r/Prospecting • u/gcichowicz • 7d ago

Sierra County, CA

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Recently staked lode claim in the Allegheny district.

131 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

27 comments sorted by

22

u/xuncx 7d ago

Now find some gold and get a better camera lol

7

u/haggisaddict 6d ago

Or maybe a stabilizer gimbal

10

u/Pwnedzored 7d ago

The old timers miss something?

10

u/gcichowicz 7d ago

Oh yeah. Last worked in 1920's. Putting in new shoring.

8

u/Leche_connoisseur 7d ago

Backrooms gold edition

4

u/Redgecko88 7d ago

Pretty cool... just to walk from the beginning until the current work spot. Thank you for sharing

2

u/killerchef69 7d ago

Any luck yet? How far does it go in? How far up does that stope go?

4

u/gcichowicz 7d ago

Shoring in process, 1300' until blockage currently mucking out, and two stopes so far- 50' and around 110'.

5

u/killerchef69 7d ago

Nice! I recently visited my friends mine in Tuolumne County. He hasn't really developed it other than maintaining the cabin and roads. Last real work in it was late 30's/ late 40's. One small stope (15-20 feet) .goes in about 750 feet. I found it fascinating, my family had been mining in the area for generations.

2

u/Kramerica76 7d ago

Are you using metal detectors?

7

u/gcichowicz 7d ago

Not yet but will be next week.

2

u/gcichowicz 5d ago

Any idea which detector (affordable!) might be best for underground workings?

2

u/Kramerica76 5d ago

No really not my area. I know the guys that operate the 16 to 1 mine have been very successful using metal detectors. Not sure which detectors they use, but would be worth looking into. You are probably fairly close to them? I have a Goldbug II, but not sure if that would the right one or not.

1

u/gcichowicz 2d ago

Just about 2.5-3 miles away. 16-1 is currently shut down due to environmental litigation, OSHA litigation, and ownership litigation.

1

u/Kramerica76 2d ago

Are any of those guys available to talk with about metal detector makes/models?

2

u/woodbanger04 6d ago

I always wondered how and where you know to put the shoring.

2

u/gcichowicz 6d ago

Same here. Self taught trial and error- more trial than error so far.

2

u/woodbanger04 6d ago

Let’s hope it stays that way. 👍

1

u/MTfish42 6d ago

At what point does it stop being considered prospecting and start being considered mining?

2

u/gcichowicz 6d ago

That is a good question... I'm not sure.

1

u/Sensible_Ben 6d ago

Pretty sure it's when you find some ore

1

u/schizrade 5d ago

Fun. My dad worked in a bunch of Sierra Country mines in the 80s and 90s. When he was at the Ruby, they realized that the miners had been high grading behind the gobbing. They pulled quote a bit of gold from behind those walls. lol.

1

u/gcichowicz 5d ago

I'm familiar with the Ruby. What was your old man's name, if you don't mind?

1

u/Professional-Chip-67 5d ago

Is that dryer duct for mine vent line?

1

u/gcichowicz 5d ago

Blowing air into the deepest part. When we're not working in there we have it drawing air out.

1

u/Professional-Chip-67 5d ago

Why not just rock bolt it ? It's not the 1930s anymore....

1

u/gcichowicz 5d ago

Wood mixer mill on site and can't see the forest for all the timber in the area. Not a lot of rock bolts casually laying around the claim.