Panning for gold

[Rock Doctor]

Originally Posted by caver77

RD what kind of rig you using for that kind of payout? Musta been a 4-6", or bigger. If that was hand panning I'm trackin down your IP and following you That's getting my blood going man can't this snow start melting ant faster.

LOL, That was from a combination of a Home Made slouce (fed by hand, 2" honda water pump), and panning. Back then, it would not cover expenses. Now, I think I might head back to that area this summer.

Originally Posted by BlackHeart

Is that really gold FLOATING????????

Could you expand on that one?

Make sure your gold is DRY, spread it out in your gold pan, and carefull add water. Surface tension will keep some of the gold up on top. Never believed it myself untill I tried it.


RD

[Rock Doctor]

Originally Posted by Big Red 250

For a few months I had that last pic as my desktop background. I've done some recreational panning around Likely BC.

Do you mean the last pic of mine?


RD

[Ianhntr]

Hello Conan
Quesnel Barkerville country is the best area you can go to in BC for panning, but at the price of gold you need to make sure you get permission from the guys holding the rights to the area. Summertime they are usually there. The crreks are pretty much panned out, you need to look for an area close to one of the creeks that looks to be an old portion of the creekebed and work that material.
When you leave Quesnel and get on the Barkerville highway just north of Quesnel on the outskirts of the town. Stay on it through a little town of Cottonwood, and the road will begin running alongside a creek known as Lightning creek. A little further and you hit a major logging road called the 300 rd. Turn off on this and follow it up, lots of little productive creeks, don't expect to get rich, but it's alot of fun.
Good luck with the guys, you'll find them rough around the edges, but pretty big hearts in most of them.

[Rock Doctor]

This was one of the coolest things we found on one of our trips. It's an OPIUM Vial, and we found it in a place where the Chinese Prospectors were said to have never worked. When we showed it to some of the oldtimers, they were SHOCKED, and suspected we were pulling their legs. They said thay would have swore on a stack of bibles that we couldn't have found it where we did.

This is NOT the actual Vial we found, the one we found was in PERFECT condition, no cracks. I had pics of it on another computer, but it crashed and I lost everything. I could go get some new pics from the guy that has the vial, but this is easier:




RD

[dumoulin]

I comented on a colleagues jewelry one day. Turns out all her gold is from the Red Deer and Blindman river! Huhhh. Her father was a goldpaning champion to boot! Who woulda thunken?

[caver77]

Originally Posted by Rock Doctor

This was one of the coolest things we found on one of our trips. It's an OPIUM Vial, and we found it in a place where the Chinese Prospectors were said to have never worked. When we showed it to some of the oldtimers, they were SHOCKED, and suspected we were pulling their legs. They said thay would have swore on a stack of bibles that we couldn't have found it where we did.

This is NOT the actual Vial we found, the one we found was in PERFECT condition, no cracks. I had pics of it on another computer, but it crashed and I lost everything. I could go get some new pics from the guy that has the vial, but this is easier:





RD

That, is an awesome find!!!!

[dumoulin]

Originally Posted by Rock Doctor

This was one of the coolest things we found on one of our trips. It's an OPIUM Vial, and we found it in a place where the Chinese Prospectors were said to have never worked. When we showed it to some of the oldtimers, they were SHOCKED, and suspected we were pulling their legs. They said thay would have swore on a stack of bibles that we couldn't have found it where we did.

This is NOT the actual Vial we found, the one we found was in PERFECT condition, no cracks. I had pics of it on another computer, but it crashed and I lost everything. I could go get some new pics from the guy that has the vial, but this is easier:




RD

Cool!

[hockeydad]

a buddy crossed the Smokey at Watino many times last summer, he said there was always somebody out on a gravel bar by the bridge panning, must have been finding something?

