Jim McCulloch

Several of us on this forum are former Marines or Marine "brats." Today marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the 17 day Battle of Chosin Reservoir. My dad, a sergeant in the First Marine Division at Chosin, later co-founded the Sea Angels scuba diving club with Mel Fisher. Their treasure hunting experience, along with that of the Depression Era "survival" gold prospecting experiences of my grandfather and great grandfather, influenced me greatly. Off topic, and reminiscing.

I started with the A2B back in '83. That first chunk of auriferous quartz from an ore dump in Dayton NV began my own Magnificent Quest.

Keith, maybe we ought to change your nickname to "Smokey Jr."

Friend Keith, ya' done real good, buddy!

Way cool, in more ways than one... 😊

The Rattlesnake Canyon area of Southern California is renowned for its large number of mountain lions, desert lynx, and huge Bobcats. One day Mitchel and I were out looking for the "elusive yellow metal," when we encountered the biggest, meanest, hungriest looking mountain lion I've ever seen. While licking its lips, and looking from Mitchel to me, I threw down my backpack, pulled out my running shoes, and began replacing my boots with the running shoes. Mitchel said "Jim, you can't outrun a hungry mountain lion!" To which I replied "Mitchel, I don't need to outrun the mountain lion, I just need to outrun you!"

"About 1 am I headed to Arizona." Folks, as I have mentioned before, Mitchel is a phenomenon when it comes to driving long distances during the night. I think he needs to make business cards which say "Have Detector - will Travel - Anywhere, Anytime."

My knowledge of Chinese cash coins is modest, but the "I Ching" piece depicted is a modern amulet/good luck pocket charm, not a true circulating coin. Personally I have found numerous genuine cash at 1850's California Gold Rush sites and 1880's railroad labor camps, the earliest coins dating back to about 1700. Hope this helps; HH Jim

More later? Well... I'm sure it will be well worth it, especially the photos. Regarding Mitchel's ability and endurance as a long-distance driver: he is the kind of guy who can leave Santa Monica at 2:00 am, to arrive in Yucca Valley at 5:00 am, pick me up, and by 6:00 am be at the Rattlesnake Canyon trailhead, all kitted up, about to start the 2 mile hike to the old Spanish Workings. Dig and detect all day, back in Yucca at 8:00 pm, to be back in Santa Monica by 11:00 pm. Really. Hey, the guy runs marathons! My hero.

There are no "simple" answers to Skookum's excellent questions, but Tom and Jason have given some really masterful info. Several more thoughts need to be mentioned or repeated. The current geological formations we detect are often far deeper (lower in elevation) than the original auriferous deposits of times past. Thus, erosion at euvial locations, over time, have repeatedly both revealed and re-covered, shifted, dispersed or concentrated, auriferous deposits, making it difficult to precisely locate the original lode gold deposits of times past. The original lode deposits may no longer exist. My favored method of locating eluvial gold: at sites known to produce alluvial gold, walk along the hillside above the wash, looking for the typical "markers," quartz, greenstone, and red dirt. Maybe even manzanita or desert trumpet. Detect uphill, especially concentrating on low spots, wash outs, and small tributaries. One thing to remember is that success at electronic prospecting is more of a "boots on the ground, detector in hand" scenario rather than anything else.

Of course, we're only crediting European finders, the original Aboriginal finders of gold have been discounted. When the Conquistadors "discovered" gold in Mexico it was centuries after the Aztecs and Mayans had perfected the recovery, refining, and casting of gold. Credit where credit is due... Regarding Hargraves, he was one of the first Englishmen to find AU in California, being a Fortyniner, and he later introduced Sonoran (Mexican) placer mining techniques to Oz.

Way to go, Mitchel, thanks for sharing your Midnight Madnes with us. HH Jim

Outstanding post, old son. Reading it revived some faded memories of places and faces, regrettably some now no longer with us...

Why do you think they call it FURNACE Creek?

There exists a SoCal lost treasure story involving a gold-filled strongbox that had been aboard an ill-fated stagecoach. The driver foolishly stopped in the bottom of a dry wash to take advantage of flowing water to quench his horse's thirst. The reason that water was flowing was because it was raining heavily in the nearby steep mountains uphill of the parked stage coach. The sound of clattering boulders upstream alerted the driver and passengers of an approaching flashflood, so they all safely fled to higher ground. According to what I read, the mangled wreakage of the stage was later found "several hundred feet" downstream, but without the strongebox. Supposedly it was never found. So my buddy and I, some 80 years later, detectors in hand, went seeking it. And we found the stage coach, but so had someone, perhaps many someones, before us. On the top of a pile of rocks, sort of like a shrine, was piled pieces of rusted iron wagonwheel rims, wagon springs, and bits of chain. Really. Detecting carefully, I recovered one non-ferrous item: a woman's brass costume jewelry broach circa 1890s. Working back upstream for a couple of hours, I finally got a faint, but large, broad, signal. The deeper I dug, the more confident I became that Little Jimmy was going to be on the cover of "Treasure" magazine. At nearly 4 feet down I hit a very rusted heavy iron plate. Widening the hole, I found that the dimensions of the plate was approximately 24" x 16". Whoo hoo! Maybe the gold-filled strong box? Nope, just a big old rusty Iron plate. The biggest, and most disappointing, target I have ever dug.

Hmmm... Hyperinflation due to unbacked fiat currency. Sounds all too possible. One German Mark in 1918 had the buying power of 100 Billon Marks in 1923. One story I read was about a German guy who took a wheelbarrow full of money to a store to make a purchase. Leaving it outside, he went inside to see if they had what he wanted. Upon his return, he found that someone had dumped the money on the ground but had stolen the far more valuable wheelbarrow.

Dave, I am acquainted with Forest Falls. I certainly wish the best for the inhabitants.

Regrettably, both the Big Bear and Rattlesnake Canyon placer areas in Southern California are being threatened by a fast-moving wildfire. Bummer. These are the prettiest auriferous areas in SoCal.

For those who possess gold, these high prices seem great, but in reality they reveal that the US dollar is in bad shape, which negatively affects most people on this forum. An ounce of gold remains an ounce of gold, what changes are the number of dollars required to purchase it. When the dollar is weak, MORE dollars are required to buy that same ounce. Nonetheless, I will admit that the fat check I received from Midwest Refineries for a handful of ugly nuggets certainly was gratifying. 😀

Outstanding find! Well done!

Depending on where you live, protection from venomous snakes can be vitality important. Snake gaiters and venom extractors help for common rattlesnakes. The Ozblokes on this forum can advise re: their more deadly serpents.

Yeah, I'm bad. Here in the Mojave viewing conditions were wonderful, Hawkeye and I really enjoyed star, comet, and satellite gazing last night.

Too busy to look for it this time around, I'll wait it's next visit. I'll put it on my "to do" list.

Science and research is well and good, but boots on the ground with detector in hand is mo' bettah. You can't find gold just talking about it.

Steve, I know exactly how you feel. I myself was a White's user for 37 years, and for 30 years I was one of their largest dealers. I'm still mentally numb about them going out of business. Yesterday l said my "goodbyes" to many of my friends at Whites. What a loss. Oh well...