Mines, Panning Gold and Historical Exploring

[glenn kangiser]

It is quite common for BLM to go into these places and destroy them.  Maybe some of them are just junk -- I don't know, but I heard that there were 7 on their list  for destruction this year around here.

They say they don't want the liability (heard it through the grapevine) and the people with the claims don't keep their site work or payola current.

This one is off the beaten path a bit.  I wasn't aware it was still there until this last weekend.

To me, it's public historic property.  The above still has a claim owner, but I don't know what the deal is.  It must not be patented or would not show on the BLM map it seems.

[Redoverfarm]

Glenn thats not you is it?  Wonder if it is gold that he's looking for? Bet he won't look long.

[glenn kangiser]

Hmm...no not me but it looks safe...

...lets see -- 4' x 6' x 4' rock --- =96 cu ft @ 165 lbs per cu. ft= 15840 lbs

...a 4" pole and a 3" pole = 12.57 + 7.07= 19.64square inches wood -- so fiber stress is under 1000 psi== should stay there.  ... providing the ground doesn't give way...actually only 1/2 is supported by the poles so that's a great safety factor.

[glenn kangiser]

Bonnet Gardens, Bonnet Spring and Bonnet mine.  This is the area of terraced gardens where, in the gold rush days, there was a vegetable garden to help feed the hungry miners.



Bonnet Spring flows right out of the ground from the top wall and has a rounded stone spring box surrounding the opening the same as it was left by the early day miners and farmers.  The Bonnets had a mine also but I haven't found it yet.  I am working in the area and hope to explore more there.

An old oak stands guarding the spring.  The rock walls are all the remain of this once busy farm.

[glenn kangiser]

Note that at the top of this page is the Permit mine mill.  It burned in the recent Telegraph Fire.  You are seeing some of the last photos ever taken with it still intact.   BLM says they are maintaining as a burned historic ruin now.

Here is a picture of it I took a few weeks ago.

[glenn kangiser]

It's still here ---

Not mine but a good friends from Mariposa county --- this and a bunch more nice pieces. 



of course I can't tell you where ...but yes ...a fresh find.

[Whitlock]

You mean people still find gold

[glenn kangiser]

Yes, Whitlock.  I have been told... well it is rumored, that it is still there if you know where to look..

In fact it is said that more than 90% remains to be found.  Unfortunately it is the hard 90%.  Perhaps someday I will introduce you to a friend who knows how to find it...

[Whitlock]

Here is a old mine in the high county. Neat place most of it is still there.

[Sassy]

Pretty cool, Whitlock!   

[Wolfer]

Wow SO many threads SO little time..Ill share a few Pics  in the morning.....   Old school vs New school......... Great Pics whitlock. Crunching Numbers you posted 1 pics with close to 15 grand worth of antiques in it Keep It under your Hat my friend Or scavengers will work it over hard.

[glenn kangiser]

We have enough of a hard time finding junk for us to acquire for ourselves.  I called BLM about the status of the  stuff at the Permit Mine and just because I called and asked rather than stole it, they decided to lock me and the public out of there.  A--holes.

[Whitlock]

Everything is still at this old mine-ore cars,shaft buckets,jacklegs,slushers,air tuggers,mucking machine,air trimmer,drill steel,jaw crusher,ball mill,flotation cells,winfrey tables,cabins, blacksmith shop with all the tools and even a little gold
Too bad it is so remote one could make a museum out of it.

More pictures-

[apaknad]

i really love these old pics that people are posting. you can almost see the ghosts of the people that worked and lived there. W and Glen and Don, is there any land out in your areas that is still reasonable/ i think MD answered me on this before in another post but they sure are pretty areas.

[MountainDon]

I really like the following listing; a little over $13K an acre. But they will not break it up to sell and we don't want to get into financing and subdividing to sell 5 or 6 acres plots.  28 acres surrounded on 3 sides by national forest. Trees, meadow...

http://www.jemezproperties.com/secludedac.htm

[apaknad]

thanx md, still out of my price range but very nice. coming from a cold area, what did you find was the biggest adjustment you had to make? any danger from your lack of familiarity initially?

