Jim Straight Passes Away

[Reno Chris]

I got the word that Jim Straight has passed away in recent days. I last saw and spoke with Jim a bit over a year ago. He spent several hours on both Saturday and Sunday in the ICMJ booth with me at the Pomona GPAA show. He was a good man and wrote many articles for the ICMJ. It is sad to see him go. Jim was a great pioneer in the world of metal detecting for gold. He was on site for a great many famous old gold finds with metal detectors. Yet ye was very tight lipped about those locations. A lot of great secrets passed with him. It was always great to chat with him as we traveled a lot of similar paths - we both graduated from the Mackay School of mines, but about 30 years apart. We both spent a lot of time prospecting around Randsberg, CA and the northern Nevada placers of Pershing and Humboldt counties. I will miss our talks, as will so many other prospectors.

[afreakofnature]

Sad day indeed!  I wish I could have met him.  RIP Jim and thank you for all the written knowledge you passed on!  

[mn90403]

I'm sad to hear this news also.

[flakmagnet]

Jim was a mentor either personally or with his writings to a huge number of gold hunters. 'Follow the Drywashers' is an enduring classic for anyone interested in metal detecting and prospecting. 

Thank you Jim, God speed, you will be missed.

[jasong]

He will be missed by many I'm sure. I'm glad we had a chance to speak a few times in email and always wished our paths would cross in the field, Jim seemed like a genuinely good person and a pioneer electronic prospector to boot.

[geof_junk]

That is big lost to all of use, and I think many more here in Australia will agree with me. All the best  wishes to his family.

[Lunk]

When I first got into nuggetshooting, I learned a great deal from Jim’s publications. And a few years later I was fortunate enough to hunt with him in the northern Nevada goldfields. And then several years ago I ran into him in Randsburg, where he graciously took me on a geologic tour of the area. I will always remember his sense of humor and passion for prospecting. Rest in peace my friend.

 

[Busho]

Sad. Not too many gold detectorists haven't heard of him. Legend.

[Goldseeker5000]

It is always a sad day when a great mind in our gold hunting community has passed away. It is a loss to all across the globe. You are very right Chris about a loss of knowledge and secrets with each one of these legends passing. I never met him, but it's a loss. I felt this loss when my two old timer miner friends, George Kornec  and Clay Lewis passed.