Gold in them hills

[Dave]

There has been mining equipment being hualed past our place daily. Big equipment. So yesterday the wife and I drove up to see where it is all going. We found it on Clark Creek. Just a little down stream from the old site of Clarkville. This is where gold was discovered in 1862. Signs around a pretty big area that say mine claim no trespassing. I counted 3 big excavators, 2 front end loaders, 2 belly scrapers, a wash plant with shiny new paint, and 11 assorted RV trailers in their camp. This is the same property that Hoffmans on Gold Rush tried to mine one season and went bust.

 

[kenny thomas]

How do they handle the runoff from the washer? Surely it doesn't go back into the stream.

 

[Nesikep]

How do they handle the runoff from the washer? Surely it doesn't go back into the stream.

usually they have a settling pond then it goes back into the stream

That much equipment is a sure fire way to lose a lot of money and fast.. sounding like $1000/hour in operating expenses at the least

 

[Dave]

That area is about 4 miles long and nearly a mile wide. All of it is covered with tailing piles. I don't know where they figure they are going to find ground that hasn't been worked already. But I did meet two guys last fall who mined up in that general area. They were there on vacation for a week working their claim. The two of them pulled out 4 ounces of gold in that week. That is nearly $8,000.

 

[bird dog]

Maybe they have been watching the show Yukon Gold? On the show they occasionally rework the tailings from long ago mining camps with updated equipment. Its easy digging and sometimes it works out. Of course this is a TV show so take it for what its worth.

 

[Mrcopier]

Maybe they are film a show????

 

[Named'em Tamed'em]

I saw a show last week running tailings in Eastern Oregon.

 

[Dave]

I saw a show last week running tailings in Eastern Oregon.

I guess it might be them. The company doing it is K&E Excavation. Rancher I know who is just around the corner from this site says this is the fourth time they have mined there. He is sure they didn't get all the gold but they certainly got the lions share of it.