piece of gold. I know that’s not much but we sure had a great time. That was worth every bit of all we had invested. Just because we didn’t find much at all doesn’t mean that it is not there I personally feel that it is a place worth checking out again and I will. Also while talking to one of the locals we found out about another mining location and it is located on the Coolidge State Park property it was a place called Five Corners it is a gold mining ghost town. I am going to return there and test pan that area.