Mining Turorial: North Fork of Feather River, CA

[@CodysGarage]

no idea why this video just showed up on my feed but its great! Subscribed!

[@callmeBe]

I am not making any of these videos anymore, but if you have any questions, please ask away. (To include locations). Great!

[@williamroberson3237]

Hey there I enjoyed watching your little video here. In March 2019 I purchased a mining claim from a local company up in Chester about three miles north of Belden. I will be there. I will be there in in August for about a week prospecting in exploring. I trying to decide on the right size classifier to remove larger rocks. Those pieces of gold you found are they bigger than 1/8 of an inch? I was wondering how deep the water is in the river while I can't use a dredge oh, I could use a shovel and a bucket. A little hand shovel and 5-gallon bucket with a snorkel mask. There's also a cave, from the satellite views there are definite places where water flows downhill from the Mountainside or Cliffside down towards the feather river that look dry but have nice looking rocks. Your information should help me find a decent place to dig holes but to be honest it wouldn't bother me to take several holes 50 yards apart until I find something. I am so looking forward to this

[@callmeBe]

Hello William, the standard classifier is a quarter inch. And yes, I have found nuggets larger than an 1/8" in the Feather River--but further up from Belden. Basically at the Quincy Y, where Indian Creek meets Spanish Creek. I would recommend a 1/4." If you are panning or sluicing, 1/4" still allows very easy and rapid processing. Depth of the river around Belden. This has been a crazy spring and summer--the water is going to higher than normal. Call over to the USFS office in Quincy and they can give you water depths in Spanish Creek and the N. Fork of the N. Fork, which they gauge daily. In a usual summer, the water is going to be over your head towards the middle of the river, with a decided pull. Yes, I think your best bet will be any kind of benches you can uncover. The middle of the river has no exposed bedrock around that area. Further up, yes (two or three miles below the Y), but not there. And, it has a lot of gravel strata over the top before you would get down deep enough to touch bedrock. Have fun! Good luck. Ask questions here as you need . . .

[@williamroberson3237]

Thanks for the quick reply. I already have a quarter inch classifier in my shopping cart. You wouldn't happen to know how much gold they took out of there when they put in the power lines would you?

[@callmeBe]

I had a number of relatives who manned various PG and E plants up and down the canyon. And, you are going to get sick here, but when PG and E excavates, all they do is move the dirt out of the way. They don't care what is in the dirt. So when they move it around, none is ever processed. Their money is not in the gold. The serious money is in the electricity. Same when they were drilling a portion of the hole the water goes through from Bucks Lake and empties out into the Feather. They hit a vein on silver over two feet wide. But they just covered it over in cement and passed it by.

[@willr6528]

@@callmeBe I've been to Las Vegas so many times that I've been exposed to high levels of electromagnetic fields just driving down the street sleeping in the hotel room and playing at the blackjack table. United States versus your, on my tablet I can no longer see any of your videos. Maybe I hit a button. I don't have a problem with it I have a meter these little plastic fans from China really put out a large amount of high levels of electromagnetic fields. You're not even supposed to sleep with an alarm clock next to your bed Thanks for the information.

[@willr6528]

Check out Barrie Park Reclamation District my sister had started a lawsuit and it became at the time the largest Federal cleanup site in America. Beckman 1920s there is a coal-fired power plant in the park across from my house. They removed 40 ft of dirt the size of two football fields. They had to build a third train line to move all the contaminated dirt. It took 10 years for my parents to get a settlement for wrongful death. My mom had to have her yard dug up around the house down to four feet. Both my sister and my dad died before it was settled. My mom only got $75,000 and she immediately put it into the house. Unfortunately there wasn't enough to do the inside but the outside it's one of the best looking houses on the Block. If you do a satellite view you will see the entire area around the football field is brand new looking. I don't know why I didn't think of that when you first read your post. I played in the park everyday I dug in the park I found an old Hitching Post ring with a metal detector dug up some magnetized bricks. I used to be a little Explorer when I was a kid. I'm sure working at the power plant expose them too many other things rather than high electromagnetic fields or low electromagnetic fields plenty of chemicals asbestos all that stuff. Sorry for your difficulties.

[@boneyfreak9197]

Always poke the sand. it's sometimes just a once off flood residual. Same goes for muddy areas. Ah, your like me feeding the sluice rapidly. I don't bother with the kids trickle, trickly eyes glued to the rubber mat at the head you see in so many 'mining' videos on YT. Ideally I just shovel directly into the sluice anything less then 2/3 fingers in size, classifying takes a lot of time and muscle better spent prospecting. I've had people freak out saying that I'm feeding the Keene 52 sluice too fast and heavy, I'll take my poke out, dump it all in a full size shovel full of big material and dump it into the sluice along with a few other unclassified shovel fulls to show them, "Nah, them riffle will catch it" is correct. And yeah, I get my gold back upon cleaning. They ask, "why do so many people classify down to 1/4" then?", ..." H3LL if I know."

[@Christiano_Made]

This place looks fun how far is this from home?

