** Lost Gold At The Dead Man's Mine ** A Miners Journal **

[Lanny]

Truly enjoyed catching up on the story and its accompanying adventures.

Times were still wild and wooly during the 30's it seems, must not have been many civil suits filed for roughing people up or for gunplay, neither must there have been much police activity regarding assaults/people willing to file charges, quite a bit like the Wild West up in those mountains at that time.

Having said that, I've had encounters with some pretty rough types in gold country in the late 20th Century (had a gun swung in my direction as a warning as well, even when we were in no way encroaching on anyone's territory, just posturing and outright intimidation by the offender. There were also sluice box robbers around so the boxes had to be completely cleaned every evening), and it seems like the farther unscrupulous people are away from law enforcement, the more risks they're willing to take. So, not all of the rough stuff has been tamed yet in modern times in the wilds of the goldfields.

Thanks for taking the time to keep entertainment coming, and all the best,

Lanny

Post script: If there's gold that's been shifted around in the area you're testing, you should be able to find anything near the surface with a good gold dedicated VLF, so it would be worth it to have one around, plus they're light enough you can scamper around on hillsides/mountainsides much easier while detecting. But, as has been pointed out, if you're trying to find deeper gold, you'll need a PI or one of the newer hybrids. (I always have a one-two punch when I'm out nugget shooting, a good deep-seeker, and a light VLF as they are both invaluable in their specific roles.) Having said that, as regards nugget shooting, it takes time to learn how to find gold with any detector, so you'll need to get swinging one as soon as you can, and whichever model you buy, get watching some YouTube videos/read some good articles/online posts so you'll know what to do and what to expect (ground balance, hot rocks, EMI, etc.).

All the best, and thanks for your efforts,

Lanny

[GhostMiner]

8 minutes ago, Lanny said:

Truly enjoyed catching up on the story and its accompanying adventures.

Times were still wild and wooly during the 30's it seems, must not have been many civil suits filed for roughing people up or for gunplay, neither must there have been much police activity regarding assaults/people willing to file charges, quite a bit like the Wild West up in those mountains at that time.

Having said that, I've had encounters with some pretty rough types in gold country in the late 20th Century (had a gun swung in my direction as a warning as well, even we were in no way encroaching on anyone's territory, just posturing and outright intimidation by the offender. There were also sluice box robbers around so the boxes had to be completely cleaned every evening), and it seems like the farther unscrupulous people are away from law enforcement, the more risks they're willing to take. So, not all of the rough stuff has been tamed yet in modern times in the wilds of the goldfields.

Thanks for taking the time to keep entertainment coming, and all the best,

Lanny

Post script: If there's gold that's been shifted around in the area you're testing, you should be able to find anything near the surface with a good gold dedicated VLF, so it would be worth it to have one around, plus they're light enough you can scamper around on hillsides/mountainsides much easier while detecting. But, as has been pointed out, if you're trying to find deeper gold, you'll need a PI or one of the newer hybrids. (I always have a one-two punch when I'm out nugget shooting, a good deep-seeker, and a light VLF as they are both invaluable in their specific roles.) Having said that, as regards nugget shooting, it takes time to learn how to find gold with any detector, so you'll need to get swinging one as soon as you can, and whichever model you buy, get watching some YouTube videos/read some good articles/online posts so you'll know what to do and what to expect (ground balance, hot rocks, EMI, etc.).

All the best, and thanks for your efforts,

Lanny

Thanks much Lanny!

[GhostMiner]

AUGUST 31   1936

   Seeing as this was our last day to have security for the mine in place we decided to go all out on the digging. Whiskey Jack got into the pit with me and John and Jacob and Will came in for the last two hours before shutting down for the day. Old Jack amazed us all with the way he worked the shovel. He told us he felt like he was 40 years younger when he got in there with us. He was singing old songs while he worked and telling us to get a move on. John and me were having a great time with him. We ended the day with 6 ounces and we were more than satisfied. We all walked back down the mountain together as one big happy mining family.

