Briggs Pocket Gold

[tboykin]

Last weekend I got to tag along with Josh and Tom Bohmker, and a few other knowledgable miners. The destination was the Briggs Pocket in Southern Oregon. This was not an easy hike for some of the crew, but we all made it out and back. We did have one guy fall down a steep slope, but Josh was able to catch him before he tumbled down to the bottom.

The video tells some of the history of this famous pocket mine as well as how Josh and his family have used modern P.I. detectors to recover the gold left on the hillside by previous generations of miners. Of all types of metal detecting for gold, I would count pocket hunting as the most difficult - due to the terrain, research, and extensive geology knowledge required. It's something not many people have the patience for (me included), so I have to say I admire the gumption of the Bohmker family - they discovered the Briggs Pocket just two weeks before another party and have pulled a lot of gold out of their claim.

The gold from the Briggs Pocket tends to be spongey and interwound with the host rock (quartz). I will post some journal excerpts at the bottom of this post in case you'd like to read some historical accounts as well. But here's the video:

Every time I see Josh and Tom I learn so much about the geology of gold. Anyone who has an interest in pocket hunting might want to look them up. They do go on regular expeditions with folks, which I believe they run through their website.

I thought you guys might like a virtual tour of the Briggs Pocket - since this forum is where I got started on my journey of searching for gold.

 

HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS

Briggs History:  (As recorded by the Mining Review, Salt Lake City, Utah bi monthly publication)

 

June 30, 1904

 

Discovery of a mammoth pocket near the head waters of sucker creek, forty miles south of Grants Pass. The discovery was made by the two sons of David Briggs, while out hunting, and was purely accidental as they stumbled across it while trailing a deer. They have already brought in $6,000 from the pocket, and believe they will bring as much more before the glory hill is emptied. Much of the gold was in great slabs as big as a man's hand, and all of it came from a shallow cut, but three feet wide, three feet deep, and but six feet in length. 

 

July 15th, 1904

 

The Rush is still on to the new Eldorado up in the siskiyous, beyond Holland, and on the Oregon California line. I took the fever and joined the caravan, mainly for the purpose of satisfying a curiosity, but not an idle one, for it is to severe a strain on a scribblers physical make up to climb twenty miles almost straight up just to see what is going on over the divide. .........................

We found about 100 men scattered about the head of Thompson and Indian creeks, a number of whom had taken up claims. A townsite has been surveyed, and the town will be know as "Goldenview City" 

The strike made by Briggs has already taken out $25,000 in gold. Contented in the truth that want will never more drive them out of unbefitting toil, they are satisfied with the life of the mountains. Here is the freedom no other land can give, the genuine freedom of the western outer world. It was these mountains that gave up bountifully from their long hidden treasures. And they who were so fortunately endowed with not forget the giver. _ Dennis H Stovall

 

 

Records indicate that this was worked for two seasons, and there was a group that braved the winter and worked through. In the end, the strike led to a rush up there of over 2000 men, almost everything was claimed up, and many smaller strikes were made within the vicinity. I don't think the town of Goldenview ever came to pass. They (Briggs) sold the claim and staked a new claim not far away. A company from Chicago invested substantial money into developing the mine, but turned up nothing, or at least not enough to be profitable. By June of 2005, there was no more reports on the Briggs strike. 

[Swifty]

Thanks Tom, very interesting read and video.

[~LARGO~]

Very cool story...  Thanks for sharing!

~Largo~

 

[Rod K]

Glad you had a good trip Tom. Thanks for the video and history.

Rod

[strick]

Great job on that video. I really enjoyed it.

strick

[Steve Herschbach]

Finally sat down and watched it - very nice video Tom - thanks!

[gambler]

cool vid

[Tortuga]

Be a great spot for a GPZ, those are lethal on species.

And somebody get that guy with tennis shoes a pair of boots!

[tboykin]

7 hours ago, Tortuga said:

Be a great spot for a GPZ, those are lethal on species.

And somebody get that guy with tennis shoes a pair of boots!

A lot of the gold at Briggs is larger, so something that is light and easy to swing on a 45 degree hillside (and easy to pack in)  really helps. There was a guy with a GPX there but most of the crew was using TDI SLs.

Luckily the tennis shoes held up, but the gentleman did mention he'd bring boots next time!

[~LARGO~]

           One benefit as you grow older, is that you can watch a great video such as this, and in a week or so watch it again, enjoying it every bit as much as you did the first time you saw it... 

~LARGO~