[@callmeBe]

This is about 3 1/2 hr.s from Fallon; north of Reno and then take highway 70 turnoff. But it's getting too cold there now. Lots of shade (via canyon walls) so water would be extremely cold for the hands, and any place that stays slightly wet freezes. It's along the river by Twain (can see on a highway map).

[@Christiano_Made]

Thank you I've watch a few other videos of it seems the whole river could be rich in gold since around 2012 when the water flooded and disturbed the soils

[@callmeBe]

Chris, I am not sold on that idea. It might be more true in dredging, but higher along the banks where you would dry access--because it is not in the deepest channel of the river, the gold needs far more time to replenish. That is why I think benches are more productive.

[@nealniederman3682]

Can we highbank in Ca again?

[@callmeBe]

Neil, the short answer is, I think that you always could. BUT, since 2016 you have different agencies saying different things (CA Water Board vs. CA Fish and Game), and then Fish and Game divides CA by regions, and not all regions have the same legalities. For sure, if your hi banker has suction on it; any type of vacuum system--whether or not you use it, it is considered a dredge, and is therefor not allowed. Also, you need Fish and Game regional permission if you are not using the hi banker on your claim. No such permission is needed if you are on your own claim. And I think the hi banker needs to be positioned 100 or more feet away from a water source (alas, not something I did for this video). I have a bead on a Fish and Game person who can give me more details, I just can't seem to get a hold of them. Neil, I will get back to you with more information when I get it. Thanks for the great question! I was not aware of the 100 feet away legality, so I was in error for the portion of video I filmed. (Actually most of the hi banking I did next to the hole using re circulation, but that is it's own subject, as it complicates what you need and how you work. You don't just add a tub and call things done! Bruce

[@nealniederman3682]

Thank you for getting back to me, esp so quickly.Love your videos.

[@callmeBe]

Neil, I spoke with Fish and Game today (one of regional headquarters), and they said that the 100 distance legality would not apply if the water was recirculating and had no chance to enter a natural water source. Also, if the hi banker is on Forest Service property, the Forest Service is usually interested in having a District Minerals Resource Officer inspect the site for legal compliance. I contacted BLM at both the state office and a divisional office to see if they had a counterpart (if you were on BLM managed lands), but I found no one who knew anything about this. Of great interest to the District Minerals Resource Officer would be if you would be moving enough materials that it would change the water flow once your area received natural waters (maybe rain during the winter, or high water during a spring). Ok, now you have a real answer to a really good question. Thanks for asking!

[@TheNimshew]

I heard that you can not remove any vegetation when using a highbanker. Is that true?

[@callmeBe]

Richard, I have not read or been told any such thing by Fish and Game. And, I read as much as I could on the regulations. I don't think the issue is so finite. Certainly that would be a violation when your removal somehow diverted the natural flow of water. Or, if you removed enough riparian vegetation to where it could possibly raise the temperature of the water via shade removal.

[@TheNimshew]

I notice that you show some false bedrock. I just recently found a spot. I'm curious, do you have any standard of how far down into the false bedrock you'll take material?

[@callmeBe]

This sounds simple minded, but it is practical: when your gold ends you stop. But let me explain, and here is a great example: along Peavine Creek in El Dorado County (east of Forest Hill) there is a lot of gold in the slate bedrock when you get close to the Middle Fork of the American River--and all very coarse (all under claim now). And, you can smash bedrock there and continue to go down into it several inches beyond where there are any noticeable cracks and still come up with strands of gold (mostly wire). Now, it could be that the gold got into the deeper slate via oxidation, and was actually deposited there via chemical means, not by placer. But if you just removed the top layer of bedrock where the obvious placers end, you would miss quite a significant amount. So, I always attempt to explore down a little further (within practical means) and go beyond where the gold ends. Conversely, I don't consider a stop until the gold ends. From there on out I use that experience to establish my baseline--some kind of reasoning as to why the gold ends where it does. And from there, when the gold runs out, I don't press further. My reasoning tells me that the deposits on Peavine Creek are both placer and oxidative, but I never had the practical means to chase the gold down very far into the slate. And, the state of CA would not look kindly upon blasting the creek bed! So sometimes, it is what it is. Richard, I hope that makes sense!

[@TheNimshew]

That's why a shop vacuum makes sense in true bedrock. Bottom 2 feet of gravels, top 1 foot of bedrock. But FALSE bedrock. That layer of reddish clay. By the way, It's a little long but very informative. Maybe you've already seen it kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKLTpn6DpcmUrtk

[@TheNimshew]

By the way. The middle fork of the Feather below Nelson creek is free and open. No claims! That, to me, is on my bucket list

[@callmeBe]

Write me personally on that one. Years ago it WAS open to unmechanized mining (I once lived in Quincy). But no longer. Sorry, it is closed to all mining. Ever since it was declared Wild River, no new claims were opened, and all of the old ones were not renewed.

