GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS - part 4

#34 - Busted

GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS – part 4 

part 1, part 2, part 3 

Rivers from millions of years ago, from the Tertiary Period, known as “Ancient Rivers of Gold”, ran through northern California. These rivers have been mapped.  Even the course of the Jura River, from the days of dinosaurs in the Jurassic Period, is known. These old rivers are the prime source of California’s Mother Lode Gold.  

Then, the Sierra Mountains were not as steep, and as they lifted from tectonic pressure below, they buckled, folded, dropped, tilted sideways, turned askew, and separated. Volcanoes blasted through and lava flowed over them. They rose high and dry hundreds of feet, and in some cases thousands. 

New water courses formed and reformed as they cut through seeking sea level. Today’s rivers still bear their names - The Yuba, Calaveras, Mokelumne, Tuolumne, and the American.  

Visible evidence of these ancient rivers is plentiful. Exposed hillsides where roads have cut through hills reveal the cobble, rock that has been rounded and smoothed by erosion, the telltale sign of erosion that flowing water can produces.  

On the north side of Interstate 80 east of the town of Colfax is a well-known example, as is the road into the town of Allegheny. Both are at about 4000’ in altitude and hundreds of feet above present river levels. They are miles distant from each other and on different river courses. 

The soil and gravel of these ancient rivers is often compacted by mineral leeching and pressure necessitating the use of rock crushers or prolonged soaking in water. We had this on our claim. It can be rich in gold.  

WINTER COMES  

Rain was expected by late November. Though we were experiencing below normal rainfall in northern California, any rain at all would swell the river and it would run fast. Setting up equipment in the current was a no-go.  

During the winter, spending much time in the water, even well insulated, gloved, and wearing waders, was numbing. We prospected the banks of our claims, looking for another “hot” spot, setting up a campfire on the rock gravel to warm ourselves.  

We did our exploring during this off season. With research, and connections with other miners, you could find land to prospect and claim. Most often these claims were in very steep terrain with only seasonal runoff water and far from road access. Almost unworkable.  

There is every likelihood that there is good gold there, but it is true that most of the good areas were already claimed. And these are held on to. There were good claims for sale. They were pricey. We found two more claims. I bought in on one of them.  

By late spring and early summer, after the snowmelt runoff, we were back in the water at the #1. We were running out of options as to how to continue to work. We had moved a lot of big rocks with come-along winches as far as we could, and with the rock we were moving by hand, we had boxed ourselves in. It was piling up. Each new area we dredged necessitated moving the rock again.  

We wanted to go into the bank as that was where the gold was leading us. But it was not wise. An incident brought our concerns to the fore.  

Working on a wheelbarrow sized boulder embedded in the bank, it finally broke out and fell into the hole, but upon landing it took an unexpected roll to the side and pinned one of the guys by his ankle against another rock. He was caught. He was shin-deep in the water. 

It was difficult getting him free. It took a lot of digging and our two biggest guys, each with a long pry bar, to finally get the angle on the rock and move it enough to free his ankle. It took a while, we almost decided to go for help.  

In the steep canyon we were in, there was no cell signal. And along with the accident, it would have been awkward as we were dredging. Though tolerated in many jurisdictions, it is illegal.  

We got “Ted” to the doctor in Grass Valley where it was confirmed his ankle and a couple more foot bones were broken. It took months to heal. He never came back. 

We knew we had come to the end of our digging into the bank. We began spending our time on our other claims. We were getting good gold, but they had yet to show the promise that our #1 claim did. 

A day on the river, the camaraderie, and the conversations we had on the seven-hour drive to and from the river was the reward. The gold was good also. 

I wrote a song about it – you can hear it here. 

THE GOLDEN SLIDE  

Up & down a long night, you stretch and rub your eyes 

Day breaks on the highway and lights a golden sky 

Up & down the byways and through the towns you glide 

Piecing up the puzzle that’s always on your mind 

You are on the Golden Slide, up & down, down & up, the Golden Slide 

Up & down the foothills and through the oak and pine 

& through the mist & morning fog & over the next rise 

Up & down the mountains hot or cold, rain snow or shine 

Some say it’s a fever, some say it make you blind 

You are on the Golden Slide, up & down, down & up, the Golden Slide 

Up & down the rivers in dirt & rock it rides 

It’s there for the taking, it’s yours if you can find it 

Up & down the sun goes & sleep tugs at your eyes 

Still, you lay there thinking, still the gold it shines 

You are on the Golden Slide, up & down, down & up, the Golden Slide 

The End 

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