Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Newsletter

The News
v. 15, n. 11 November, 2011 Going for the Gold Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com

Contents
1 2 2 3 4 6 8 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 Treasure In Western Wyoming & Northwest Colorado About The News Book Review Early Colorado Gold Mining History Gold Boulder Of Summitville News From Arizona Dan Rare Roman Coin Find Interesting Financial Thought Calendar of Events Calendars More 1933 Gold Coins Turn Up Breckenridge Gold & Tom's Baby Annual Show & Tell Annual Silent Auction Trading Post 2011 Schedule of Events Contact List
Boulder County Colorado Gold

Treasure in Western Wyoming & Northwest Colorado

The following tales was related to Rick Mattingly by Stanley Meager of northwestern Colorado some years ago.

sther Campbell told me this story. She and her husband Duward (spelling) lived in the May Bell area and wanted to move to Browns Park and run some cattle. They had heard of some property being for sale on Douglas Mountain and rode their horses over to talk to the man. It was a three day ride and when they got there no one would talk to them (Later she found out people thought they were from the FBI). They finally located the man (this about 1930) in Indian Canyon on Douglas Mountain. but he was not home. They went in to wait for him. It was a cabin built against the cliff with a bedroom in the back. They looked in and saw the mans bed was made from old train mail sacks. They thought him to be some kind of outlaw and left. Later they made contact with him and bought the ranch, in a very remote area (On a recent trip, it took me two hours with 4WD after leaving the main road to get in to the canyon). When they went back, the bed of mail sacks was gone. He came back several months later with pack horses and stayed several days. When he left, he left with a lot more than he came with and she saw a box of jewelry he had among his things. Some years later, when she was teaching school, an art professor from Denver came to spend the summer with them. He would go out and sit on rocks and draw. This was during the war and sugar was scarce. One day he was at the table and mentioned to them about the barrels and boxes they had stored in a cave out back of the
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"It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech." - Mark Twain

About The News

Advertising Classified advertising for topic related items is free for non-business ads. See the Trading Post section for donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Donations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are available on request. About RMPTH RMPTH is an independent nonprofit hobbyist social club, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detecting or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide an educational and social forum of mutual benefit for members. RMPTH holds a monthly meeting and conducts various field outings, as well as offers special presentations and seminars. Active participants have voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News, is readily available on the Internet. Persons wishing to receive the newsletter in hardcopy, mailed format are required to provide the amount of $24 per year required to print and mail. Otherwise, no annual dues are charged as the social club functions strictly by donation.

he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club (RMPTH): our mailing address is P.O. Box 271863, Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863. Opinions expressed in The News are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the club or its members. Publication of information in The News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use of any information found in this publication is at the sole risk of the user. Neither RMPTH, nor its coordinators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributors assume any liability for damages resulting from use of information in this publication. Submissions

Articles, letters and short items of interest on prospecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for publication are subject to editing. Submittals for publication may be made in writing or, preferably, in ASCII text format on IBM-compatible disk. If you have questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information. Copyright Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groups may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in The News without prior permission, provided that proper author and publication credits are given and that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to RMPTH at the above mailing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters with RMPTH are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.

Book Review
By Paul Lange Colorado Preservationist, the Colorado Preservation Journal by Colorado Preservation, Inc., 2100 Downing Street, Suite 300, Denver CO ecently, I picked up what I thought was a magazine that in actuality is a journal. It is published 4 times annually and includes articles on historic places considered endangered that people can volunteer their time, money and energy to find, identify, restore and save. Among the many featured articles that I reviewed were ones about the restoration of Colorados Capital Dome in Denver and the relationship between the Alliance for Historic Wyoming and the Bureau of Land Management and how they are working together to protect South Pass. Gold prospecting around the South Pass area is something that we discussed at our last club meeting in October. There are many pictures both old and new (today) that accompany select articles. Did you know that there is a new Master of Science in Historic Preservation program at the University of Colorado in Denver? Ever heard of a town called Trail City in Prowers County, Colorado? Go to the Colorado Preservationist, Inc. website at www.coloradopreservation.org to learn more about them. It is important to keep up with ongoing preservation efforts across the state and at the national level to see how they may impact our mutual hobbies of interest. Other organizations that have websites you may want to become familiar with are as follows: Go to www.historicorps.org to see details of current projects of HistoriCorps TM. Go to HistoricWyoming.org to learn more about the Alliance for Historic Wyoming.
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The News, November 2011

