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| Vol. 7, No. 6 | June 2002 | |
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Lloyd G. Clements Community Center
7:00 PM (Board Meeting at 6:00 PM)
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by Rick Miska
A few major things are going on this month, so I will jump right into it.
Gary Hawley's Central City Tour - A few members from our club (myself included) and several members from the Ft. Collins club went on Gary's Central City and surrounding area tour this last weekend. We started out in Clear Creek Canyon, making a few stops along the way to view things related to history and gold prospecting. Then, we got into Central City and stopped at Gregory's cut, the original lode claim in the area. Then, we went up to the graveyards above town and checked out some graves of a vew prominent people from the area's history. At the back side of one of the graveyards, there was a really neat ore-loading-chute building. Then, we journeyed up into Nevadaville (Bald Mountain), and had a nice lecture on the history of Nevadaville and its structures. There is still a store there that is open on weekends and it has a lot of antiques, books, and other items of historica value for sale. All the people that forgot to bring drinks really liked that store because they sell soda-pop, too. I wanted to gbive a special thanks to Gary's wife, Kathy Hawley, for providing a really awesome lunch spread for everybody! My short description of this trip doesn not do it any justice so you have to make the trip next time to see why. It took us six and a half hours to see all of this and I am still processing all that I heard. Thanks, Gary!
The Fires and Prospecting - I don't have a lot of info on this yet. I have heard that a lot of BLM land is closed to all uses, including prospecting, camping, etc. You can't even be in some areas. Make sure you check out the current rules thoroughly before entering an area right now. I also have heard that it is considered felony arson right now to have a campfire in a restricted area so be very aware of the rules for the area you are in. I also saw a story where a fire was started with a cigarette being tossed out the window of a moving vehicle. The land is very dry right now, both in the mountains and the plains, so be careful wherever you are.
Remember to send in your articles to our Editor, Carl Sauerland. It is a great way to see what everybody is up to and what they are finding. That's all I really have for this month so see you at the meeting.
Rick
by Gary Hawley
Greetings to all "Gold Prospectors of the Rockies."
We had another great meeting in May. I am pleased with the membership attendance at the monthly meetings. Thanks to all of the members, our club continues to grow in size, strength, and genuine caring for a wonderful outdoor activity.
Member Bill Chapman presented an informative program about metal detectors. If you are in need of a metal detector or any other mining equipment, be sure to check with Bill at Gold-N-Detectors in Golden, Colorado (see Bill's advertisement below).
The Black Hawk / Central City tour was well attended with 24 people taking the tour. The weather was just right for this activity. This was a two-club activity with our club and the Ft. Collins club jointly taking the tour. Our club provided lunch and soft drinks for everyone and we enjoyed the opportunity to make new "mining" acquaintances in the presence of such vast mining history.
The situation on Clear Creek near Washington Street changes almost daily. As I understand it, we continue to be okay with prospecting in the stream immediately north of Tymkovich Meats (see the Tymkovich advertisment below). Use the Tymkovich east and west property lines to determine your east-west limitation for digging in the stream. Any other location in that area may place you in Adams County jurisdiction and the county is presenting restrictions on prospecting on their county land.
Please use common sense and respect the land when prospecting on any stream. Don't dig into the embankment of the stream. Dont' undercut trees or large boulders. Don't refuel you dredge or high-banker while it is close to the stream. Do not allow oil or fuel to drip onto the land (use a catch basin under the motor). Fill in the holes you have dug. Pack out any trash that you find. Be respectful to any landowner or public official with whom you come in contact.
Remember, it is your responsibility to know and follow the rules, laws, and regulations of any area where you are prospecting. You must obtain any permits that are required. You must obtain landowner permission, if you prospect on private property. It is not the intent nor the scope of this newsletter, this club, any general member, or any Board member to know all of the laws, all of the time. The club and its membership cannot be held responsible for your actions in the field--we can only offer suggestions and pass on any information that we have heard. It is the responsibility of each individual to prospect within the law and absorb the consequences, if the law is broken.
Lastly, the field trip/prospecting demonstration for Jefferson County Open Space personnel will probably take place before the end of June. I will personally call all of you who volunteered to help with this outing as soon as an exact date is set.
More information on any or all of the above will be available at the June meeting.
Until next time, may the nuggets you find be worth the effort you put into finding them.
The donations we take in on the Snack Table pay for the food. We have been receiving a lot less than what we are spending. I think we have been supplying a good variety of foods. Let's be a little more generous with our donations so we can keep the good food coming.
Thanks to Ada and Gary Keim for the super food at the May meeting. Snack Table volunteer for June meeting is Sue Clover. We only need volunteers for the August and September meetings. Please contact Ada Keim, if you are willing to take a turn. Remember, your donations pay for the food on the Snack Table.
by Ken Barker
It's that time again for all of us to put a little time back into the Gold Prospectors of the Rockies. We have been asked by Adams County to participate in their 100-year anniversary.
I met with Kurt Carlson on Monday, the 10th, at the Adams County Fairgrounds. We discussed what they wanted to try and do during the event. They would like for us to set up our panning demonstrations in the main area and to set up an area on the South Platte to use about once an hour to demonstrate the use of rocker boxes, let people use the equipment themselves, and pan out their concentrates.
The event will be held at the Adams County Fairgrounds on Saturday, August 3rd, and Sunday, August 4th. The demonstrations would be from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on both days. The rocker box demonstrations would be about once an hour, starting at 11:00 AM.
We can hold a drawing for different items (maybe bags of concentrate). This needs to be discussed more. We will have parking passes and will be fed during the event.
