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Detecting Old Claim In Alaska


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Mac, what general area of Alaska are you in? Or what general area did this happen in?

I lived in Alaska's Interior for 37 years and although I have not lived there since 2003, this sort of thing was not very common where I was, when I lived there.

I left a five inch triple sluice dredge on the banks of a river over the winter and into summer and it was still there when I went back, minus a few bear ripped off fuel lines and bear bites to the plastic gas tank. Bears seem to have an insatiable fondness for gasoline for some weird reason. 

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Hi Jim, much regards for your note. The interior huh?! That's paradise. Gold related no doubt ... so hmmm, may I ask where? If had to venture a guess, would it have been McGrath or Valdez Creek? I live in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, between Willow and Wasilla. For the most part my prospecting/ mining is in the Dutch Hills on Cache Creek. Nothing like this crap happens there. That's a remote area and difficult to get to even with 4WD. And miners there are not to be messed with if you know what I mean, so scumbags aren't there. 

The incident mentioned was on Nome Creek, in the White Mountains, north of the Steese Hwy, about 120 miles northeast of Fairbanks. About 3 miles of the creek is void of mineral entry and set aside for public use mining via BLM. For a public site it's got a lot of coarse gold and is fairly remote, really nice setting. But the damn feds widened the road and put in a bridge which now allows anyone to get back there. Had been about 8 or so years since my last visit. Use to be a 4WD only type road and all you'd see were other miners. 

I don't know about crime in Fairbanks district but in our region here in south central all crime has exploded exponentially since 2012 -- it's bad, as in sickening and sad to see happening. We're talking thefts, vehicle break ins, stolen trucks and cars, home invasions, armed and violent robberies, car jackings, abductions, shootings, drive by shootings, murder ... much of it drug related and high homeless rates. 

Sadly the Alaska that use to be is gone in areas and fading in others. Off the road system likely is better. 

The buddy who had his dredge stolen had a claim along Willow Creek in the Hatcher backcountry, the road is an old mining road but very popular in the summer months, the Anchorage folks come up to drive the road and that creek is right at road's edge. So gear is vulnerable, no surprise it got stolen. I had 2 detectors stolen on a public panning site on the Kenai Peninsula ... 

Bears DO have some odd fetishes! Have known folks who had bears getting into their cabins seemingly for the kerosene nothing more, and messing with their gas cans in boats ... yes it is odd, then again so are bears ha ... funny how we all here have had our fair share of bear related experiences ... live in Alaska for any stretch of time and you'll "meet some bears" sooner than later! 

Whereabouts are you living now, Jim? What made you leave Alaska? Have you been back since 2003? 

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Mac,  I was in the Fairbanks "area". By area I mean well outside of Fairbanks almost 30 miles out the Chena Hot Springs Rd. My mining was farther out though. It took two hours by airboat to get to where I dredged. So it was remote, I actually never saw anyone else once I was in camp. It took some real skill and knowledge of the river to get there.The first pic is of my claim and dredge, the second is my airboat with the dredge in the distance.

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I am now in Northern California, on the banks of the Klamath River, which is frustrating because we can't do anything mining related that requires any kind of engine.

I left Alaska because I had just retired and my wife's medical condition demanded that she not be exposed to severe cold. I have not been back to Alaska. Mostly because I am too old to do the things I did all my life there. I'm crippled in the legs and just old.

I just don't see any sense in living there through 6-7 months of cold and dark to be able to enjoy a few months in summer. 

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Mac, I have a friend by the screen name of Joe_S_Indy on other forums. He originally lived in Indy in winter and mined on Alaska in summer. He now lives in Idaho in winter and still mines in Alaska in summer. He is based at Trapper Creek, AK. and mines out toward Denali. He is up there now. He has some real problems with crime. His cabin has been broken into twice while he was in Idaho for the winter. They stole everything they could. That would line up with what you said about crime in south central.

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