Marlene Affeld asked:

Finding the Mother Lode! Striking It Rich! As prospectors, we all have dreams of finding a bonanza while we enjoy the adventure of the hunt. The entire family can share in the fun of prospecting and finding the elusive mineral.

While there are numerous clubs and tourist attractions that offer the recreational prospector an opportunity to look for gold on their properties, if you have a serious case of “gold fever” you will want to purchase or locate your own claim.

Some people mistakenly believe that they can access any public land area and start prospecting just because it’s listed as public land. Think twice, because if you start mining on someone else’s claim, it’s claim jumping. Avoid legal complications, stiff fines and a lot of grief by always verifying claim ownership first.

Owning ones own claims saves a lot of complications. The 1872 Law allows prospectors to buy or stake a claim; an opportunity to create a “real property” asset that you can use yourself to mine gold or lease it to someone else to work the claim for you.

The Mining Law of 1872 directs the federal government’s land management policy. The law grants free access to individuals to prospect for minerals in public domain lands, and allows them, upon making a discovery, to stake a claim on that deposit. One must be a United States citizen to file a claim.

The 1872 Mining Law provides that “The locators of all mining locations made on any mineral vein, lode, or ledge, situated on the public domain, their heirs and assigns, where no adverse claim existed on the 10th day of May 1872, so long as they comply with the laws of the United States, and with State, territorial and local regulations not in conflict with the laws of the United States governing their possessory title, shall have the exclusive right of possession and enjoyment of all the surface included within the lines of their locations.”

Mining claims are in either of two classifications, patented or unpatented. Under the 1872 Mining Law an unpatented claim gives the claimant a property right interest to the minerals in/on the claim and the right to utilize as much of the surface and its resources as is needed to extract the minerals.

The Mining Law of 1872 also establishes a process by which the claimant may bring a claim to patent. When a claim is patented, actual ownership of the minerals and the surface resources pass from the United States Government to the claimant. The 1872 Law states that once a claimed mineral deposit has been determined to be economically recoverable and a specified amount of work has been preformed, the claimant may then file a patent application to both the mineral and the surface rights.

In 1995 Congress enacted a moratorium on the issuance of patents. At the present time new patent applications are not being processed, however grand-fathered applications will be processed. Legislature to rescind the moratorium is presently in congress awaiting a vote and many are hopeful that the patent application process will once again be an option.

In the United States Supreme Court case of Wilbur v. U.S. (ex rel. Krushnic, 280 US 306) (1930). The Supreme Court ruled; “When the location of a mining claim is perfected under the law, it has the effect of a grant by the United States of the right of present and exclusive possession. The claim is property in the fullest sense of the term; and may be sold, transferred, mortgaged, and inherited without infringing any right or title of the United States.”

The right of the owner is taxable by the state; and is “real property”. (State laws vary and it is prudent to be familiar with the laws of the state in which a claim is located.) The claimant/owner is not required to purchase the claim or secure patent from the United States. If a claimant complies with the provisions of the mining laws, his/her possessor’s rights, for all practical purposes of ownership, are as secure as those granted by a patent. In essence, you own the mineral rights and may use as much of the surface as reasonably necessary for mining your property.

If you are the owner of a claim you may chose to mine or not. If you elect to actively prospect, explore, develop and produce the property the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM) must be notified and proper paperwork processed. If you are on federal or state managed lands, be sure to obtain all necessary permits prior to commencing operations. If you plan to actively mine or not, maintaining ownership of your mining claim also requires the filings of the applicable documents and payment of fees annually with the BLM.

Ownership of a mining claim comes with some restrictions. All structures, fences, signs, roads and any man-made changes on the mining claim, must be reasonably incident to mining and included in a Notice or Plan on file with the BLM. If you wish to park an RV, trailer or set up camp on the claim and stay longer than 14 days, this request must be included in your plan of operations. If you are actively working the claim there are no restrictions; however, if your usage is strictly recreational, the 14 day rule may be enforced. If one chooses to actively mine his/her claim, the claimant is allowed to live on the property and may build temporary (and in some cases…permanent) structures if application is made with and approved by the BLM.

The primary purpose of a mining claim is to mine; however, a claim may be used for off-time recreational purposes. You may hunt or fish on the claim; however, be sure to have a state license or permit. A mining claim can also be an excellent base camp for ATV, horseback or snowmobile explorations.

