Nostalgic Photos Of Mining Gold At Dale And Rattlesnake Canyon

[Jim McCulloch]

Jerry Burnett was one of my mentors in gold mining. He began gold mining as a small boy. On YouTube look up the "First Class Miners" channel, and scroll to the video showing "Jerry's Historical Gold Prospecting" photos. You'll see Jerry at various ages, plus Dick Delahanty, and some Area 51 Gold. For me, the video is a trip down memory lane.  HH Jim

[Clay Diggins]

Here's the link direct to the video Jim:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8utsK3NxjuI

 

[flakmagnet]

Jim, those were interesting photos. It shows, once again, the amount of work that goes into mining. Are the First Class Miners functioning out there still? I've lost track of the activities in the Dale...

 

[Drellim]

What a Wonderfull post I was fortunate to meet RD    Also I have fond memories in the Dale   It has its charm in land and men  what a tough place to work back then brutal  wind and heat  if it’s not one it’s the other I did get some perfect days out there have not seen the kit foxes and rabbits in years  

[Hard Prospector]

Brutal place to live and make a living back in the day for sure.  I and some others  found our share of pay drywashing and some nuggets detecting.  The guys that were cleaver enough to bring the first PI machines into the Dale found POUNDS of nuggets in very short order....... Just wish I had been one of them.

 

[Drellim]

Yes sir many pounds of gold was found and many multi  pound  days    Seems the old line men and sheriffs had all the old tales and made it pay  it’s hard to believe   who knows what’s under those  those flats down deep I imagine little gold veins all over out there You do need to be part billy goat   Out there  even the tortoises have a hard time  seen many on the big flats amongst the desert varnished stones    Baked to a crisp     

[Gerry in Idaho]

Thanks for sharing the info and names of those before you Jim.  The traditional prospector worked their butts off so hard. Dirty work with many times not much reward.  It's not my style of Prospecting as I like to cover area and move along.  I'll stock to swinging a detector and let the traditional miners do their thing.  I image, it all depends on ones mindset and I'm all for folks having fun and smiling as they show their gold, no matter what technique they used to find it.

Speaking of having fun while on the hunt for Au.  Last week I walked/slid/stumbled for 2 days across tailing piles to eventually come home dead tired and sore feet/body.  I whined a little to my wife about it and she looked me in the eyes and said, "then why you do it?"  I actually was caught off guard a little and thought it over a bit before answering.  Then replied "the thrill of the hunt".  

Yesterday, the same tailing piles and I was finally rewarded with a specimen.  Still went home with a sore and beat up body, but for some reason it didn't quite hurt as much.  

Thank you my friend for allowing us to go down memory lane of such a great Prospector.

[Jim McCulloch]

Thanks guys. Dick has been gone for 15 years,  Jerry for 8, Jim Straight for 4. They were pals and mentors to many. 

[Swegin]

1 hour ago, Jim McCulloch said:

Jim Straight for 4.

I can't believe it has it been 4 years already?