Gold Diggers: Prospecting On the Rise Across America
- Posted on September 28, 2011 at 11:30pm by
Liz Klimas
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Think the gold rush is a thing for the Wild West that came and went in the mid-1800s? Think again. Not only are more people investing in gold as a secure commodity, but some are taking gold acquisition into their own hands the old fashioned way, finding it themselves.
Gold prospecting for both the hobbyist and more professional continues as a pastime and profession in the United States. (Photo: Sarina Finkelstein)
Even though the price of gold dropped this month, it’s still more than double its value.
The Grand Rapids Press reports some Michiganders are doing some local gold digging:
“There’s gold everywhere. You just gotta look for it,” said Roy Richards, a prospector who lives near Hastings. “Just take some gravel and shake it up and look in your pan.
“Every once in a while you’ll run into a nice lode of gold.”
[...]
“They’d find something in 15 minutes,” said Brad Lasco, owner of Barkus Park Campground in Lyons, east of Ionia off M-21. “It’s amazing, really, the concentrations of gold here in Michigan. There hasn’t been anybody that’s come down here (to the campground) that hasn’t found gold.”
Most hobbyist gold prospectors find gold digging a fun pastime, but don’t stake your retirement on this method. The Press reported Warren Bennet, president of the Gold Prospectors Association of America as saying it’s “usually not even paying your gas to get there.”
But, New York Times photography blog documented an increase in more-than-just-hobby gold mining earlier this year following one photographer’s work. According to the Times, Sarina Finkelstein started her project “Prospectors” in 2009 and she has since found that amateur gold diggers come from all walks of life. The Times has more:
“There is this psychological feeling of gold fever out there, and they’re completely hooked,” she said. “Even their finding the littlest piece propels them to keep going.”
Many prospectors are not motivated only by money. Among Ms. Finkelstein’s subjects is Martin Jennings of Hallsville, Mo., a town 10 miles from her hometown of Columbia. Mr. Jennings sold his farm at age 50 and moved to California to live in the wilderness with a friend. He left his wife and children behind.
When Mr. Jennings discovers gold, he dispatches others to sell it for him. The proceeds go toward prospecting supplies.
“It’s all about the digging — the work, the search, the continued potential for discovery,” he told Ms. Finkelstein. “The river, the mountains — this is my front yard.”
[...]
“The income isn’t steady, but sometimes they find a $5,000 nugget,” she said. “In a way, I guess that’s not so different from the life of a freelance photographer.”
In terms of finding gold, it could be anywhere, although the West remains more abundant. The most simple thing to do is head out to a local stream with a shovel and sifting pan. This video describes the best locations in a stream where gold could be found.
This video gives you some tips on where to find gold when searching in streams:
More advanced gold hunting techniques include metal detectors, sluicing (using a special devise and the water current to find gold) and pumps.
This is an example of how a sluice box works:
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cdcats8
Posted on October 7, 2011 at 9:07pmI have seen the prospector camps along the road to Hatcher Pass. Very interesting and living in very cold and sometimes brutal surroundings. The postings for “no visitors allowed” are unique but meaningful. Not the life for me. These folks are special and live the way they want to which is o.k. with me.
Report Post »jaylew
Posted on September 30, 2011 at 3:28pmI love the dreamy dreams of gold prospectors. This country in great part was founded on the same style and sort of dreams. Recently however “gold digger” was converted to a negative description of a man or woman who sought others wealth. Maybe just maybe….we can revert back to a country filled with dreamers of good dreams….instead of a lazy bunch of millions of “Where‘s my check and where’s my food stamps? entitlement minded people. People who have lost their ability to dream and in many cases…lost the desire to even wake up and greet the sun each day.
Report Post »packsack54
Posted on September 30, 2011 at 12:38amMost people are to lazy to pan for gold, it means hard work and being cold and wet. My great Uncle had many claims in the Custer area in SD. Pan for gold and got just a few flacks gold for are days work, most 49′er never found gold just broken dreams.
Report Post »leftcoastJ
Posted on October 7, 2011 at 12:32pmThe true story is the first pic without the large nugget, take a look at the hands. Most of us are not willing to work or sacrifice our bodies to the extent it would take to be successful mining for gold.
Report Post »petestreet
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 8:33pmI know where the lost dutchman is the problem is it’s on an indian reservation. You would have to get in and out quickly. It’s not a mine it is a stash of ground collected gold gathered over a period of time by the indians. When whites started coming into there area they hid the stash of gold. I was about to go for it, but I can‘t risk it as I can’t travel freely. I am 70 and I don’t know if I will last another six years before I am free to take a shot at it. The stash is in a canyon and the hole is covered in wagonwheels, chairs and other wood bebris. Which is covered by dirt. the location is in the North caynon which is south of the south canyon. There are some modern maps that show the North canyon south of the South canyon. The Lost Dutchman , is not in the Superstition Wilderness, but to the northeast, on the San Carlos Reservation. If you have the stones drive into the canyon with a ground seeing unit, Get in and out fast good luck. If no one gets there before I get turned loose I’ll get it. And no I am not nuts it’s there.
Report Post »packsack54
Posted on September 30, 2011 at 12:42amHey Pete I think I have a map for the Lost Dutchmen mine. Do you know anyone wants to buy it. LOL
Report Post »petestreet
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 7:44pmYou can find Gold in Arizona
Report Post »Boydster
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 12:51pmStock trader Investor, I bought gold this week twice. Shorting market every time it goes up 200pts or more. Works like magic,lol. Less then 5% invested unless shorting, then I’m in and out that day.