The BLM requires an annual maintenance fee to satisfy assessment requirements. Actual labor can be performed as well to meet the assessment requirements. There also exists a small miners waiver which applies to claimants owning less than 10 mining claims. Once approved the Small Miners Exemption must be filed annually.

Wishing you success in your quest and may your pan always glitter with gold.

gold prospecting gear

andrew.regan.2006@googlemail.com asked:

The Gold Rush started on January 24, 1848, when James. W. Marshall – working for Sacramento pioneer John Sutter, discovered shiny pieces of metal at Sutter’s Mill, near Coloma in California. After taking them to Sutter, the two men tested the metal and found it to be gold. Far from being euphoric at the find, Sutter was dismayed as he envisaged his dreams of an agricultural empire going up in smoke once prospectors rushed to the area. Because of that fear Sutter tried to keep news of the find under wraps, but all to no avail as rumours soon spread.

By March 1848, news of the find had reached San Francisco where newspaperman and merchant Samuel Brannan, after being shrewd enough to set up a store to sell gold prospecting supplies, strode through the streets of San Francisco, holding up a piece of gold and shouting: “Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!

By August 1848 the news had reached New York and on December 5th was confirmed to Congress by President James Polk sparking an invasion of Sacramento and the surrounding area by waves of immigrants, who would later be referred to as the “forty-niners”.

Confirming his fears Sutter was ruined; his workers deserted him seeking gold fortunes of their own, and immigrants squatted on his land helping themselves to his cattle and crops. However, by the time the 49ers arrived the easily accessible gold had long been scooped up by the original prospectors of 1848. As waves of new immigrants flooded the area around Sacramento it effectively became a squalid tented city. With no hotel in Sacramento to speak of, or any other places of shelter for that matter, the mass of new arrivals literally slept in the streets, until they got a job, or left for the prospecting fields.

It was a lawless place in California at the time of the gold rush. The goldfields were declared public land, with no property rights, no taxes and no fees. Land was ‘claimed’ by prospectors, who could keep the claim as long as they worked on it. Once work stopped or the site was abandoned then the land could be reclaimed. This loose definition led to disputes about ‘claim-jumpers’, which were often settled in a violent manner.

Most of the estimated 300,000 would-be prospectors that came to California after 1849 found little gold, but did help establish Sacramento as a major town, confirmed by it becoming the terminus of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. In only 20 years the settlement had burgeoned into a bustling hub for California. And, while his father’s dreams of an agricultural empire were dashed by the Gold Rush, John Sutter Jr, together with Sam Brannan became the City of Sacramento’s founding fathers.

gold panning gear

Marlene Affeld asked:

The Cedar Creek Mining District is located in Mineral County, Montana on the east slope of the Bitterroot Mountains, southwest of what is now the town of Superior. The district encompasses Cedar, Quartz and Trout Creeks and their tributaries, which originate near the crest of the northwestward extension of the Bitterroot Range. The creeks flow northeastward to the Clark Fork River. Mineral County is bound by Missoula and Sanders counties and shares a border with the State of Idaho.

Mineral County

Mineral County encompasses 1,223 square miles. Its land is 82% National Forest and is managed by the US Forest Service. 3% of the land is owned by the State of Montana and 15% is privately owned. The county’s rich mining history lends its name.

Most of the county topography is quite rugged with elevations ranging from 2500 to 8000 feet above sea level.

There are 87 miles of river, 650 miles of streams and over 50 high mountain lakes to compliment the innumerable alpine meadows, magnificent waterfalls and jaw dropping vistas.

The Mineral County area started being developed following the construction of the Mullan Trail in 1859. Prior to clearing and cutting of the trail, extremely dense forests of giant cedars, ponderosa pine, hemlock, tamarack and fir made traveling through the area arduous and very dangerous. Captain Mullan forbade any of his men to search for gold for fear a “gold rush” would disrupt the trail construction.

On September 11, 1865 the first two claims were filed, on the St. Regis River. W. W. Johnson, who had worked as a surveyor on the Mullan Trail, filed a gold claim, the “Missoula Gold and Silver Quartz Ledge,” and Peter Toft filed the “Beaver Gold and Silver Quartz Ledge”. Sketchy historical records fail to indicate whether either claim was ever actually worked.