[chain2]

gold fever! Nice pan there rd. A drop of dish soap will settle the floaters out.
I worked at neighbors claim for a few days and ran the gold genie for a bit. Ive posted a link for those who may not know what it does. It is a fasinating rotary wheel in which the gold climbs a spiral dish and pops threw the hole in the center. here a quick link what I mean

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypca6...eature=related

There is some ok panning down town Edmon and DV too. Go up into the grass banks shake the roots into your pan. You will find color up high even. That river has its share of ups and down flows. Best of luck and take your kids out with you..chain

[KegRiver]

Originally Posted by Albertacoyotecaller

It was my understanding that the Chinese panned quite a bit in the Peace River?

Greg

I had not heard that but it could well be. I did hear a story about there being a Gold dredge that operated around the town of Peace River for a time back in the 1940s. It is said that they were never able to make enough to make a profit.

I have a book about panning for Gold that states that there is Gold in most Alberta rivers, but that most if it is flour Gold, very small flakes.

However, I know people who have tried panning the Kemp, the Keg and the Wolverine rivers, they say they found nothing in those rivers. All had successfully panned Gold out of the Peace.

Edmonton has a history of Gold mining and panning.
Goldbar was named for the Gold that was recovered there. Apparently some folks made more then a good living panning the North Saskatchewan around Edmonton.

[mudbug]

Originally Posted by KegRiver

I had not heard that but it could well be. I did hear a story about there being a Gold dredge that operated around the town of Peace River for a time back in the 1940s. It is said that they were never able to make enough to make a profit.

I have a book about panning for Gold that states that there is Gold in most Alberta rivers, but that most if it is flour Gold, very small flakes.

However, I know people who have tried panning the Kemp, the Keg and the Wolverine rivers, they say they found nothing in those rivers. All had successfully panned Gold out of the Peace.

Edmonton has a history of Gold mining and panning.
Goldbar was named for the Gold that was recovered there. Apparently some folks made more then a good living panning the North Saskatchewan around Edmonton.

If I remember correctly they was at least one dredge that worked the NSR in Edmonton as well

[Mxyzptik]

I have a pan and a couple of plastic sluice trays that my Dad and I bought at the sportsman show about 30 years ago, right after eating maple walnut fudge while watching Twiggy the water skiing squirrel.

Does a day get any more exciting than that ?

Anywho we tried them in the Athabasca a couple of times at Smith and Ft Assiniboine ( I think my speller is off tonight ) we found little tiny flecks and not very many of them, but it was gold just the same and fun to do.

We were always going to take our stuff and go to the Yukon but never did. Sadly he passed before we could but I will go just to say I did.

It would be great to learn a little something from someone more experienced.

[Big Red 250]

Originally Posted by Rock Doctor

Do you mean the last pic of mine?


RD

yep.

[lilsundance]

spent one summer at Genesee bridge panning at nights. We were working on the bridge redecking it, and painting the girders. At night I would go down and pan. Got some nice color from a few pans. One thing I wished I had was a sluice. The farmer who owns the land had dug a dug out for watering his cattle. This was done in an old part of the river channel that is now dry land. All the rock etc was left piled beside the dugout. What I wouldn't give to get a sluice box in that pile for the summer. Still have the pan, mines green instead of black. When I first started I would practise by putting in lead balls from a shot shell with gravel and then pan it. First try I only lost 1 ball. lol my now ex wife was really miffed I was practising in her antique wash tub outside.
lol

[flyguyd]

We took a panning course 25yrs or so ago right at the Oldman River campground at Fort Macleod and every one found enough flour gold to well cover the bottom of one of those little vials in about 3 hours. At these prices i might just see if i can remember how...lol

[albertadeer]

Hahaha. Guaranteed Gold Rush Alaska will start a small new gold craze. I panned with my grandpa when i was a kid. Me and a friend started doing a bit of looking around last summer. Cant wait to get a sluice or two and stake a claim! hahaha! good luck to everyone panning this summer!!