(Continued from page 1)

cabin. They told him they knew nothing about it. He said that he had found a cave on the ridge that contained many wood boxes and barrels and thought it was their stash of sugar and such from the war. They knew nothing about it but couldn't take time off at that time to go look at it. About a week went by and the professor tried to take them to it but couldn't remember where it was located. They never did find it but always thought it belonged to the outlaw they bought the place from. That is one story about the place. This is the "treasure rock" story. Esther told me she wanted to build a sidewalk from the cabin to her pig pen and had found a place up one of the draws that had lots of flat rock. ( I found this location and a spring she talked about and the flat rocks). She would take her pack horse up the canyon and pull out these flat rocks and pack them on down to the cabin. The rocks were red sandstone about two inches thick and about 2 feet long. She pulled one out of the cliff and started to pack it when she noticed pencil writing on it. When she looked closer she found a map drawn on it. She rushed to her husband and showed him. They looked for the treasure off and on for over 40 years. A treasure hunter named Apache Jim even flew over the canyon looking for it. I told her I sure wish I could see it and she said she had kept it under her bed all these years. She let me take it and study it. At the top it said "An 1873 treasure hidden (then the rock had sluffed off to make it unreadable) ladore." It showed the western ridge of the canyon and the head of an Indian chief. If you stand on the road that goes down to the cabin you can plainly see the land mark drawn on the rock. It had arrows pointing along the ridge and then east to a spot marked with two large dots about an inch apart. One of them said treasure. The pencil lead used was very old, it was dull and gray not black like todays. The spelling was not good and no starting point was ever made. No distance was ever recorded and that's what made it difficult to follow. Someone had ridden through the draw, sat on the bank of the small stream and pulled out that rock, drew the map and then replaced it so it would not be seen. It was like a reminder for the person that drew the map. What are the chances of someone coming out there to get rocks for a sidewalk and pulling that out? Was it a joke by her husband, the only other one that knew where she was getting the rock from? Maybe, he did like to make good jokes but he looked for it for many years and never told her if he did make it a joke. I took pictures of it and drew sketches and they are packed way. I hunted for it about a week with my detectors but didn't find anything. The place is now owned by a Texas hunting outfit that comes out once a year and hunts deer and elk. Is it a true story? I don't know but Esther believed in it. The soil on the mountain is very sparse. You can't dig
The News, November 2011

in most spots and the map said something was hidden and not buried. That showed realism because it would have to be hidden and not buried, as there is not enough dirt that I could ever see. After her death, her nephew got everything including the rock and I have no idea what has happened to it. She did not show me another rock she mentioned that her husband had found on the mountain. It was definitely Spanish marked and showed the way to a church treasure location. It had been removed and she had no idea where he got it or which way it had been pointing. In recent years, just to the northwest of their canyon, a very large copper producing mine was developed. Maybe it had pointed the way to that. I don't know but it was real and it was Spanish. Later, Stan

Early Colorado Gold Mining History

he Rocky Mountain Company was organized in 1859 by R. W. Steel to bring water to the miners on the Gregory lodes and Russell Gulch, Green Russell, one of the Russell family credited with the discovery of gold in Colorado, also had the same idea and incorporated the Fall River Company. The group quickly merged into the Consolidated Ditch Company, with Green as president. Steele and the RMC went on to work other claims for his company. (1) Steele's new company was the Rocky Mountain Gold Mining Company, which owned two claims on the Gregory Lode, claims in Gregory Gulch, and others along the Clear Creek drainage. Hollister said of the company in 1866, "They have two shafts on (Gregory #)13, one more than 200 feet deep, usual size and well timbered, exposing an ore vein from 8 to 18 inches wide for the lower 75 feet, and having a 20 inch ore crevice in the bottom. Another shaft on #13, sixty-six feet west, has been sunk to 160 feet in depth, developing an ore vein in the bottom of ten inches; 160 feet from the surface a level, driven 35 feet west, lays bare an average ore vein of twenty inches. There is a whim house on the surface 30 x 60, horse-power for hoisting; crevice barely struck on 14, 70 tons of ore out. The Company own a 20-stamp mill in Black Hawk, which has been closed since 1863. Nothing has been done on the mine since June, 1865, no agent
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Gold Boulder Of Summitville

