Gold Star Mining 2007 part I

After being asked to manage a working gold mine how could I say no? So I went out to Northern California to see the claim and the operation.
Chris Johnson, drums
Stas Kacicki, Midi guitar
Rick West, keyboards

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• California
• nuggets
• Prospecting
• Dredge
• dredging
• northern
• CA
• gold
• mining
• Placer
• county
• Forest
• Hill
• icn3d

[actonbath]

My mother still has a 62 Penny Wt nugget they gave me for helping them haul all this equipement like rolls of cable, gas and these 7' long iron "crowbars" miles into their "spot". Of course back in the 70s gold was not $1100 usd per troy. The bedrock reading the the key to finding gold. They said every few years you can go back to the same cracks and there is more nuggets stuck in them from the winter torrents washing down river..

[kingdonke]

@actonbath In the American River I'm sure you can go back and hit those pockets and get some thing but I think at least where I was that might take a while longer. There hasn't been enough water to even clean off the moss that has built up over the last 10 years in the creek.

[actonbath]

Hard work and COLD ! We used gas powered winches to move huge boulders and there would be all kinds of nuggets stuck beneath them. They looked huge under water with the glass of the full face masks...some were huge, like 1/2- 3 oz . The said the big boulder were where the old timers couldn't get to and obviously were correct. You would also find Opium pipes usually with the stem broken off and these paper thin Chinese coins with square holes in them. Was much fun.

[kingdonke]

@actonbath I wish we had that kind of luck we got plenty of small pickers but not one clunker and certainly no growlers.

[actonbath]

Funny, "clunkers" that's what we used to call them in Africa. I dredge Calif in the 70s for two year I was undergoing some training with the USN in Coronado and a Master Chief's family was deep into dredging in the American River. Was a wonderful experience. They were hauling clunkers out to the tune of 14+ oz a week per 8-12" dredge for 4 months of the year and spend the rest of the year on "vacation".

[kingdonke]

@actonbath Wow It's funny California is so strapped for cash and yet they outlaw dredging. I know a couple of full time crews that are out of work right now. I know I sure miss it.

[AGDemo]

Great Video! Thanks!

[alexw12795]

may i ask the name of the creek

[kingdonke]

Sorry, but there is a big dam between us and the salmon.

[redline1189]

holy shit you probably killed the salmon run driving thru creek?????