How the Spaniards and Miners of Old processed Gold and Silver (Arrastras, Smelters, Fire-Setting)

I’m a farmer from Sweden and I think this is the one of the best mine and geology videos on youtube .

[@redskyz483]

How is being a farmer related to mining and geology.

[@clayneholmgren]

Have you ever heard the last name Holmgren in Sweden ?

[@JohnRyan-gr8bs]

Very informative !

[@BigBadJohn1892]

@@redskyz483people speak like this a lot, communication with no sense

[@GinormousOstrich]

absolutely the most informative video on this subject i have seen anywhere. thank you sir, you are appreciated.

[@michaelfercik3691]

The Old Paint Mine, at the Utah Uinta Mountain's Moon Lake area was mined for gold and the special high grade red hematite, first by the Spanish, then followed by Caleb Rhoades and then by a man with the last name of Kandarus, because it was not just regular red clay hematite, it is contains pure iron particles which produce long lasting paint that could stand up to weathering. Then in the early 1900's, Old Man Kandarus lived in Price, Utah (my home town) and was doing as others did at that time, which is prospecting for Tom & Caleb Rhoades lost Pine Tree Mine that was the main source for the 1800's Mormon Gold Coins. Unfortunately, as far as for the Spanish ORO / Caleb Rhoades Pine Tree Mine Shaft, it was completely filled in (300 feet deep) with surrounding glacier rock and dirt after Chief Walker died, with the new Northern Ute Tribe's Chief kicking Caleb Rhoades out of the Uinta Mountains and all the Tribes land with threat of death if caught trespassing. That is when Caleb Rhoades moved to Price, Utah for gathering more Mormon Gold out of the SW Colorado's Laplata Mountain and San Juan Ranges, from LaPlata Canyon to Silverton, Colorado. Then when the GENTILE White-man began claiming and mining the LaPlata Mountain Range, Caleb Rhoades moved to Kama in Heber Valley Utah, without collecting much gold after this. Now everybody knows the true factual story about Caleb Rhoades collecting gold for the Mormon gold Coin production, and NOBODY has been back into this mine shaft since the Ute Indians filled it in. However, in the 1930's construction of the Moon Lake Dame, bulldozers uncovered the top square set timbering of the Spanish ORO / Caleb Rhoades Pine Tree Mine Shaft. The enormous Spanish ORO / Rhoades Pine Tree was ax cut down a long time ago with all the carvings face down in the glacier rock and sand. After erosion was around the tree, we noticed some Spainish carvings, so we dug and bared rocks from under the tree to read the Spanish And Rhoades carvings. Then in the 1980's when the new paint mine Road was bulldozed in, they illegally took the big bulldozer up our claim access road that was the old Moon Lake Construction material road, and drug the enormously fat (over 4 foot in diameter) and 60 foot long pine tree down to were their new road cut across our access road, with hauling that timber to the Vernal Saw Mill along with the excessively large amount of cut timber cut down for putting in their road. This wiped out all of our hand dug road cross-cut drainage ditches, so the Forrest Service then allowed us to bring in our bulldozed with a backhoe attached on the rear, to repair the deeply dug gouge dug in the middle of our road. We are the only ones to use that road and thew broke the law with no consequences involved. SLC BLM has our mining claim files of nearly 40 years at Moon Lake, with this incident in our claim files. They purposely planned the road to harvest the most timber as possible to pay for the road, with making a huge profit and we thought that was the plan, with the added benefit of having access to the old Paint Mine for attracting investors with many law suites filled by some of the the ripped-off investors. They paid for the road while making a huge profit in doing it. Today, after my family dropped our mining claims on this area after the year 2000, the Forest Service took in a big track-hoe with covering this Spanish / Rhoades Mine Shaft along with the two Spanish Tunnels into the hillside. Also, in the year 2001 when we reclaimed everything on our claim block, the mine shaft and two Spanish Tunnels into the bottom of the hillside were still there. What is worse, the Forest Service purposely broke the Antiquity Act by covering over the Spanish Mine Shaft and two tunnels. Then the Forest Service pushed the 1930's two 10 foot high and one 20 foot and one almost 30 foot high rock loading ramps 1930's built big timber rock loading ramps for bulldozing glacier rock into the back of big dump trucks that transported the rock down to the Moon Lake Dam's construction, are no longer there. There is a 20 to 30 foot high by 100 foot wide by 300 hundred feet long bulldozed glacier rock flat area rising above the downward sloped valley floor, that had the four wooden ramps being placed for bulldozing the glacier rock into big dump trucks. After the year 2000 the Forest Service pushed all four big timber ramps into the 15 to 20 foot deep drainage ravine against the hillside and burned them up with only the long steel support rods left in the drainage ravine today. Because of health reasons I cannot attend the 2024 Moon lake Gathering, but at next year's Moon Lake Gathering I will be one of the featured speakers with telling the complete factual story about this subject along with our teams progress report on the new Moon Lake Project

