Scorpion Goldmine hunt in Oregon...

[bearkat4160]

Hi All,

Well finally got some weather clearing. Seems at 1:00 everyday the fog clears, so I decided to find a gold mine Ive been researching....AND I FOUND IT! Private property didnt hold me back this time as my research was spot on with all the time I have from the rain and thanks to USGS website. There are spots of BLM land all over the place with mines on them. Priate property all over also surrounding it. Just got to find the gaps to be able to get to BLM and the access points..its definatly not advertised.

Ok so the mine is near Gold Hill, Or. As I have been looking in this area ever since I dredged there this year because California kicked us out from dredging. So now I am seeing where the gold in the river comes from.
So heres the pics...got no gold..but only got 2 hour hunt in and alot of it was getting familiar with the WHOLE mine area. Then to return again with a light to go in the mine (maybe).

The Scorpion was fun to use...very sensitive. More stable than I had thought it would be for a manual machine. I used it wide open power. I adjusted it every once and a while..like shifting gears in a car..old school... oh yeh! Slight adjustments also, I mean SLIGHT. Kept it a bit on the positive side but sometimes I also had it right on balanced no negitive or positive threshold variation.

The pics show the mine shaft which appears to be fairly deep. Another shaft with rope going into it which leads to the larger mine and is the better entry point. A pic of the stamp mill just right of the mine up on top side.
And a pic of your humble Scorpion user narrator. (me, duh). And the crappy finds....some of the finds were from last week I had a short hour hunt along the Rogue River, like the fish lure and most of the lead.

Oh, I also saw a beautiful Bobcat cross in front of me as I was leaving the area about 40 feet in front of my truck. Big ole feet he had. Small stubby tail. Alittle bigger than the ones in Geiorgia.

Till next hunt,
Alan

 

[Joel-Winnipeg]

Interesting area.
Be careful entering those mines.and good luck finding those nuggets..

 

[metalhead]

Yeah man, please be careful if you decide to enter a mine. If you do decide to enter a mine (and I strongly advise against it) let someone know about where you are and what you plan to do. It's best to have someone with you when you go into the mine and also have someone stay outside of the mine to wait for you/ or call for help if needed. Entering abandoned mines is EXTREMELY dangerous. There are many hazards involved.

I enjoy doing what you are doing now. I enjoy seeking out old mines and checking the tailings piles, etc. I stay out of the mines, though. I enjoy living too much to fool with that.

Remember, you can keep your Scorpion several inches above the ground(four to six inces)and it will still pick up those tiny nuggies even better. Especially if you keep it maxed out and ground balanced slightly positive, like you said. It is also good for locating cocentrations of black sand. It will null over these areas.
I hope ya' find tons o' that yella metal!

Here are some helpful links for your information(which you may already know, but perhaps helpful to some).

Owner's manual:
http://www.garrett.com/hobby/manuals2/Scorpion-Gold-Stinger.pdf

Instructional video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5315047567957481945&hl=en&emb=1#

Field test from Lost Treasure magazine 1991
http://losttreasure.com/fieldtests/ArchiveView07.cfm?ID=LT19910108

Happy Hunting!

 

[John-Edmonton]

Sorry, I couldn't resist! Those are some nice photos you gave us to peek at. Looks like a lot activity has gone on around that place, judging from what you have shown. I bet there is some of that gold stuff sitting around there somewhere. Looks like you have to remove some of the junk to get it. of course removing that junk just might lead to another decent find. I am envious of you. I know how capable that Scorpion is, and I wish I had some gold bearing creeks around here to search.

All the best to your hunting! Hope you get some of that gold stuff. Keep searching

 

[cwilk]

Great photos! I can imagine how much work it took to dig that mine. Can you research if they actually found gold there?

Hope you get some gold next time.

Chris

 

[PennyFinder]

Lovely opportunity you've garnered there! Don't forget to check the mine floor for a dropped nugget or two.
Yes you have to be well equipped and prepared to enter into confined spaces. Have you seen those air sniffer alarms that monitors the gasses in the air?
They're kind of an electronic canary so to speak, they fit in your breast pocket. O2 levels can be depleted by metallic oxidation. You could black out before you realize it.
http://www.rkiinstruments.com/

Keep safe,
PennyFinder

 

[bearkat4160]

Oh yeh Chris. There are 2 prospects at this location...one placer and one underground. Both on record with USGS. Is how I found them and both were gold with secondary commodities being Silver, Copper, Lead, Manganese. Sure is alot of crap there gets me thinking that it hasent been detected in long time or ever. Sure is fun though. Ill clean it out some with the Scorpion/GTI 2500 and then bring in the big gun Infinium with the 10x14 mono....that is the plan anyway. Hope to get some gold.

Alan

 

[bearkat4160]

Thanks for the tip Pennyfinder definatly will look into that!

Alan

 

[bearkat4160]

Yeh John got to be some nuggys around there somewhere, they never got it all. I found an old shovel and hand saw also with both the handles being rotted off. Dont know how old, they were too big to carry out. I just propped them up against a tree for a little decorating, ha. Sure did miss the Imaging on the hunt but had to rely on the sound for sizing...old school.

Alan

 

[Uncle Willy]

Or you could capture a wild canary. I think there are more than a few in your area.


Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Did you get a book and maps from the State Geological Department showing all the gold bearing areas in Oregon?

Bill

 

[Uncle Willy]

Sure hope you stumble upon some good stuff down there bud. I can't get out and do it anymore but I'd be happy to see someone else score some yellow. I'll have to go through my research stuff as I'm sure there are some lost mines in that area and I may have written about them. As I recall I think I did. I done a story on Gold Beach and a mountain, called the MOUNTAIN OF A THOUSAND HOLES that allegedly has pirate treaure buried inside it somewhere plus a lost mine in that area.

Bill

 

[bearkat4160]

Yeh I got all the mines, all the BLM land for viewing in Oregon...so now I know where all the mines are and now can see if there on private or BLM/NFS land. Also got the Oregon ghost town packet...pretty kool that one.
Lots of stuff to cover. So now I'm just concentrating on this general area in Jackson county instead of California for now. Just alot more people around here instead of Happy Camp area is the difference.

Alan

 

[Uncle Willy]

How's that ban effecting Dave and Maria. Ain't going to put them out of business is it?

Bill

 

[bearkat4160]

Well Bill,
Dave is in Cambodia mining now and has an apartment in Philipines. He has cut back on his staff at his shop. I think we will know how bad his operation has been hit next year when we see how many people show up in Happy Camp. After the dredge ban...about 2 weeks later, Happy Camp was near ghost town. Shame the gov has dropped the axe on another rural area and doesnt care about the people affected. As far as Maria goes, they have been divorced for a long time, not sure how long though. I do know that she came to Happy Camp this year to get the remainder of her stuff. I think it had been upstairs in storage at his shop for at least 7 years. Dave should be back in HC in early Jan. for the gold shows. He and the PLP are spear heading the fight to get us back in the river but donations are weak now for legal fees, and he wont pay for it by himself thats for sure. Miners seem to have a hard time uniting sometimes.

Alan

 

[fongu]

I have always wanted to learn to prospect and placer mining I could get into. Due to claustrophobia however, the only time they will get me in a hole in the ground is when I leave this world. Glad it doesn't bother others, tho.