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


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Hey GhostMiner,

I know this is a story. I am reading it every time you post. I have a hectic schedule and I use the story as an excuse to take a short break and imagine myself being there watching this whole thing go down. Who cares if it is made up. There's also a little connection to an actual site that helps me to imagine this as real.

I have an artistic streak as well and like to enjoy art in all it's forms. Writing is an art which springs from the imagination. The difference here is I get a paragraph to read now and then. I don't read books much because it takes too much of my time. I happen to like a little to read here and there about one of my favorite hobbies, mining for gold. It keeps me motivated and planning my next outing.  There's other topics here on this site to talk actual shop that I can easily click onto for serious learning. This is just pure entertainment.

I think it's a nice addition to the site for purely motivational and entertainment purposes. It's hard to get motivated solely on specs and figures about mining. It's the raw glory of a magnificent find that we ALL are in search of. This somehow puts me right into that glory along with Jed and his crew. It's not so much the actual facts of this story that makes it good to read. It's how it makes me feel when I read about how successful these guys are. It's the find I would like to have!

   There are finds and claims that truly have magnificent strikes. This strike has a record of actually happening. Even if the characters actions are made up, the story of what happened during the find is really fun because I know you are using data from records of the gold pulled out and some factual persons. One never hears the story of what happened. This is just a fun and motivating escape and I for one am enjoying it. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this and most of all it's free. That is a really nice gift. I thank you GM. TG

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56 minutes ago, Tahoegold said:

Hey GhostMiner,

I know this is a story. I am reading it every time you post. I have a hectic schedule and I use the story as an excuse to take a short break and imagine myself being there watching this whole thing go down. Who cares if it is made up. There's also a little connection to an actual site that helps me to imagine this as real.

I have an artistic streak as well and like to enjoy art in all it's forms. Writing is an art which springs from the imagination. The difference here is I get a paragraph to read now and then. I don't read books much because it takes too much of my time. I happen to like a little to read here and there about one of my favorite hobbies, mining for gold. It keeps me motivated and planning my next outing.  There's other topics here on this site to talk actual shop that I can easily click onto for serious learning. This is just pure entertainment.

I think it's a nice addition to the site for purely motivational and entertainment purposes. It's hard to get motivated solely on specs and figures about mining. It's the raw glory of a magnificent find that we ALL are in search of. This somehow puts me right into that glory along with Jed and his crew. It's not so much the actual facts of this story that makes it good to read. It's how it makes me feel when I read about how successful these guys are. It's the find I would like to have!

   There are finds and claims that truly have magnificent strikes. This strike has a record of actually happening. Even if the characters actions are made up, the story of what happened during the find is really fun because I know you are using data from records of the gold pulled out and some factual persons. One never hears the story of what happened. This is just a fun and motivating escape and I for one am enjoying it. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this and most of all it's free. That is a really nice gift. I thank you GM. TG

Many thanks for all the support & encouragement you have given this year. This journal is an outlet for me as well. I used to write short stories in school & my English teacher would read them to the assembly of students. He told me I should keep writing but life got in the way. So now I am taking some time to post here. It is almost as much fun as performing music and singing in front of a crowd. 

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   For me the fun is in the hunt. Don't get me wrong, the main goal is always to find gold. Steve knows I have a real company as I gave him that info way back. Nearly all of our claims are leased out. When we do the exploration either by hand or with an excavator & trommel that is always a thrill. Going back in where the oldtimers worked and breaking new ground and finding gold. Trying to prove the ground. Camping off grid in the Sierra Nevada. It just doesn't get better than that for me. Looking at the hole where Jed Stevens (his real name was Stevenson) removed over 1000 ounces in 1936 was really something. And then he was murdered after the strike. All true.

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Yeah, you have the claim info which is true. That's what is different than just making up a story that isn't connected to any real find or claim. Just because the action is made up. It's based around an actual find and actual people. It makes the story more fun for me at least. It's because, the numbers are real and that makes it exciting. I am unclear as to the treasure find. Is that real or made up? It does add to the adventure. Just curious.

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26 minutes ago, Tahoegold said:

Yeah, you have the claim info which is true. That's what is different than just making up a story that isn't connected to any real find or claim. Just because the action is made up. It's based around an actual find and actual people. It makes the story more fun for me at least. It's because, the numbers are real and that makes it exciting. I am unclear as to the treasure find. Is that real or made up? It does add to the adventure. Just curious.

There is nothing as good as hunting for & finding buried treasure. More to come on that.

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 May 11   1937     Part Two

 

   Sarge yelled out a sharp halt and told someone to come out with his hands in the air. The reply was a rifle shot. Then I heard Sarge open up with a thunderous burst from his BAR. There was no mistaking the sound of that weapon. Then it was quiet again. Sarge hollered that they may be trying to surround our position. Then I heard the Thompson firing up on the mountain. All hell was now breaking loose. 