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Wow! That is some really cool information and history surrounding the area, much of which you were personally involved with. Many thanks for taking the time to write all of that and share with us. I'm sure there are many on here (myself included) who will find this information very useful. I'm glad its not going to be lost to history. Thanks again.

[@tylerandus2051]

Thank you for sharing your first hand info.

[@davidvanvoorhis4979]

“I’m from the government +here to help you!” Right

[@jsharp1776]

​@@davidvanvoorhis4979😅😂😅😂😅😂😅

[@jsharp1776]

My wife's Grandpa is a Kandarus from Price Utah. Small world 🌎....

[@dvog]

This is the best presentation of historical mining, processing, smelting, I have ever watched. Putting the photos of the old equipment helped tie it all together. I liked and subscribed today.

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Thank you dvog and welcome to the channel.

[@SuperDave-vj9en]

Of course I’m curious like everyone else, but I’m happy that you kept the location to yourself. Overall you gave a great narration and vivid experience as to what the early stages were like for mining. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!

[@floydpollard9095]

i have learned more in this video than any other one i have watched.

[@howardcoursey7105]

Same here!!

[@danbentsen]

Very good video. thanks for explaining the mining process from gold ore & refining it to gold bars

[@db-ob7ic]

Very good video great job....

[@stevelindsay3643]

That was really well done, and not annoying like some guys who act for their camera. Thank you. I enjoyed the history.

[@robinhacking277]

Very interesting! Thanks from an old prospector's daughter. I've really enjoyed this.

[@smokeyandspikeproductions]

Oh snap brother, rock on! I appreciate the shout out. Sorry for the confusion everybody. It's now Smokey and Spike Productions with limitless possibilities.

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Awesome. I like the greenhouse you guys built from scrap. Very cool way to recycle some old material. I'll update your channel info in the description down below.

[@smokeyandspikeproductions]

@@LowBudgetExploration excellent, thank you so much!

[@alphahuskyy]

finally! been looking for some ancient gold mining for a good while now! thanks, dude!

[@brentonboutin9584]

You deserve an Oscar

[@fennynough6962]

Exactly, such a down to Earth 🌎 view of my favorite subject: [understanding Geology & Mineralogy.

[@montestokes4026]

You produce quality content... feels like college 101... Thanks!

[@davidfierros8186]

This was a very informative video that was crafted in a way that kept me interested in its entirety.

[@howardcoursey7105]

Best video i'v seen on KZbin.

[@patrickjones1061]

What an outstanding video my friend. Thank you for your knowledge and efforts!

[@IvanLopez-zh3xz]

Hell yeah!!! Amazing episode again!!

[@gogetteroutdoors5451]

Incredible and informative video really enjoyed it from Canada.

[@OdySlim]

I greatly appreciate your videos. Please keep them coming. Best Regards

[@Andrew.84s]

Just found your channel really like the content.😁👍

[@BillWeaverMusic]

Awesome video. Thank you for this.

[@PeteKiefer]

Good video. I watched all 52 minutes. I learned a lot and enjoyed every minute. The story of how you got started making personal videos to send to your father and they became to big to send as a file this then forced you to use KZbin to carry the load and look at you now with your own KZbin channel. Well, that is one of my favorite parts of this video. Thanks for sharing this and for all the effort you put into this. Sincerely, Pete

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Many thanks Pete.

[@DavidStock-fw1fj]

Great to go on a walk with you. So interesting. Thanks 👍

[@tristanclark6292]

Great video! Well worth watching 👍🏻🍻

[@sdelling1]

This is very educational! Very well done!

[@John-w8l6q]

Great video

[@rianbey1]

Wow wow wow ..I wish I had seen this when I was young. Glad to see it now.

[@NottaReelperson]

very fun and informational video. Thanks. Way cool.