[glenn kangiser]

That place is a beauty, W.  Neat stuff there.

Dan - there is an occasional piece rather far from town - Cheapest I remember was an old rather barren former talc or gypsum? mine claim for $39000 - but really only hunting property-far from town  - no water - fight BLM for access etc.  I passed on it.

[apaknad]

speaking or water, out here in the great lakes region we don't think too much about it(other than quality) but in the west/SW i know it is very important. so my question for the forumites who live in those areas is...is water still easily available by conventional means? ie. wells, bodies of water, etc. or does it encompass major lifestyle adjustments?

[Whitlock]

Come on Glenn sell apaknad a piece of your place. I like him and I think we could turn him into a Mariposan. This could be the start of your commune 

[apaknad]

thanx W. if glen sold me some of his property i would have to listen to him complain bout how much he had to lower his asking price to make it affordable to me for the rest of my life. don't know if i could handle that.
well, i guess i should do something constructive. i have some gold plating to finish up on in the basement. i would like to post pics on some of the things i have plated but i have never done that here, only e-mail attachments. and for some reason i only have actual physical pics. so it would be a pic of a pic. any suggestions?

[MountainDon]

coming from a cold area, what did you find was the biggest adjustment you had to make? any danger from your lack of familiarity initially?

If I understand you correctly and to make it clear to readers who may have jumped in the middle... I moved from Western Canada (784 ft elevation) to NM. Home is in high desert country (5500 feet), the cabin in a forested mountain area (8800 ft).

The elevation change also meant an adjustment in endurance until the body acclimatized. Going to the mountains and working was an adjustment in that respect as well. Going back and forth, spending time up there, now means no problems with that.

The need to drink more water, to drink water before one feels thirsty as it's so dry you don't feel yourself sweat unless really doing hard work was a big adjustment. And that is a big danger to visitors unfamiliar with the potential for serious problems. I had a bout with dehydration myself about 30 years ago when we visited UT in July. Since then I have been smarter. On a 4WD trip near Moab, UT one summer my fellow 4 wheelers and I came across 2 mountain bikers who were near death from lack of water. They were from NJ and had set out with 2 typical bike bottles of water each. One was nearly unconscious. One of my travel buddies is a doctor. We revived them, fed them oranges, duct taped some 2 liter soda bottles of water (our emergency water to share) to their bikes and pointed them in the right direction. Checked with them later that night when back in town and they were ok. (We told them they had to call us or we'd send the sheriff after them)

One has to adjust to a reduced power output from any naturally aspirated internal combustion engine as well. The old Suzuki 4x4 absolutely sucked at 7500+. High mountains are one place turbo diesels really shine.

There was also a cultural adjustment. Everything in NM is mañana.  I got a lot of work from just showing up when I said I would.

[Whitlock]

Mariposa a long long time ago looking east I have tons of old pictures like this most I inherited.



This is a picture of the Bagby rail station The railroad went from Yosemite to Merced falls



Here is a picture of the town of Mormon Bar all that is there know is a field full of cows

[Redoverfarm]

Some affluant person needs to restore an old town as it was in early times and turn it into something that would show what life was like back then.  But someone would probably ruin the concept because it didn't have handicap bars in the bathroom or something.  Around here most is like that already.  I mean the old way it was because alot of it still is.     Where else can you go through the complete county of 942 sq miles and only have 3 stop lights. And they are within 2 blocks of themselves.  But we do have the largest movable object in the world.

[apaknad]

thanx MD,
i always try to learn from others experience. i asked in case i decide to visit the area or move there.BTW, loved the pic of the jeep goin' up the mountain a few days back. don't think my F-150 could do that.

[MountainDon]

But we do have the largest movable object in the world.

I bite. ?