Golden Legends Tales of Buried Treasure

  Thomas J. Beale, about whom little is known and apparently from Virginia, came across a mine loaded with gold, silver, and jewels. The mine was reported to be in the Santa Fe, New Mexico area.        He and 30 other discoverers transported the booty to Bedford County,  Virginia and buried the lot. It is claimed that Beale then thought up 3 ciphers, while each of the encoded messages detailed the treasure,  its location, and contact info of those who were in cahoots with him.        These messages were hidden in a treasure box. One of his buddies was instructed  never to open the box except if he had not returned for the same in 10 years.        In 1885, the ciphers were published. Of the three, only the second one has  been revealed describing in detail the amazing treasure. Since  this has been deciphered, the key appears to be the Declaration of Independence. To this day, the other tw...

Building Wonderful Model Ships from Scrap - YouTube

 This is a story about one of my gold adventures. I hope you enjoy it. https://letterpile.com/personal-essays/Remarkable-Hamburger-Pickles-Lead-to-Flood-Gold

Before I could afford an aluminum motorized dry washer, I found a small one made of wood that was easy to carry. My routine was to go to prospecting club claims. If I was parked close to a claim, I would dig dirt and walk to my truck to pan. But there were times when I had to travel quite a way to get to the paydirt - dragging a lot of water too on foot (in Arizona) wasn't so easy.  If I found a good little spot with fine gold, frequently I would have to quit before I had dug it all out. In those cases, my little dry washer came in handy. On returning, I would bring the mini dry washer and that usually did the trick. I could dry wash material until there was no sign of fine gold and carry the washed material back to my truck or home for panning. It made things a lot simpler. If I returned to the area I would remember and just carry the little guy with me. Here are some photos. The above mini dry washer weighs 11 pounds. I suggest another site where you can read about a light dry wa...

  Image by  sipa202  from  Pixabay https://sprott.com/insights/sprott-precious-metals-report-2023-top-10-watch-list/  

 I found a great article about  8 rivers in Arizona where gold has been found. An explanation of location is discussed for each of the rivers. Panning for Gold in 8 Arizona Rivers As many may know, Colorado ranks second in the race for gold in the United States  with only California ahead of it. So it is reasonable to expect that with the Colorado river flowing through it, gold can be found  in Arizona and Nevada at the river. The early miners who struck it rich did so at the mouth of the Colorado in the Grand Canyon. One location, Temple Bar on the Colorado River north of the White Hills, provided prospectors with the yellow stuff.  A lucky few folks were able to find coarse gold in the Black Canyon quadrangle  which is near an outer bow of the Colorado River. Notice the area south of Henderson, Nevada. Gold, moderately course, was discovered about 2 miles north of Pyramid Rock. It is claimed that  finely distributed gold in the sand bars opposite El ...

Panning traps are areas where gold is naturally trapped. They are found where the river  water runs rapidly, then when it calms after passing over a small rapid or waterfall it settles.  A narrow canyon provides a place where gold will get hung up - the water calms before entering a valley that is wider.  When this happens, the heavy minerals will be the first to settle out.  Small tranquil pools with heavy mineral concentrations are often found below little rapids. These are the best places to begin prospecting. Check this article out.  Where to Pan for Gold: Tips for the Amateur Prospector From a “Pro” - HobbyLark