[@mojustin]

I’m gonna need more videos from you, please step your game up 😉. Thanks truly enjoy you videos after a hectic work week

[@LowBudgetExploration]

😝👍

[@plasticdadaii8225]

Wow. I just saw this on my feed and thought I'd check a little bit out and stayed until the end. What an awesome presentation!!!!!!! Thank you!

[@teamsignal17]

Hey there! Just subscribed. KZbin algorithm must be doing its job for your Channel because it came across my feed and caught my interest right away. Your channel offers everything that peaks my interests. History, geology, and gold prospecting. Looking forward to watching more of your content. 🍻

[@ron2143]

Absolutely fascinating video. Not only did I learn more from this one video than I have in years watching similar ones - but I was totally engrossed in it the whole way through. Love your 'presentation style' makes it so enjoyable to watch. Many thanks from a 'Goldless' Scotland...

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Thank you sir and appreciate the positive feedback.

[@fittekowner]

Another great video. Your knowledge is very impressive .

[@arcticfury3756]

Great video, I live right next to the East part of the Uinta mountain and look for signs of mines and the Spaniards all the time with no luck. Watching this was awesome to let me see what I'm looking for. Too bad I'm getting to old now lol.

[@jesserai]

Well done, interesting from start to finish.

[@jamescason7783]

I am working on moving out of Texas and starting to prospect with my family. Will be fun for me and my kids when we get started.

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Wish you the best of luck and hope you make many memories.

[@jamescason7783]

@@LowBudgetExploration thanks man, can’t wait to see more of your adventures 🫡

[@frankvincenti9783]

I just learned more than I thought I could learn in that short time. Wish you were my neighbor.

[@MrDlc1969]

Thanks for all the information very cool from Ontario Canada near the Niagara Falls

[@RR-bh8vd]

Got yourself a subscriber. I prospect for gold here in Az and do pretty well. Got my eye on a spot with natural riffles about 50-75 yards long that I found on google earth. Great big inside turn, it's a rough 4 mile hike in to get to it. Known gold in the drainage. I'll be off with my Gold Monster, shovel and a pan as soon as it cools off. Wish me luck!!!

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Sounds like a great site. Best of luck!

[@MPLS_Andy]

Very awesome. Lots of new information to me.

[@charlesdunbar1211]

Interesting info. Learned some new things about gold and silver and how mercury is used in the process.

[@fj4371]

Thank you for your educational video.

[@Chriostopherbergs]

Great stuff.

[@rebeccajohnson2633]

Thank you for sharing great information.👍🏼

[@tylerandus2051]

Great Video, Thank you

[@cmpe43]

Keep it up and thanks for doing what you're doing!

[@formallynamed85]

Hell of a good informative video nice

[@glencausey1296]

I did enjoy your videos

[@BB-tm7gx]

really Interesting thanks

[@reeseg3488]

Excellent video bro, covered allot for sure! Keep up the good work, stay safe !

[@danielallen9878]

Great video, thank you

[@chrisk7626]

I learned something along the way I've always been fascinated with history. I was learning about the old Spanish Trails in California. And they were explaining that. The monks would spread mustard seed. All along the attorneys to to Mark the path. To the next mission. I wonder if those are Mustard Seed flowers you're walking through.😮

[@Justsomedudeonanrc51]

Another awesome video pal! Keep up the good work brother!

[@jeffstewart8627]

Excellent presentation. Thank You.....

[@joshuaweathers2242]

That camel mounted canon was the coolest thing I've seen in a while

[@jerometappe5931]

Very good, and insightful thank you!

[@metalmike364]

Watching 1st time great video thank you

[@phylxguy5547]

Cool stuff Sir thanks for sharing sny shed antlers along your way? I'm obsessed with shed hunting & just recently got into prospecting & the history behind the it all which is absolutely interesting to say the least.

[@LowBudgetExploration]

As strange as it sounds, I hardly ever find any sheds. Not sure why not, maybe I'm up to high and they are down lower in their wintering grounds. Good luck with both your hobbies and hope you find some cool stuff out there.

[@phylxguy5547]

@@LowBudgetExploration i was just wondering but I'm here for your content which is quite good I may add. Always interesting & entertaining thanks much appreciated & same for you happy trails & safe travels Sir

[@tazman8271]

Outstanding video. FYI, I really like the ones you narrate.

[@tazman8271]

Arsenic poisoning Bud......

[@LowBudgetExploration]

I think you might be spot on. I was sick all night and most of the next day. It felt like a really bad hangover. Best way I can describe it.