History Of The Cedar Creek Gold Rush

In the fall of 1868, a French Canadian prospector, Louis Barrette had run out of luck and dreams working the gold fields of Northern Idaho. Despondent and broke, he set out for the French Canadian encampment of Frenchtown, Montana located along the Mullen Road. Barrette hoped that the kindness of his fellow countrymen would shelter him through the harsh Montana winter.

Traveling from Idaho to Montana, Barrette followed the St. Joe River to its headwaters in the Coeur d’ Alene Mountains. As he rode along the summit trail he noticed a deep basin on the Montana side that, to his gold prospector’s eye, looked promising. However winter was moving in and he needed to proceed to Frenchtown before snow fall in the high country prevented his passage.

Barrette firmly resolved that he would put together supplies and return to prospect the area in the spring.

On his journey to Frenchtown, Barrette met Adolph Lozeau, a fellow French Canadian who operated a ranch about five miles east of the mouth of Cedar Creek. Lozeau Forty Mile House had been a stop for wayfaring travelers along the Mullen Road for two years. Lozeau would turn out to be a pivotal character in the saga of the Cedar Creek Gold Rush.

Fortune and circumstances delayed Barrette’s return to the valley of his dreams. It was not until late fall of 1869 that Barrette was able to assemble equipment and supplies and return to Cedar Creek. Barrette and his partner, Basil Lanthier, traversed the steep cedar-clad gulch on saddle horses accompanied by a string of pack horses loaded with sufficient provisions to last them for several weeks.

Barrette and Lanthier’s departure from Frenchtown was not a well-kept secret. Rumors and speculation on the success of their exploration were common gossip. All ears waited to hear of a new gold strike or another failure.

Tired, yet jubilant, the partners arrived at Cedar Creek and then continued up stream about four miles until they found a grassy meadow located at the mouth of Cayuse Creek. Lathier went about setting up their base camp and Barrette headed for the creek.

Lady Luck smiled! On October 9th, 1869, coarse nuggets were discovered where the waters of Cayuse Creek joined Cedar Creek. Overcome with “Gold Fever” Barrette and Lanthier were not content with their first prospects and were determined to keep prospecting the gulch for richer concentrates.

Aware of the inevitable stampede once news of their discovery was known, they wished to find the best site in the area and stake it out before the swarming rush of gold seekers that would race to a strike had an chance to file claims in the area.

Finally, delighted with the near ten ounces of gold he gleaned from two test holes, Barrette established his discovery claim on the “Louiseville Bar”, which is now within the boundaries of Cinker’s Mine.

It was now late November. Winter gripped the mountains and Barrette and Lathier’s supplies were running critically low. The two prospectors returned to Lozeau’s ranch to resupply. They showed Lozeau the gold and enlisted his help to travel to Frenchtown for provisions. Barrette and Lathier knew that if they went back to the camp speculators would follow them back to their discovery.

News of a gold strike was a bigger secret than Adolph could keep. Loosened by liquor, “they found gold” slipped from Lozeau’s lips and the rush was on! By daylight the next morning over a 100 prospectors were frantically scrambling up and down the drainage.

In early December, a miner’s meeting established the Barrette Mining District and designated the town of Louisville on Barrette’s discovery claim as the district headquarters. Bad feelings arose when the Deer Lodge newspaper, the “New North-West” reported that the town of Louisville was named after Lozeau’s wife, Louise and not after Louis Barrette. Adolph Lozeau had taken credit for the discovery when he in fact had no part at all in the partners strike.

As gold seekers from all across the territory raced to Cedar Creek, the Barrette Mining District moved to establish the rules for filing claims. The length of a claim was limited to 200 feet, with width not to exceed 9 feet up the bank above the high water mark on each side of the creek. Each new arrival was allowed one claim only, with the exception of Barrette, who was allowed one additional claim to his No. 1 discovery claim.

Word of a gold strike travels the wind and spreads like wildfire. The strike on Cedar Creek was no exception. Gold seekers flocked to the frenzy. A correspondent for the New North-West newspaper, writing from Missoula, reported. “Missoula has been wild for a week”. “Hotel keepers, merchants, clerks, idle men and loafers, are all gone. . . “.

This intense migration into such a remote and restricted area presented enormous challenges in the way of food and shelter shortages. Soon 60 mule pack trains poured into the canyon selling gumboots, tarps, bacon and beans. Housing was inadequate with the majority of the dwelling merely makeshift shanties made from brush, branches and canvas. The area newspapers warned the stampeders to go “well clad, blanketed and pursed”.