From The Mining Record November, 1976

he largest amount of gold ever found in a single specimen in Colorado is contained in a 114 pound volcanic rock valued at more than $3 50,00.00, which will be presented to the Denver Museum of Natural History on November 19, 1976. The boulder was discovered next to a mine access road in Summitville on October 3, 1975. It was found on land leased by the world wide mining and metals company from Reynolds Mining Company, a pioneer Colorado mining firm. Reynolds representatives, Mrs. G.H. Garrey and John Tippit have donated their interest in the specimen to the museum on behalf of the descendants of A. E. Reynolds. When discovered, the specimen Weighed 141.5 pounds. It contains an estimated 350 troy ounces, or almost 30 troy pounds of gold. (12 troy ounces equal one troy pound.) According to Jack Murphy, curator of the museums department of geology, the boulder may be one of the largest masses of gold in matrix preserved and placed on public exhibit in the United States. Among the many veinlets of gold in the boulder, curator Murphy said, there is one that is one inch thick at its widest part> It goes through the entire mass for about 12 inches. There is more gold visible in that one vein alone than started most gold rushes to Colorado and other states in the 1840s and 50s. The Gold Boulder of Summitville is not a true nugget, which is defined as a piece of solid gold, usually rounded and worn down by the action of running water, Murphy explained. The Gold Boulder of Summitville is a volcanic rock with an abundance of crystalline gold in veinlets and particles that are scattered throughout the entire mass. The specimen is 21 inches from side to side, a foot thick, and 14 inches from top to base. It was not found in a rock outcrop, but rather as a float, or as an isolated boulder on a hillside. Mr. Ellithorpe was operating a bulldozer and stopped at the spot where the boulder lay quite by accident; a pickup truck was stalled there, and needed assistance. While he was climbing back on his bulldozer he noticed a yellow streak gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight and was attracted to the boulder. The gold contained in the newly donated specimen is three times more than the gold in the museums exhibited Toms Baby, the restored remnants of the largest piece of gold ever discovered in Colorado. Toms Baby contained 103 troy ounces, or 8 1/2 troy pounds of gold and is not a true placer nugget, but a mass of crystallized gold that was found in a rock matrix on Farncomb Hill near Breckenridge. According to Jack Murphy, the gold Boulder of Summitville is quite different and is not so aesthetic in appearance because of the lack of crystallization that Toms Baby shows. It must be in(Continued on page 5)

"I think Members of Congress should wear uniforms like NASCAR drivers so we could identify their corporate sponsors." - Anonymous

Gold Glossary
Spiral concentrator a device with a spiral form of concentrating placer gold. Commercial models are available for concentrating gold from either dry or wet operations.

TREASURE HUNTERS CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect private property and do no treasure hunting without the owner's permission. I WILL fill all excavations. I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources, wildlife, and private property. I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy at all times. I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only. I WILL leave gates as found. I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I find. I WILL NOT litter. I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is left of ghost towns and deserted structures. I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or equipment.

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BLESSED ARE THE WHACKADOODLES, FOR THEY LET IN THE LIGHT!

1. My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was God and I didn't. 2. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it. 3. Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them. 4. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke. 5. Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive. 6. You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me 7. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder. 8. Earth is the insane asylum for the universe. 9. I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing. 10. Out of my mind. Back in five minutes. 11. NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-roomspinning medicine. 12. God must love stupid people; He made so many. 13. The gene pool could use a little chlorine. 14. Consciousness: That annoying time between naps. 15. Ever stop to think, and forget to start again? 16. Being 'over the hill' is much better than being under it! 17. Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up. 18. Procrastinate Now! 19. I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That? 20. A hangover is the wrath of grapes. 21. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance. 22. Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere! 23. They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken. 24. He who dies with the most toys is none the less DEAD. 25. A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory. 26. Ham and eggs... A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig. (how true) 27. The trouble with life is there's no background music. 28. The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson. 29. I smile because I don't know what the heck is going on. 30. Ever notice how people who tell you to calm down are the ones who got you mad in the first place? 31. Ever get the feeling that your stuff strutted off without you? 32. Men are always whining about how we're suffocating them. Personally, I think if you can hear them whining you're not pressing hard enough on the pillow! 33. Its scary when you start making the same noise as your coffee maker. 34. I'm starting to wonder how bad four years with no president would be.

