How long have you been prospecting?

[RiverGold]

I know we have a lot of very experienced prospectors on the forum here. I am curious how long some of you have been at it and how you got started. It might be interesting if you would post when/how/why you began. Personally, I still consider myself new at this. I got started because of a kooky brother-in-law who came to visit me in Colorado about 5-6 years ago and he was dying to go gold panning. Neither of us found gold that first day and he never tried again, but I got bit by the bug and I kept at it until I started finding gold. Anybody else want to share?

I also got tempted 42 years ago when I was hitch-hiking across Arizona and got picked up by a Guatamalean prospector, naturalized by marriage in the US, who was looking for the Lost Dutchman's Mine in between other prospecting activities. I rode with him for about 400 miles and he shared lots of stories about: his prospecting adventures, his donkies (like how your donkey can help you find uranium), his encounters with Panamint mountain hermits, some Spanish mines and armor he found and even some potentially valuable clues about where he thought the Lost Dutchman's mine might be located. He liked the fact I had a good memory "you need that to be a good prospector" and offered to take me out with him some time. I have always regretted not taking him up on that offer. I did try calling him after a couple of years, but his phone number had become canceld or switched to unlisted by then. This guy defintely planted the idea of prospecting in my head, but it took about 37 years for it to kick in. His name was Oscar Amado and he had a home in Los Angeles, CA, if any of you old-timer CA miners knew him, let me know. I suspect he may not be around anymore since he would be in his 80's by now and he lived a risky life prospecting alone (except for donkies) in the desert and exploring old mines.

In any case, please share your stories of getting started prospecting.

Randy A

[russau]

in 1986 i crushed my left leg in a motorcycle accident. and now i had plenty of seat time to kill. i had just got my new 10.5 ft.sat.dish and was scanning around when i saw this ole guy preaching about gold. i initially though that he was some sort of con man (the Buzzard)but i kept on watching.what the heck,i wasnt going anywhere anyway! i watched and got books from the library and read. the more i read and watched,i figured out, hey there might be something to this! so for the next 10 years i studied this gold mining and all the different ways todo it.finnaly in 1996 my wife said heres your membership to GPAA now get out of the house and do something! so i did! now its been 15 years and weve got 2 GPAA clubs started here in Missouri and im hooked! and now at 64 im on the downhill slide as far as what i can do while out dredgeing,but i still enjoy it even though doing it is getting rougher on me each year!

[Hoser John]

1956 on the Merced River Hi Way 49 in a miniscule little berg called Bagby,now blown up by the Bureau of reclaimation along with General John Freemonts(father of california) stone house-a historical site the BLM didn't like so gone. Seems they had extra dynamite that day from blowing up miners cabins so the blew it to kingdom come -John

[Joe S (AK)]

'66 (1966 that is) At Erickson's Crow Creek Mine near Girdwood, Alaska.

Bob, (my kind-'a father-in-law) asked me if I would like to go Gold Panning. Since I was a 19 year old, brand new Alaskan I jumped at the chance.

A home-made plywood sluice box with a GI blanket for carpet (under square wooden riffles), steel pans, classifying with home made equipment - and no mining store that I ever set foot in. Of course, no sucker bottles, either.

There has been a lot of shoveling into new, Aluminum, (and now vacuum formed ABS plastic) equipment since then ----- with a lot more Gold found now, too.

Joe

"MOAHS" Master of All He Sees and "GOMIT" Grumpy Old Miner in Training

[Geo-George]

'59 or '60, my Grandpa started showing me how to pan, work a sluice, and some about minerals/rockhounding.
Had my eyes on the ground ever since.
I went on to get my A.S. in Geology w/certificate in minng/fire assay.
Partner in 160 acres of Heaven.

[wa-au-nut]

Bought my 1st pan 5 years ago. I started watching Gold Fever about 3 years before that. Kept thinking I should do that. Fianlly did.Took 2 years to find some fly poop but it was mine. Bought a RDH 24"sluice and before I could use it I bought an A52. Then my older Sis told me it was in my blood. Turns out my Great Granddpa was a miner.He and 2 brothers went north in 1897 and prospected out of Valdez. My Great grandpa and 1 of his brothers returned with $70,000 each. The other borther J.D. Meenach stayed for years, Started the Ellamar Copper Mine at Valdez. Became a weathy man But lost it all in 1929 stock crash. He Jumped from the Smith Tower in Seattle. My Great Grandpa bought a Hardware store in Auburn Wa. but the fever had him. He sold out and went to N.Cal. Had a claim at Sawyers Bar. Cal. He Died on that Claim in 1940. His grave is in the Sawyers Bar cemetery, John Bennett Meenach. I'm named after him and my gandpa John Orville. I don't post much but read daily learning every thing I can. Was fishseeker on the old forum

[CalGoldDredger]

Since I was in diapers, got a picture of me on dad's dredge. I will always cheerish that picture.
My dad started dredging when it all became popular back on the Yuba in the 50's, my grandpa minded during the 30's.

A little known fact: suction dredging for gold in California didn't start on the Yuba in the 50's with Ernie Keene but goes back to the late 1800's with what was then called a caisson dredge with very primitive dive pumps and equipmnet. They were steam powered and stream bed gravel was sucked up a steel pipe or a which was called a "caisson". Was not considered practical so never became that popular but you can find pictures and mention of this method in old literature. This method was so crude that it was extremely unsanely unsafe.

[Bonaro]

+/- 40 years....ouch
Next question.

[Hoser John]

CGDJ--50's on the YUBA?? I know your Pops has some issues lately but could ya ask him ifn' he remembers a HUGE fella at 6' 5"+ 300 lb+ minimum named Larry Wilson who etched,dug,scraped KILLROY WAS HERE all over the 3 forks of the yuba river systems during the 50's-60's?? GREAT ol'boy who has passed but great stories of Yuba river dayz--honker down J here comes another hit today but a warm storm up here-John

[flynphil]

Probily started with a trip to the panning trough at Knotts Berry farm in the mid '50's' then really got hooked a couple years latter with a trip with a gem and mineral club to the American River out of Georgetown where I found a "clinker". Moved a lot of dirt since then for a couple of oz and still having fun looking and still learning. Spent quite a bit of time around Virginia City Nev also.

Phil