Foul weather, food shortages and hazardous conditions did not deter those who suffered gold fever. Within the month the snow-packed drainage was parceled into nearly 2,500 separate claims. Tempers ran high, violence was common place and claim jumping was rampant. An estimated 3,000 men wintered that year in the gulch and it was visited by three times that many more. That first winter it was men only as there were no women on the creek in 1869.

Saloonkeepers, blacksmiths and merchants were just as excited as the miners about Cedar Creek’s potential. The new residents of Louisville, Mugginsville, Cedar Junction and Lincoln City watched with glee as these entrepreneurs ambitiously opened for business. Mining camps arose and were abandoned quickly as the focus of placering shifted around the district. The Helena Daily Herald reported on March 3, 1870 that, “Louisville had 680 houses; Cedar Junction 91. Wages are $4 – $5 a day”. “Louisville … prospecting is … running as high as $1,250.00 a pan”.

The population of the district rose upwards of 10,000 by some estimates. In 1870, Forest City, on Cedar Creek itself, reached a population of over 7,000 and was considered a commerce center for many towns in the area including Missoula. As in any gold rush, whiskey flowed, fortunes were made and lost and lives were forever changed.

Early production from the Cedar Creek Rush has been estimated as high as $10 Million Dollars. The gold mined from Cedar Creek was notably fine; some gold that was 982 fine was recovered and it was not unusual for it to be as high as 960 to 970 fine. At the time of the Cedar Creek Strike, gold was traded at $20.50 an ounce. When one applies today’s price of gold at over $1,000.00 an ounce to the calculation, the numbers are indeed impressive. Miners are notoriously closed mouth, but a few have been known to brag, so it is impossible to know the true value of the strike, however it was credible treasure and an awesome adventure.

Cedar Creek also had its share of hardrock mining. The Amador copper mine was originally discovered in 1889 by cutting into a large ore body 165 feet below the bed of Cedar Creek, but wasn’t fully worked until 1900. A townsite was laid out 11 miles below the mine, with a rail line connecting the two. Potential investors were brought out by train from the east and sold shares in the mine and lots in the townsite. A small smelter was built on Cedar Creek to process the ore. In 1919 the railroad tracks were removed in favor of hauling ore by truck. Much of the old rail bed is the foundation for the Cedar Creek Road as it is today.

There was placer mining activity along these creeks or their tributaries almost every year up to World War II. From 1946 through today, a handful of hardy miners continue their quest of the elusive golden mineral.

Welcome to Cedar Creek and may you find color in the bottom of your pan!

gold panning gear

Kathleen Chester asked:

Are you an aspirant of a career in heavy equipment operations and management? Are you looking for an institution that is nationally certified and well established and renowned? If you want to get admission into a school which will not only qualify you as a heavy equipment operator but also provide you assistance in securing a job in a top company, then make sure you research thoroughly through every minute detail before you take the plunge.

Here are a few guidelines that will assist you in your search:

Look for an institution that has published and recorder standards that are recognized universally. You don’t want to waste your time, money and energy persuading a lengthy course and discover at the end that it isn’t recognized in the first place, do you?

Apply to a school which exclusively provides heavy equipment training and nothing else. This is to ensure that you are in a specialized working environment that will focus on one major course of action and that is heavy equipment operation training.

Enrolling in a school that is a member of National Association of Heavy Equipment Training Schools (NAHETS) is the best you can opt for as these schools provide training that is competency based and job oriented.

Ensure that your prospective training school has a faculty of experienced and qualified instructors. The best knowledge can be imparted by a person whose expertise in the field has been exercised and proven.

The training school should also be in possession of as many equipment types that are needed for your training program.

The campus or training area should be spacious. A minimum area of 10 acre heavy equipment training area is needed.

Good administrative facilities should be available.

There should be a Career Resource Center located on campus,

Job site simulators, which give you practical training in operation heavy equipment and undertaking emergency safety and preventive measures, should be included in the curriculum.

You should also make sure that job placement assistance is provided to you at the end of your training program.

Though most of these training programs are full time, some schools also provide part-time leaning facilities or distance learning programs. If you are already a graduate with a technical degree, then you can opt for a Commercial Driver’s License or CDL. This is an absolute necessity before you begin your career as a heavy equipment operator. Look for a comprehensive study program which offers you this facility as well.