[@tazman8271]

@@LowBudgetExploration that shit ain't no joke. It's prevalent with silver deposits I hear.

[@skycountrymusic]

These videos now with you talking and explaining stuff are much better than the videos before with text on images.. keep it up

[@rockymountainlockpicker9606]

I’ve always wondered how anyone ever figured this stuff out. Great video, instant subscribe!

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Thank you.

[@chrismalcomson7640]

Amazing you can still see these sites going back hundreds of years if you know what your looking at. I live in southern Spain and I've seen them using a paddle system not disimilar to what you were describing, where they crush the ore down and create a slurry with the heavies sinking to the bottom. I guess they use all sorts of fancy chemicals these days but the mechanics are not much different.. Great video, super interesting..

[@LowBudgetExploration]

I find the history of it all way more fascinating than the Gold or Silver. Our ancestors were most definitely very clever and innovative people. Thanks for the comment and hope you enjoy living in beautiful Spain. I've been there a number of times years ago; Barcelona and Rota. Very nice people and beautiful architecture.

[@debbiehenson227]

Always wait for your videos, they never disappoint ❤❤❤

[@PanhandleGP]

I APPRECIATE your time. I've had huge difficulty just filming a fishing trip. There's alot of us that like the hard rock experience. Most are short like me.😊

[@jeremyfletcher9384]

truly enlightening thank you!

[@robertporch8320]

A man been watching your videos love them nice work and good hiking.. From AZ got lot of treasure out here I know they went through here

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Awesome brother. Happy adventures.

[@RobertWilson-mm9pm]

I'm not able to get out in the woods like I use too. I enjoy your videos. THANKS BOB

[@dajtopdog]

Just subscribed to your channel. Great content and very informative.

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Many thanks and welcome.

[@terrybrady1644]

Great show 😊

[@CatsScrapandRecycling]

Thanks Chris for another amazing video. I remember picking up a translated book from the 1500s called De Re Metalica (hopefully I spelled that right) which was the Spanish handbook on mining and such. It covered much of what you showed in this video concerning the processes used back then. I wish I was 40 years younger. LOL That way I could go back to many of the things and places I saw back in those days

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Hey Cat, hope all is going good. That book was like the Bible of Mining for many years. The illustrations themselves are Works of Art.

[@Creator-Of-Chaos]

I learned stuff. Thanks 😊

[@yeahyeaya]

Another excellent production! Any chance you’re attending the Moon Lake Gathering this weekend?

[@LowBudgetExploration]

I wont be there, but hope they have a good turn out. Appreciate the compliment.

[@oilfieldron5800]

You're very educated man. All of the ancients learn this metallurgy from fallen Angel technology.

[@LibertyBleeds]

Awesome content! New subscriber here. So glad I found you!

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Welcome to the channel my friend.

[@LibertyBleeds]

@@LowBudgetExploration Thank you

[@andremaillet1230]

Very interesting thanks..

[@clayhorrocks9560]

Wow lots of good information again amigo. Did you get a new camera? The video and sound seem to be a lot better. Good video

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Thanks Clay hope your doing good. It's still my 4 year old iPhone, but started filming in 4K and not moving around so much. Dang phone has been through hell and back, but still pulls it off. LOL.

[@debbiedavis8048]

Good work Son

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Thanks Mom.

[@autonomous_collective]

Well done.....🤙

[@chrishusoen]

Hmmm now I need to study mercury and red mercury

[@julianfrench907]

This kind of content makes me wish I grew up out west. Appalachia is my forever home but we don’t have the type mineral mining y’all have. Just dang black coal

[@BradleyElkins-y6p]

Yep. I'm from Logan County West Virginia myself. Coal is king here

[@henrikpersson4371]

At 18,20 ish, i would have been kicking that a couple of times to see what happened, before going in. But maybe you are not supposed to do that, i dunno, im not from around. A VERY GOOD JOB U DID HERE, TY : ())

[@BRAD.00]

Great video , well done 🇦🇺

[@torymartinez2439]

you just got yourself another sub

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Thank you and welcome to the channel Tory.

[@lostadamsgold]

Make a video every week? I think that people don't quite get the time, cost, logistics, and effort involved in getting actual field footage and not just re-telling bad versions of the same old stories. Then, after all that, you have to do the video composition, which involves planning, researching and acquiring extra content like illustrations, making transitions and editing, and on and on including the upload process. Real stuff takes time.