   I hollered out to the crew to stay under cover and keep an eye out. I could not see a thing in the dark. Suddenly, I saw the muzzle flashes from several rifles. Two were on the mountain above us and one was from the south. Then there was another from the north. I heard Ben’s Thompson rattling off short bursts. Then it got quiet again. Sarge hollered out for us to stay in our positions. As soon as this statement came out a volley of rifle fire began to rain down on us from all directions. All we could do was return fire at the flashes of light from their rifles. We were pinned down.

    TO BE CONTINUED ...............

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   May 11   1937     Part Three

 

   I could hear the whine of bullets striking all around me. I couldn’t believe this was happening again. We were in a bad position but I was counting on our war veterans Sarge and Ben to deal with this. I heard Sarge holler out over the gunfire. He said to hold our positions and don’t break cover. There was a muzzle flash to the east and Sarge opened up with the BAR again. Then it was quiet for a minute. I could hear Ben firing the Thompson up on the ridge. Then I heard a lot of cursing and hollering from up there and more gunfire. It sounded like Ben was pretty busy. Then I heard the explosion of a hand grenade up on the mountain. Ben must have tossed it. 

   Sarge hollered over to us. He said he was moving to the south in the direction of the gunfire down there. After a few minutes I could hear the BAR barking and some returning rifle fire. It was a war on the mountain and the last thing I wanted. 

   Hudson cried out that he was hit. I crawled on my belly to his location. He was bleeding from his left arm. I tied off the wound. He told me he could still fight. I was as mad as I have ever been in my life. I wanted to kill them but had nothing to shoot at.

    TO BE CONTINUED ...............

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   May 11   1937     Part Four

 

   Eventually Sarge came back to camp. He said he thought he had hit at least one of them but it was so dark he couldn’t tell for sure. Then I realized that John was gone. Sarge said that he was probably up on the ridge helping Ben. Sarge hollered that we needed to be careful about shooting blindly at rifle fire on the ridge as we had two men up there. They were on their own until we could support them. I told Sarge that I wasn’t going to stay here near camp and take gunfire until I was hit. I asked for a volunteer to charge the ridge. Sarge said he would move up in that direction and give support fire from the Bar and I could go with him. Will would stay at camp with Hudson. Sarge opened up covering fire and we moved out into the darkness. All hell was raining down on us. I could hear the bullets thudding into trees and ricocheting off of rocks. I realized that I might die here on this mountain.

 

   TO BE CONTINUED .....................

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  May 11   1937     Part Five

 

   Suddenly it felt like a branding iron was being held against my right calf. I looked down but couldn’t see anything but felt something warm running down my leg. I struck a match. My lower pants were soaked in blood. I’d been hit by a bullet. I layed out on the ground and hollered out to Sarge that I was shot in the leg. Sarge crawled over and said to stay put. He was heading up the mountain. He disappeared into the dark and I heard his BAR barking. I couldn’t walk so I layed there staring into the blackness with my rifle at the ready. Our crew had been drawn into a trap and were scattered all over the mountain. I told myself I won’t die here without putting up a fight. I crawled on all fours up the mountain looking for someone to shoot.

   TO BE CONTINUED .................

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   May 11   1937     Part Six

 

   I eventually made it up to the ridge. I took my knife and cut off one of my shirt sleeves and bandaged my leg. It felt like it was on fire. It was dark and quiet except for an occasional flash from gunfire. Then I heard Sarge open up again with the BAR and I went in that direction. I hollered out to him and he answered me. I told him I was coming over. He had taken cover behind the base of a big pine.

   I asked Sarge how many hooligans he thought were here on the mine. He said he couldn’t tell for sure but he figured they were spread out in groups. He said he knew he had shot one of them on the lower ground but wasn’t sure if he’d hit any of them up here. We could hear the Thompson way off on the ridge. Ben was firing short bursts occasionally and we could hear lots of return fire. We both figured John was up here with Ben or somewhere between Ben & us. We also heard gunfire down at camp now. I was real worried about Will and Hudson. This was a real mess we were in.

   Sarge said whoever these guys were they were smart and well armed. He said that one of us should try to get back to camp and try to get the truck down to the road and get help from the law. This wasn’t something I expected to hear from him and flew in the face of everything we stood for. However, this was a desperate situation and we were in big trouble. I told him I would try to get down there and do it. I could hobble down hill and it wasn’t too far. Sarge wished me luck.

   When I got down there I saw that Will and Hudson had shot it out with the goons. The truck was riddled with bullets and the tires were flat. I crawled on my belly into camp. Hudson and Will were lying still on the ground.

   TO BE CONTINUED ................

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