Back To The River Gold Prospecting, Then Detecting The River & Tailings. Here's What I Got:

John-Edmonton

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Jan 11, 2006
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Way up North, Canada


I was quite surprised to get all these finds. All in the river never the less! This area was good picnic grounds in the late 1800, and also flour gold prospecting back then.




Close to the river's edge, deep in the sand, came this beautiful sterling silver salt shaker. I knew it was too heavy for aluminum, and was delighted to see a sterling silver stamp plus a silversmith's stamp! It doesn't get much better then this!




How's this for an old cartridge! Enough power there to take down an elephant. Here's some info I got on the internet.

"It was fired in the Winchester 1886 Rifle & Carbine. Probably was available in the 1885 Hi-Wall as well. It was/is a powerful or heavy duty (as you call it) cartridge for big game and is still popular for Elk. It would certainly do a number on bigger bear as well. It is a center fire type and uses large rifle primers. With a magazine full of these cartridges in an 86 there wasn't too much that you had to be afraid of in North American woods."





Because I shoveled gravel into my high banker for a good 4 hours, I managed to get a nice pile of petrified wood.




And, the finest (pun intended) flour gold from the previous day prospecting, same stuff our early settlers searched for.

Nice to see metal detecting and prospecting both sharing the same terrain, and each getting their own great finds. :)
 
If you are willing to train an apprentice on sluicing for one week, I will bring my AT PRO and shovel!!!
 
Silver and gold and things of old! Nice digs again John. Your posts always make me want to set up a sluice box, but around Wisconsin, it's hard to find any decent concentration of that flour gold.
Great report!
 
Silver and gold and things of old! Nice digs again John. Your posts always make me want to set up a sluice box, but around Wisconsin, it's hard to find any decent concentration of that flour gold.
Great report!

Well.....go out and dig for flour gold anyways......it's not about how much, but the adventure! And take your detector along. There are surprises waiting for you out there.
 
Man! You must have pounds of that gold dust! You always find piles of it.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Pounds of it :lol: At best, maybe a quarter of an ounce! It always looks like there is more then there really is. The smaller pieces of gold will actually float on water. When I clean my black sands, I add liquid detergent soap help break the water surface tension, so the lighter gold will stay in suspension and not float away.

It's a challenge to get that gold from sluice to snuffer! Using the laws of physics, chemistry, some hard work and a little luck really makes prospecting a lot of fun, just like metal detecting.
 
Yeah Love your posts about sluicing and detecting! Plus the other finds of geological interest!

Thanks Mud! One of the reasons I like to post on this forum are your humorous, entertaining responses to the posts! It would be a real pleasure to someday spend a day hunting or prospecting with you.

Miss you on the other forum.....

All the best!

John-Edmonton
 
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