[@doncallies8803]

great .. informative / brain food / thx

[@Iziireal]

This old man is ready to go prospecting !

[@thebushbunker]

That fire setting method is used In Africa with rubber tires mining baker metals shows it on his channel

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Doesn't surprise me. I've watched videos where they are still using mercury in the same manner I highlight in this video. Not in an Arrastra, but in Gold Pans.

[@donloughrey1615]

Good.

[@susanm9124]

Thank you! Super interesting. Toxic chemical pits, poor horses and slaves.

[@CotruliaGallery]

❤ Your work

[@CostaChris80132]

Awesome video. I was wondering how it was they actually came to the realization that mercury absorbs gold?

[@LowBudgetExploration]

I've never been able to find the person who is credited with the discovery. More than likely, the discovery was purely accidental. It probably went something like this: Unbeknown to some ancient Alchemist he accidently tips over a vessel containing Mercury on his workbench prior to going to bed. During the night, this mercury came into contact with some gold coins that were also on the work bench. When the Alchemist ventured into his lab the next morning. Much to his dismay, he observed that the mercury had began absorbing the gold coins. He shares this observation with others, experiments are done, knowledge is shared and the rest is history. At least that is how I imagine it taking place.

[@CostaChris80132]

Appreciate the insight.

[@chrisackerley1842]

A very well-done video but I disagree with you on one minor point. At 02:09 you state that humans produced the first copper from malechite ore. Not correct. The first copper used by humans came from native copper deposirs, which are nearly pure hydrothermal deposjts exposed at the surface by millions of years of erosion. Such deposits have been found all over the world. In North America, successive Native American civilizations mined the native copper deposits found in Northern Michigan.. At Ajo, Arizona, early Spanish explorers found native copprt deposits that showed signs of having been mined by the Hohokam people, whose civilization dissapeared around 1250 a.d.. A beautiful sample of Ajo native copper in on display at the Mine Museum in Ajo.

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Very good point Chris. In hindsight, I wish I would have included Native Copper deposits. The Michigan copper deposits are amazing.

[@LongdistanceRider22]

New to your channel! 💃 How did they get the fire hot enough to melt the gold? You said 1100° ? Thanks.

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Welcome to the channel. I said 1,948 def (F), you must have misunderstood. They used different types of Bellows to artificially force oxygen into the furnace to create the high temperatures needed to smelt the metals.

[@frankthatank2324]

What state is this?

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Colorado

[@JohnRyan-gr8bs]

And your best guess as to how many workers an operation like that might need? Very few videos actually talk about the infrastructure needed to mine. It is like they expect us to think that they were mining pure gold not ore Do you find ore that was not processed ?

[@LowBudgetExploration]

I have found rich ore before, usually where they were stacking the High Grade material. I once found a piece with small bits of gold and Acanthite (Silver). I have tried to research how many Spanish Miners would venture out together, but have never been able to find much historical data. My theory is probably between 15-20 men. This would be viewed as a formidable force to the Indians, but still small enough the profits wouldn't be diluted and secrecy could more easily be enforced. It would also allow for some of the men to be designated as hunters/cooks and other logistical responsibilities. They would have packed in beans, rice and flour, but still would have needed wild game to supplement their diet. I imagine they would be consuming lot's of calories a day mining and climbing up and down canyons/mountains looking for mineralization.

[@enigmatic51me95]

Man if I it was not too far in the mountains I would have a prospectors Cordless Backpack Vacuum I would be working the groove ring and surrounding area with it!

[@WOODnCHROME]

I have been working in an old reclaim and I'm not down real far ,it's hard to tell if I'm in a firesetting plot from 1907 or a hotsprings vent, melted stone and a 7 inch layer of calcium carbonate is on everything, need to go deeper

[@LowBudgetExploration]

Very cool.

[@westernmuleys]

I was thinking that old Arrastra looks like a good water catch for animals to drink from but then started wondering if that rock is contaminated still with different stuff.. thoughts?

[@LowBudgetExploration]

I would imagine after all these years the mercury has been leached out and probably ended up in the nearby stream and carried away down stream. I checked out your channel, you show some nice racks. Very cool stuff.

[@westernmuleys]

@@LowBudgetExploration That's kind of what I was thinking but still wondered. Thank you for the response and thank you for the kind words!

[@montneymon-ta-knee6810]

WHAT STATE IS THIS