terpreted in a different manner, he explained, in the historical perspective of its discovery 100 years or more after the great gold rushes, and its total content of some 30 troy pounds of gold. It also has important scientific value as a unique example of how gold forms in a particular type of volcanic environment. Students of mining and mineralogy should find it quite interesting, and it was for its value as a museum display specimen rather than as an ore sample that it was donated by Asarco to the Denver Museum of Natural History.

Property Wanted For Detector Hunt

RMPTH is looking for private property on which to hold an organized club detector hunt. Obviously, it would be most ideal if this property is known to have seen some past historical activity. If you have such property or know of someone who does, please contact Paul Lange or Rick Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.

Refreshment Volunteers
November - Dave Montoya

The News, November 2011

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News From Arizona Dan

ello RMPTH club members,

Its been several years since I last spoke to the RMPTH club and led a field trip. Those were some of the most memorable events of my career - especially my first talk to the RMPTH club when I went searching for the Allnut Family Center wondering if I had found the right place or if I had an captive audience. Over the years, I spoke at some weird places, but that was the only time I had ever spoke in a funeral home. For those who attended my talks and field trips, you may be wondering where some of the gold prospects are located that I mentioned? It turns out that a few of those prospects have turned out to be $billion dollar prospects - such as the Rattlesnake Hills gold district, the Bear Lodge gold-rare earths district, Donlin Creek district, and the Copper King prospect. And these don't even include the many gemstones I found in the West of the years. In total, I have been directly or partially responsible for the finding more than $70 billion in gold (and counting). As time continues, I'm convinced there will be other multi-$billion deposits developed in the West where I found gold, diamonds and or gemstones - such as South Pass, Seminoe Mountains, Mineral Hill, Leucite Hills, State Line district, Kurtz Chatterton and Julian Creek. Some of these deposits and others I suggested to the Geological Survey or various mining companies I worked for, will turn into major deposits based on their geology. I suspect that some of the individuals who listened to my talks, short courses, or field trips are wondering if only they had staked a claim ... You still may not be too late. After researching for several years, my son (also a geologist) and I finished and published our new gold book that tells how to find gold, where to find it and how to recognize the precious metal. We hope you will take a look at this guide to gold deposits available at Amazon.. And while you are at it, feel free to sign up for our free newsletter at http://GemHunter.webs.com. Thanks, Dan W. Dan Hausel W. Dan Hausel Geological Consulting LLC Gilbert, AZ 85233

Local Treasure Tales

hermit known as Ben Leeper lived in a cabin on a hill near Golden. It was discovered that he was an outlaw and he had buried a large sum of gold coins, some say the amount was well over $100,000. He was placed in jail and died there without revealing any information as to where his caches were hidden. Most believe they are fairly close to the site of his old cabin, but so far nothing over the years has been found. Photos Included: A portion of map showing the town of Golden, a red X marks the general area where some believe his cabin is located at. A photo of the area of Golden, treasure hunting should be good in this area.

Jefferson County Ben Leepers Loot

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The News, November 2011

Treasure hunters eye huge silver haul from WWII ship

(AFP) MIAMI

hen the SS Gairsoppa was torpedoed by a German U-boat, it took its huge silver cargo to a watery grave. Seventy years later, US divers said they are working to recover what may well be the biggest shipwreck haul ever.