   Down at camp that night Sarge and Ben had already packed up most of their camp and told us they would be pulling out after breakfast tomorrow. They were eager to get back to their farms. They would be standing watch one last time tonight. After supper the crew sat around the fire drinking a few Lucky’s and some whiskey. We talked about the future of our operation. I asked them what they wanted to do. I made sure to let everyone know that if they wanted to take their gold and head back home I would understand and they would be welcome back for the next season. No one was ready to quit. Even Whiskey Jack said he would stay to the end. So we decided on a plan.

   Whiskey Jack would now be the camp guard. He told us he had no problem defending the mine and we all trusted him. He was also good with a rifle. He said he could handle the job alone and would fire off the warning rounds if he needed help. So nothing would change on the mining end of things. My hope is that the hooligans have had enough and we can finish our season in peace. Time will tell if that is too much to ask for.

   TO BE CONTINUED ...............

[GhostMiner]

   It would be nice to replace Sarge and Ben with some new mine guards. The problem is, it was nearly impossible to find reliable and honest help in that area according to what I have heard. 

[GhostMiner]

   SEPTEMBER 1   1936

   This morning all of us gathered and had breakfast and afterwards helped Ben and Sarge lode up the last of their gear. We all thanked them for everything they had done and wished them well. We watched them drive off in Sarge’s White truck. Whiskey Jack lightened the mood saying he had our backs now and get up on the mountain and start digging gold while the getting was good. So we left Jack at camp and headed up to the pit. 

   Jacob would be working the first two pumps and would be able to help keep an eye out when he was down at the first pump in the creek and check in on Jack now and then as well. Will was working higher up the mountain and was also coming into the pit to dig now and then when he had a chance. The time I worried most about was when we did the cleanout and weighs and Jack would be at camp alone and we were a long way off. I decided I would keep Jacob down there after the pumps were shut down and we would do the final part of the work every day with me, John, and Will. Everyone always had their rifles as well.

   The day went fine and with no problems. It was easy digging and the gold was still there. We got ourselves another 2 ounces. We headed back down to camp just before dark. The days were getting shorter. Jack said he’d not seen any sign of anyone besides Jacob all day. He said to just keep working and come October we might see snow and frozen line so make hay while we can. 

   After supper Jack and me were talking about mining when the weather got cold. I was wondering if we might keep digging in the eastern drift mine way out to the east. I’d only tested it but hadn’t done any mining there. I told Jack we could haul buckets with the truck down to the creek and work them as long as there wasn't too much snow. Jack said it might be possible but it would be dogs work when the temperatures really dropped below freezing and the snow started to pile up. He said even the old boys pulled out at that point. I told him I was starting to think of wintering it out up here and guarding the claims. Jack said he'd be in for that if I decided to. He said to just make sure we had a good stock of whiskey for when we got snowed in.

   TO BE CONTINUED ...............

[GhostMiner]

   We found Whiskey Jack one day at the old RR hotel up in the tiny town of Paxton. The train had left without him many years ago.

[GhostMiner]

   This is the Paxton Hotel which is an old RR hotel. Supposedly, Whiskey Jack had a cabin here at one time. Jack's cabin was rumored to be the one in the picture here although there are several more but this on is the smallest being one room. There also used to be a post office in the hotel at one time. I haven't been able to find out much information on him except that he came to the hotel to drink in the bar on occasion. My wife and I stayed in this very cabin several years ago. The road into this area goes straight up the mountain with a bridge over the Feather River. There is also a gold mine drift in the side of the mountain and remnants of an old stamp mill.

[flakmagnet]

The size of those waterworn boulders in the first picture…wow.

[GhostMiner]

4 minutes ago, flakmagnet said:

The size of those waterworn boulders in the first picture…wow.

Some of them are huge.

[Cascade Steven]

Just curious: was the bar in that hotel the same bar where the fights occurred in the story?