So, we need to start getting ready and to volunteer for this event. THis is also going to create some needed good will with the folks from Adams County.
I will have sign-up sheets at the club meeting on the 19th. Let's have some fun!
70th and Washington, End of May
by Ken Barker
There were ten cub scouts and their parents at our Cub Scout Outing. About four hours were spent on Clear Creek.
The Cub Scouts were all taught how to pan and run a sluice box. They found lots of fine gold and each scout took home at least 30 to 40 flakes.
Some of the scouts wanted club information, so we may have some potential members, if not at the next club meeting, then maybe in the future!
From Tales, Trails and Tommyknockers -- Stories from Colorado's Past, by Myriam Friggens
with added comments by Gary Hawley
As you hike and drive around Colorado, you see many old tunnels and deserted mine diggings. Here, thousands of men swarmed the hills looking for silver and gold.
After an ore body was found and a shaft was dug, many prospectors became hardrock miners and spent their days, or nights, hundreds of feet underground. Underground! Where a man could never relax and feel safe. Sudden cave-ins often trapped the men, or falling rocks could crush them to death. Fires and accidents were common. A careless step could send a man screaming down the shaft.
Small wonder that hardrock miners were nervous on the job! People who live in constant danger develop strange habits. They try to keep from having bad luck by doing, or not doing, certain things. They become superstitious! (Today, we would say they had a "compulsive disorder.") Here are a few of the superstitions that Colorado miners had:
- They believed thast accidents happened in threes.
- It was bad luck for a woman to enter a mine.
- It was dangerous to whistle underground.
- A man was likely to fall, if his work clothes fell of their hook on the wall.
- It was bad luck for a miner to drop his tools in a mine.
- If a candle fell from the tunnel wall or went out three times, something was wrong at home.
Miners sometimes took canaries into the mines. They knew the delicate birds could not live long in bad air. When his canary died, a miner knew to get out of the mine.
Miners treasured rats, too. The ugly little rodents seemed able to sense danger. The miners had a saying, "When the rats move out, so does the miner."
Mules were also sensitive to danger. If a mule started out of the tunnel before the ore cart was filled, the miner would follow.
Black cats and howling dogs were important to miners. If a man met either of these "unlucky" animals on hsi way to work, he would probably turn around and go home.
No, most of us are superstitious, aren't we? Or, are we? Do you carry a rabbit's foot or a lucky penny? Do you always check the weather report before you go panning, even if the weather has been clear and sunny for the past week?
Do you always carry the exact same items in your pocket, even though you have not used them in the recent past (like maybe a year)? Do you drive the same routes all the time, use the same pen to write checks, make phone calls in a certain order, button your shirt the same way--every time?
Do you pan the exact same direction, with the same pan, on the same stream--every time? Do you always have a sample of gold when you go panning? Why? Did you forget what it looked like? Or, is there a possibility that "gold attracts gold?"
Be honest, now, do you have a "lucky" shovel? We are all of the mind set that ". . . it don't hurt anything, and it might help." Let's be honest; we are all a little superstitious at times. And, besides, why tempt fate?
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| Wednesday, May 15, 2002 | |
| 0.7 gram nugget - | Mark Anthony |
| 1.4 gram nugget - | Hank Innerfeld |
| 0.7 gram nugget - | Rachael Hilburn |
| 0.7 gram nugget - | Nora Dorn |
| 0.8 gram nugget - | Kindra Solomon |
| 0.8 gram nugget - | Teena Swisher |
| 0.8 gram nugget - | Corky Frandsen |
| 0.8 gram nugget - | Terry Winters |
| 0.9 gram nugget - | Walter Schlomer |
| 0.9 gram nugget - | Chuck Cown |
| 1.0 gram nugget - | Allen Mershon |
| 1.0 gram nugget - | Glen Spencer |
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| 0.4 gram nugget - | Ben Pappas Donated by Randy Solomon |
| Book-Detectorist - | James Jarnotowski Donated by Gold-N-Detectors |
| 1.6 gram nugget - | Joe Shubert Donated by Gold-N-Detectors |
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Wet Suit For Sale
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White's V-Sat Wanted
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is an official publication of the Gold Prospectors of the Rockies, a Denver-based, Colorado nonprofit organization established in 1995 for the enjoyment of gold prospecting and metal detecting. Club meetings are held on the third Wednesday of each month, 7:00 PM, at the Lloyd G. Clements Community Center, 1580 Yarrow Street, Lakewood, Colorado (1 block west of Wadsworth, 1 block north of Colfax). Individual or family membership fees are $30.00 for the first year, $25.00 for each subsequent year. Non-commercial business-card-sized classified text ads for members are free of charge. Commercial display ads must be detecting, prospecting, or treasure related and are available to anyone at a modest charge: 1/8 page (approximately 2"h x 3.5"w business card size) - $6.00 per month. 1/4 page (approximately 4"h x 3.5"w) - $12.00 per month. 1/2 page (approximately 4"h x 7"w or 8.5"h x 3.5"w) - $24.00 per month. Full page (approximately 8.5"h x 7"w) - $48.00 per month. The Gold Nugget is open to and gladly accepts submission of information and articles. All article submissions must be received by the editor no later than the first Wednesday of the month for inclusion in the next month's issue. The GPR must receive any required payments for commercial ads prior to their inclusion. Include publication information on articles clipped from other publications. The Editor reserves the right to edit all submissions. Bulletin editors may print any article from this newsletter with credit given to the newsletter and the author. Contact: The Gold Nugget Editor, The Gold Prospectors of the Rockies, PO Box 621988, Littleton, CO 80162-1988. E-mail: The Gold Nugget Editor. |