Florida-based Odyssey Marine Exploration on Monday confirmed the identity and location of the Gairsoppa and cited official documents indicating the ship was carrying some 219 tons of silver coins and bullion when it sank in 1941 in the North Atlantic some 300 miles (490 kilometers) off the Irish coast. That's worth about $200 million today, which would make it history's largest recovery of precious metals lost at sea, Odyssey said. "We've accomplished the first phase of this project -- the location and identification of the target shipwreck -and now we're hard at work planning for the recovery phase," Odyssey senior project manager Andrew Craig said in a statement. "Given the orientation and condition of the shipwreck, we are extremely confident that our planned salvage operation will be well suited for the recovery of this silver cargo." Recovery is expected to begin next spring. After a tender process the British government awarded Odyssey an exclusive salvage contract for the cargo, and under the agreement Odyssey will retain 80 percent of the silver bullion salvaged from the wreck. The 412-foot (125-meter) Gairsoppa had been sailing from India back to Britain in February 1941, and was in a convoy of ships when a storm hit. Running low on fuel, the Gairsoppa broke off from the convoy and set a course for Galway, Ireland. It never made it, succumbing to a U-boat's torpedo in the contested waters of the North Atlantic. Of the 85 people on board, only one survived. The Gairsoppa came to rest nearly 15,400 feet (4,700 meters) below the surface, but Odyssey is insisting that won't prevent a full cargo recovery. "We were fortunate to find the shipwreck sitting upright, with the holds open and easily accessible," Odyssey chief executive Greg Stemm said. "This should enable us to unload cargo through the hatches as would happen with a floating ship alongside a cargo terminal." Odyssey, a world leader in deep-ocean exploration, recently conducted remotely operated vehicles from its main ship, the Odyssey Explorer, to inspect the shipwreck. It said it acquired still and video imagery from the site which were used to confirm the identify and evaluate the condition of the Gairsoppa.

The News, November 2011

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Rare Roman Coin Find

Duo find rare Roman coin buried in a Furness field Published Sunday, 18 September 2011

and it tips you off to look in other areas. Its great. Also, with us on the land, it means they have an extra pair of eyes out. Its added security. As these Roman coins were found separately and are from different eras, they cannot be classified as treasure, but both Mr Miles and Mr Taylor hope that one day they will come across a hoard. Mr Taylor said: It takes a lot of patience. We are out every night. Youre always hoping to make that little line in the history books. Its like winning the lottery. If we were to find a hoard, I would rather keep it locally, maybe in the Dock Museum. Its history from this area, so it should stay here. Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk

Metal detectorist duo Dave Taylor and Ian Miles, from Dalton, unearthed the coin along with another Roman coin. Dr David Shotter from Lancaster University identified the artefacts and estimated the coins were from 67 AD and 119 AD, when Emperors Nero and Hadrian ruled. In his findings, he reported the Nero-era coin was quite rare. Mr Taylor and Mr Miles have only been detecting together for a few months and have already made a number of discoveries. Mr Taylor said: When we are walking through the fields in the pouring rain for ages and the fields are like a mud bath, its great when you hear that beep. When you see a glimmer of silver, it makes it all worth it. Its such a buzz. It gives you that kick to carry on. The friends found each of their coins in quick succession while searching the same field. Mr Taylors rare discovery was made first. Mr Miles said: He came running across the field like a 10-year-old with a lollipop. He was like a child, shouting Ive found a Roman coin. Mr Taylor said: Its amazing to think that you are touching something that no one else has been in contact with for 2,000 years. The pair are members of the National Council for Metal Detecting and believe honesty is the best policy when detecting. Mr Taylor said: We would always split any of our finds 50/50 with the farmers. Even if we arent selling it, we would find out how much it was worth and give them half the money. We cant thank them enough. Without their permission, we couldnt do anything. We like to go back and show them what we have found. Then they come out with all sorts of stories
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RARE Roman coin has been discovered in the fields of Furness.

Interesting Financial Thought

ut not everyone recommended owning more gold. Gary Gibson, the editor of Whiskey and Gunpowder newsletter, had an interesting twist. Instead of buying gold coins, he said we should stock up on nickels. Right now, he said, you can walk into your bank, give them a $100 bill, and receive $120 worth of nickels. Yes, the metal content of that lowly coin is actually worth 20 percent more than its face value." And theres another plus to owning nickels, Gary told the crowd. If youve got $10,000 worth stashed at home and a burglar breaks in, no way is he going to cart off more than $40 or $50 worth. From "Fight Or Flight: Which Do You Choose?" August 12, 2011 by Chip Wood http://www.personalliberty.com/conservative-politics/ government/fight-or-flight-which-do-you-choose/? eiid=&rmid=2011_08_12_PLA_[P11998888] &rrid=243687776