Report Post »jaylew
Posted on September 30, 2011 at 3:33pmahhh Boydster if it was only that easy…..best wishes in your formula though..i am never one to wish ill will upon anyone trying to enrich their wallets legally and ethically.
Report Post »TomFerrari
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 6:11amYOU BET YOUR gold teeth, obama and his Socialist Democrat buddies will demand half!
After all, “NObody ever got rich on their own,” according to the obama administration!
Remember the little red hen:
“Who will help me EAT the bread?” asked the Little Red Hen.
“I will,” said the pig named obama.
“I will,” said the dog named harry reid.
“I will,” said the cat named nancy pelosi.
The Little Red Hen looked at obama, the pig, and harry reid, the dog, and nancy pelosi, the cat. “You did not help me plant the wheat. You did not help me water the wheat. You did not help me cut and thresh the wheat. You did not help me grind the wheat. You did not help me bake the bread.
To which obama, pelosi, and reid replied, “YOU DON’T DESERVE TO EAT YOUR BREAD, SO, WE’RE TAKING HALF! AND WE DON’T GIVE A CRAP THAT YOU DID IT YOURSELF!”
“After all, I crapped ALL OVER your garden,” said reid.
“I had to crap on your garden, to see what was in your garden!,” said pelosi.
“I created or saved your crops, because I didn’t steal and eat as much of your garden as I could have. It could have been worse!,” said obama.
So, obama, pelosi, and reid, and their Socialist Democrat buddies TOOK the little red hen’s bread and ate all they wanted…
but, they did leave her a piece.
Report Post ».
.
Boydster
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 12:39pmMoney Machines.
Obama’s hope.
Forget your dreams.
Smoke the dope.
Vote for me.
One more time.
Don’t you see.
It’s not a crime.
Change your world.
Forgot my name?
George Soros.
But not my game.
It’s not a lie.
A cup of tea.
you will cry.
Remember me.
America & Co.
CBF copyright 2011
Report Post »Tribulation
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 6:09amThere’s no better job then Gold prospecting/mining…Honest work for honest pay…
Just shoot the claim jumpers though…????
Report Post »Drive_it_like_u_stole_it
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 1:49amProspecting is hard and tedious work. You may go through a 5 gallon bucket of gravel with your pan and only get a flake of gold the size of the head of a pin.
Report Post »raoul del norte
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 1:46amYep, there be lots o’ gold out there for them with the heart, perseverance, skill, research and luck…Lack one of those qualities and you’ll quickly find there is no gold … Cheers, RdN
Report Post »motherof18
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 1:28amI may have discovered the whereabouts of the lost white cement mine. It’s not by Mammoth, further west in the drainage of the river coming out of that area.
Report Post »Rob_M
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 1:24amSo that alaska show was just the beginning?
Report Post »Contrarian51
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 1:40pmI hope not. It’s a bit frightening to think there might be more people out there as stupid as that bunch.
Report Post »scout n ambush
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 12:40amCan’t help it i gotta say it “There’s Gold In the thar Hills”.
Report Post »Steev
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 12:12amSomwhere in the moutains east of phoenix is the “ lost dutchmans mine ” nobody has ever found it, or at least nobody ever claimed to have found it. I wonder if the state or feds would seize it if someone did ?
Report Post »broker0101
Posted on September 28, 2011 at 11:40pmProspecting sounds like an awful lot of work. I’m sure collecting unemployment or disability benefits is much less hassle. Since I have no experience in any of the three activities, I defer to you Blaze experts for the definitive answer.
Report Post »booger71
Posted on September 28, 2011 at 11:50pmThe hardest part about prospecting is not getting shot
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on September 28, 2011 at 11:54pmRetire your handle Broker, it’s hit and run old school boring.
Report Post »Cosmos102
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 1:02am@ Broker0101
You are so smart. I wish I could be more like you. And I bet Glenn Beck does too cuz I bet he appreciates all the help he can get, what with his upstart news service that hardly has any readers….And his pioneer Internet News show, GBTV, which relies on membership dues. Thank goodness he has people to comment on this site for free, telling him what he is doing wrong producing news for the Blaze, his new Internet News website where we all go to read the latest news. Maybe he’d have done better for himself if he had hired you to advise him? Too bad he’s just a nobody with a minor upstart news service.
Report Post »@leftfighter
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 10:41am@ Cosmos102
Uh huh… you looking at the hit counters for your stats? I mean, if “hardly anyone reads this site,” surely you can prove it. As to pioneer, upstart, etc… I’d be willing to bet cash money that if there was a way to compare A-to-B, you‘d find out that the viewership at GBTV dwarfs MSNBC’s viewership all day.
Now, as to the move away from Fox to GBTV and relying on membership dues, etc. Imagine that! A Capitalist being an entrepreneuer & asking people to get pay for a service he offers! It’s almost like he went all John Galt and spit himself out of the system! Someone should tell the Socialists in charge so they can rush in and shut it down ASAP!
What a miserable failure your ideology is. SMH
Report Post »scout n ambush
Posted on September 28, 2011 at 11:40pmThe feds will be there to confiscate their fairshare and the finders share too. just wait they will redistribute it to themselves.
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on September 28, 2011 at 11:55pmNo sane man would report income off the books in this atmosphere.
Report Post »GhostOfJefferson
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 12:46amI meant on the books, sorry.
Report Post »johnnycatt
Posted on September 29, 2011 at 6:16amTheir must be 50 places in my hometown that advertise “WE BUY GOLD!” Any SANE man would just wander into those places and take the C-A-S-H and never tell Uncle Sam about it! Selling found gold would be a capital gain, so it’d save him 15% on the taxation as well… (and the govt would grab his land as a “national park” either)
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