And the bit about gravel pits. Alberta gravel pits bring in a additional $1 millon worth of gold as a byproduct of washing gravel and stone....


I will save you guys some research

http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publication...R_2011_01.html

Some very...very...very good info there boys!!!

[packhuntr]

Now that is a super slammer link Albertadeer, WOW

[silver]

My dad was interested in gold and he told me about going to see a gold dredge near Prince Albert in the thirties. He said there was flour in the North Sask. but it petered out above Rocky Mountain House.

[hockeydad]

20 + years ago a native told me about a creek (between Red Earth and Fort Vermillion) that the rocks in it were "clear like marbles" With the diamond exploration in the Bufflo Head Hills area it always made me wonder. gotta make some time to do a trip that way to check it out.

[Big Red 250]

Check out this site. www.agpa.ca May be of interest to some of you.

[Unregistered user]

Prospecting can be tax-deductible.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by mudbug

I used to go with my dad when I was younger and we'd find flour gold in the creeks and river in the Edmonton area.

Me too. Lots of fun. I found some in my pan but nothing to write home about. When I went up to try just upstream of Devon in around 1984...there was an old guy with a slouch box going. He showed me what he had found. He was pulling in about $100 a day back then.

I have tried elsewhere...in BC even but nothing... You need the right river.

[deanmc]

I have found lots of large nuggets in creek X.

[Albertacoyotecaller]

When I worked for a certain outfit that crushed gravel just north of Edmonton, they had a sluice set up at their wash plant and I have been told that the gold profits some years paid for all their maintenance for their crusher plant.

Greg

[jungleboy]

bringing this back to the top , interesting thread

[CDone]

saw a guy running a sluice box upstream of the Glenmore Bridge on the Bow last spring, not sure what he was expecting, or maybe he knows something

Colin

[MrDave]

I am ready for this spring with a homemade portable. I am hoping this will get me back into it. My last unit is to heavy now that I blew a knee. This one is on bike wheels and is easy to load. Lots of plans out there for building them.

Just make sure you read the rules on that link about Alberta gold mining. Never ran into trouble, but never know when some fool is gonna cause you trouble out of ignorance.

You will find panning very slow but don't stop too early. The fine gold we have in Alberta hides under the heavy metals in the bottom of the pan, and you can easily miss it.

The big thing with these is the regulations on the water sheds. The Red Deer river is actually closed to this kinda mining for a good part of the year. No disturbing is allowed to prevent the damage caused, which will silt of breeding redds. Can't say that's a bad thing. Alberta Environment WILL fine you, if they get a complaint about disturbing the water shed.

Flour gold is found from Innisfail to Drumheller. Not gonna get rich on this river but I always come home with a little more each time. There are lots of spots you can get to on it.

Hope to see some of you out there. Ever need to learn, let me know if your heading out. Got extra pans, if you ever run into me on the river. Lots of people stop by amazed there is gold here. Always a fun to see kids trying something like this.

[chain2]

I may take ya up on that offer. I pan a bit myself but need some inspiration to get at it again. Also snow fever startin to creep in on me [and this thread too] I would like to build a sluice. You did some research, I assume, and what did you come up with as a final design for our fine au...pics would be great too if your willing to share em. good luck chain

[BrownBear416]

Great Post MrDave

I might looking at buying something like this..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU3LbVB0ImI&feature=fvst

Probably work pretty slick for this rookie

[MrDave]

I got lots of ideas from this site. I have to wait till the snow melts some and will be posting them on this site.

http://gpex.ca/smf/index.php

Not sure on how to describe the feeling of finding gold in your pan. The best fun I have is proving there IS gold in the rivers. Most people don't believe it. Most of the gold miners went right past it to the Klondike, and struck out without finding any.
Studies in the past show that commercial mining isn't profitable in Alberta, but for the small timer its great fun. I am in lots of tourist pictures. lol. Like showing the kids what they can find, despite the idea there is none, but it is too boring for most.