The News, November 2011

Boulder County Colorado Gold

Best Military Quote "When I joined the military it was illegal to be homosexual, then it became optional, and now it's legal. I'm getting out before Obama makes it mandatory." GySgt Harry Berres, USMC

oulder County ranks 9th among Colorado's gold producing counties. Boulder County has produced more than 1,000,000 ounces of gold. Most of that production came from lode mines. Boulder Northwest of Boulder 3-8 miles is the Gold Hill Sugarloaf district. This district is about 12 square miles and had a total production of 412,000 ounces 1859-1959. In the area creek beds, terraces, benches, etc. you can find placer gold over 3,000 ounces have been produced. Gold Hill Mine, largest producer, including several adjoining mines produced lode gold and silver. The old camps of Sugarloaf, Rowena, Salina, and Sunshine are great places to explore. There are many area mines that produced lode gold and silver. Southwest of Boulder 4 miles to Magnolia, reached by steep grades, numerous high-grade mines that produced lode gold in tellurides. The total production of 130,000 ounces was recorded. West of Boulder 17 miles and 4 miles Northwest of Nederland, is the Grand Island-Caribou district in southwest part of county. The Grand Island - Caribou district had a total production between 1932-59, of 10,006 ounces. There are numerous area lead-silver mines that produced a by-product of gold. The Cardinal and Eldora mines are in the area and produced lode gold. Jamestown Jamestown is in the Central district. Nine miles northwest of Boulder there were many area mines. Lefthand Creek, north of Gold Hill, Bummers Gulch, Coon Trail, North Beaver and South Boulder Creeks, southeast of Caribou contain placer gold. James Creek above Jamestown contains placer gold. Central Gulch, west of Jamestown contains placer gold. Upper Fourmile Creek, northwest of Sugarloaf contains placer gold. It had a total production of 207,000 gold
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The News, November 2011

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Calendar of Events
November Meeting Wednesday, November 2. We will meet at the Pulliam Building in downtown Loveland at 7:00PM. Refer to the adjoining map for directions. Meeting Agenda 6:00 - 7:00 Planning & Social Hour 7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of the Month Program 7:30 - 7:45 Break 7:45 - 9:00 "Annual Show & Tell and Silent Auction.

RMPTH DUES
RMPTH is an unincorporated Social Club with no income generated. All expenses are covered by donation. Members are requested to consider donating a minimum of $1.00 at each monthly meeting to cover club expenses.

MAP TO THE MEETING PLACE Pulliam Community Building 545 Cleveland Avenue, Loveland, Colorado

Directions: The Pulliam Community Building is situated on the west side of Cleveland Avenue in Loveland, Colorado. Park at the rear of the building (west side). Entry to the meeting room is from the doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).
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November 2011
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 6
Daylight Savings Time Ends

2
RMPTH Planning Session 6:00P RMPTH Meeting 7:00P

3 10 17 24
Thanksgiving

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

7 14 21 28

8
Election Day

9 16 23 30

13 20 27

15 22 29

December 2011
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 4 11 18 25
Christmas Day

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24
Christmas Eve

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7
RMPTH Planning Session 6:00P RMPTH Meeting 7:00P

8 15 22 29

14 21 28

31
New Years Eve

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RMPTH Field Outing Statement

NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touch and continue to review and plan upcoming presentations and outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editor Rick Mattingly needs timely event information for each issue of The News. Please get information about any particular event to him by the 15th of the month to meet the printing deadline for the next issue. Planned trips, outings, activities, and meeting programs are in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website. Planning is a work in progress and additional outings and activities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongoing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month are emphasized to the attendees at the monthly meetings. Contact the Presentations Coordinators or Editor if you have any suggestions or ideas throughout the year for fieldtrips, outings, and programs. The best made plans may change at the last minute due to the illness of the Trail Boss, weather, land access, vehicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please be understanding of extenuating circumstances and contact the coordinator or Trail Boss of a specific event if there is any question of an event being cancelled or changed at the last minute.

