Anyone Know Ben Thompson ?

[jasong]

Right on Dave, that's the attitude that will keep prospecting alive and well for those who come after us. Every nugget we dig up is one less lead for a greenhorn to find and make the same connections we made to find more gold. I remember how hard it was to succeed without anyone helping with some of those missing pieces when I started, and today it's even harder for greenhorns, tomorrow it might be impossible. A side note, you are the only person I've ever met who took me to a place where gold was found, to which I am still very appreciative.

I think about this a lot when I'm out detecting because I know today there are plenty of great places I've cleaned out now, that a newer prospector would pass right through and assume there is no gold, just as I did for years when I started. Yet I know if I took a dozer back there would still be more gold out of detector range and I know exactly where to dig if I have to permit them. I can't doze them all, someone should though. That's the kind of knowledge that I feel shouldn't be lost or modern prospecting is going to die with it. New technology is great, but a backhoe in just the right place can be just as good when most the surface stuff is gone.

[DolanDave]

On 3/2/2019 at 6:28 PM, jasong said:

New technology is great, but a backhoe in just the right place can be just as good when most the surface stuff is gone.

Thanks Jason, it was good seeing ya last weekend. I wish I had a mentor when I first started, I havent been gold hunting as long as others here, only 17 years. I learned myself, and it was a year before I got my first piece. When I'm to old to do it anymore, Im gonna write everything, with locations for examples, and the research I've done, where I went, and what I found along the way.... 

  Love the idea on the backhoe, and would love to throw the GPR in there for those deep bedrock dips ?... 

 Kick ass out there, oh and we like those videos ?.

Dave.

[dirtman]

  

[Swegin]

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I got this manual at a swap meet in Quartzsite, Arizona. It's a manual written by Ben Thompson, 

Have you had a chance to read it?   How was it if you did?   I have a feeling it would get the brain going.

[DolanDave]

2 hours ago, Swegin said:

Have you had a chance to read it?   How was it if you did?   I have a feeling it would get the brain going.

Hi Swegin, 

  Yes read the manual. A lot of good info in there. He talks a lot about his adventures, starting since a young age with his dad in the depression era, to late 90's when he published. Would love to see more history published from the guys been doing this 30+ years. I love reading Steve Herschbach's adventures here on the forum, and from others. 

Dave

[Dain Blackburn]

 I found the pictures of Ben Thompson. These were taken in the stringer district randsburg ca. around 2006.

Definitely one of the last of the old school prospectors.  

 

[Dain Blackburn]

I learned a lot from Ben. Look at the picture with the screen on his drywasher. Most everyone uses the expanded metal that's on most production dry washers. Ben used a 1/4 screen  to get better fine gold recovery. He would check his tailings with an old whites gold master when he was done.

 

[Hobo]

I knew Ben, he also spent some time around Quartzsite in his latter yrs. First met him drywashing near Downieville ebout1990.

[gambler]

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1 hour ago, Hobo said:

I knew Ben, he also spent some time around Quartzsite in his latter yrs. First met him drywashing near Downieville ebout1990.

could you elaborate on this? the thing that got me to join a particular club was seeing one of their members drywashing next to the yuba river several years ago.