[@callmeBe]

I think along where I was on the Feather the clay is oxidative silica. At one time then, there would have been a lot of gold below--deposited by ionic as well as placer means. I have seen larger gold from that area with a significant orange tint (Soda Creek). But no gold like that upon my trip. All of the gold I found was quite fresh and simply surface level placer. Someone had worked where I was years earlier, to remove all the deeply settled (and nice) stuff. But still Richard, my thought process is the same--false bedrock (however you wish to define that) or not, explore beyond where you find your last gold. Establish your baseline, and from there out, proceed no further. (BTW, a significant amount of gold along the Middle Fork is platinum incorporated). And, you will find in some areas the slate is just full of colored oxidative vugs. (ie, ca. 3/4 mile downriver from confluence of Nelson and the Middle).

[@luisanalivia]

So I’m from the local area as well I’ve never had any luck on the 70 going up to Quincy from Chico. I found that’s quartz rock off Quincy LA Porte rd I hiked up the river and found a drainage with a ton of blown out bedrock from the winter storms at least 3 miles worth there were so many spots I didn’t no where to look, where I found that quartz with gold on it had to come from under a tree it’s hard to explain there was just so much earth moved the road to get there is literally gone it’s a one way cal trans it’s still working on it ! I’ll have to take pics next time I go up. I work for the forest service so I have no time and when I do it’s snowing up here so I go find gold in Chico were I currently live

[@callmeBe]

Why don't you try around the West Branch--towards Magalia? Plenty of bedrock and great water flow + a known producer. But, I don't know if that area would be under claim . . . Little Butte Creek has gold. Again, I don't know about the claim situation. That is probably the hardest part right now; so many things under claim. Yes, loads of gold along the Middle Fork, Nelson Creek, Onion Creek via the Q-La Porte Rd. But if you are referring to Willow Creek (just before you get to Red Bridge), where one side of the road is collapsed, that area is, alas, under claim.

[@luisanalivia]

callmeBe I’ve never tried magalia I like going where know ones explored! So the spot I went to was east of the red bridge I walked up the river seen claims and people were panning so I kept walking and walking for about 3 miles and found a drainage with water spewing out I followed that up a couple hundred feet and I was just in shock with what I was seeing and what I had read about exposed bedrock I thought for sure I’d find a lot of gold. What you said makes a lot of sense about the high benches have had years of gold deposits in them, I wanted to explore where the road collapsed but the land and home owner there wasn’t having it

[@callmeBe]

Yea, Cali, that's Skip's place, and he loves those no trespassing signs! Remember this: bedrock many times does not = gold. Mostly it's the other way around! You have to have gold bearing gravel/water flow to salt that bedrock. Same for quartz. Quartz many times does not = gold. It's usually the other way around. You need the chemical process of mineralization to deposit gold into the quartz. So that area of bedrock you found--look for the presence of rounded water worn gravels. And, that quartz you found, look for the presence of sulfides--reds/yellows/blacks in the quartz. Watch my series on Dixie Valley and Chalk Mountain for an explanation of mineralization if you do not know. One last thing "I like going where know ones explored!" That is a very tall order. Why not come at this from another angle--go to places people have explored and found gold, but could not completely recover. That's where drywashers come in (old timers needed water to process the gravels), or dredges (old timers could not access the bottom of the river), or metal detectors (many times no access to water). Regards and good luck!

[@luisanalivia]

callmeBe ya that skip guy almost lost his house, he lucked out! You have very good info you’re very knowledgeable thanks!

[@TheNimshew]

I can not imagine anything below Belden unless it's way above the present river. If you have a heavy 4x4 you can drive into Gleghorn Bar and Stag Point on the middle fork. Both have primitive campsites. Milsap bar is closed due to washout but is always a good spot. Best campground(primitive) around and the confluence of the Middle Fork, the Little North Fork and the South Branch, Middle Fork. The Little North Fork also has a nice primitive campground. 11 sites I think and, being N.F. there're plenty of spots along the creek to camp below there. The access road is rough 2 wheel and crosses Marble creek and starts just east of Merrimac on the Oroville-Quincy hwy. I wouldn't worry too much about claims. Of course you've got your usual nut jobs scattered around... But why the fuss? They ain't never going to be working them again. Dredging ain't coming back. Period, full stop. If you are confronted, do like I did years ago when confronted by some lacky working for the claim owner. Flipped him $5 and said"That should cover my finds! Fuck off!" He did. They could not, nor can not, prevent you from access. They only claim the minerals, nothing else. You have just as much right to be there as they do. Never let them tell you otherwise. I've seen pretty official looking signs saying "No mining by court order" Total B.S. What they going to do? Detain you? That's kidnapping. Call the Sheriff? Go ahead, Buddy. It's generally a 1/2 hour drive to get reception and then.. tick tock, tick tock. You think a deputy is going to make it a priority to drive down a shit dirt road for a 30 mile round trip in his patrol car just to tell someone the owner wants you to leave? If the claim owner threatens you in any way, they'll more than likely be the one arrested. By the way. The claim holder that confronted me at Milsap bar 20 years ago? He wanted to be camp host. After I complained to the Forest Service, they declined his request.