More 1933 Gold Coins Turn Up

Jury finds US rightfully seized double eagle gold coins July 21, 2011|Associated Press PHILADELPHIA - The US government rightfully seized 10 never-circulated 1933 gold coins from a Philadelphia woman who said she found them in her late fathers bank deposit box, a jury found yesterday. The civil case was over whether the $20 double eagles ever legally left the US Mint. A single one sold for a record $7.59 million in 2002. Prosecutors argued the coins never circulated when the country went off the gold standard and were therefore stolen, with help from the womans father, jeweler Israel Switt. This is government property that was stolen 70 years ago, Assistant US Attorney Jacqueline Romero said. It doesnt belong to someone that has a hand in stealing it. The coins, designed by famed sculptor August SaintGaudens, are among the rarest in the world. The government made nearly 500,000 of them in 1933 but melted all but a few when it abolished the gold standard. Two were sent to the Smithsonian Institution, and 20 more are known to have gotten out. All 20 can be traced to Switt, prosecutors said. Lawyers for his daughter, Joan Langbord, argued that he could have acquired the coins legally. Switt was also a scrap gold dealer who regularly did business with the Mint. He was twice investigated for illegally possessing gold coins in the 1930s and 1940s. Langbord, 81, spent most of her life working in her fathers downtown jewelry store. She said she found the coins in 2003, a year after the auction.

Gold Occurrence
Gold is found in nature in quartz veins and secondary alluvial deposits as a free metal or in a combined state. It is widely distributed although it is rare, being 75th in order of abundance of the elements in the crust of the earth. It is almost always associated with varying amounts of silver; the naturally occurring gold-silver alloy is called electrum. Gold occurs, in chemical combination with tellurium, in the minerals calaverite and sylvanite along with silver, and in the mineral nagyagite along with lead, antimony, and sulfur. It occurs with mercury as gold amalgam. It is generally present to a small extent in iron pyrites; galena, the lead sulfide ore that usually contains silver, sometimes also contains appreciable amounts of gold. Gold also occurs in seawater to the extent of 5 to 250 parts by weight to 100 million parts of water. Although the quantity of gold present in seawater is more than 9 billion metric tons, the cost of recovering the gold would be far greater than the value of the gold that could thus be recovered. "Gold," Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 2001 http://encarta.msn.com 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation.
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Breckenridge Gold & Tom's Baby

by Johnny Walker

Three days later the nugget was sent to Denver via train...it then disappeared for 85 years. Rumors surrounding the nugget's 85 years of freedom are abundant, including that it was shown at the Smithsonian, the Peabody Museum, Harvard University and Chicago's Field Museum, but none could be verified. Tom's Baby was essentially kidnapped. In 1972, the Colorado State Historical Museum was prodded into examining gold specimens that had been deposited in a Denver bank in 1926. Sure enough, Tom's Baby was found, but over 5 lbs are still missing. Breckenridge is just over the hill from South Park. Geologists have made the statement "These gold fields contain more gold than has been taken out by all the mining done over the last 120 years." http://www.coloradovacation.com/history/ tomsbaby.html

reckenridge started as a small mining camp in 1859, and at the peak of the gold rush was named after then Vice-President John Cabell Breckinridge to guarantee a post office for the town. They later changed the spelling to Breckenridge after the politician joined the Southern Confederate Army in the Civil War. In 1887, Breckenridge became famous for the find of the largest gold nugget in Colorado, the 13-pound "Tom's Baby". On July 23, 1887, the largest gold nugget ever found in the State of Colorado was discovered in Breckenridge. Tom Groves walked into the town cradling the blanket wrapped bundle in his arms, and it was appropriately named "Tom's Baby", weighing in at 13.5 lbs.

The News, November 2011

Page 13

RMPTH SHOW & TELL

At the November RMPTH Club Meeting we will hold the annual Show & Tell of member finds and collections. This event will be held in round robin fashion where attendees will be free to move about to view displays at their leisure and to socialize. The rules for this event are simple. The displays are only limited as to being relative to the interests of the club. They may be personal finds, such as gold, coins, military relics, bottles, etc. or collections similarly related. We will attempt to confine exhibitors to no more than two per table. Please be forewarned that persons presenting displays will be solely responsible for the protection and security of their displays. The club will not be responsible for your items! With this in mind, it would be prudent for each exhibitor to line up another person to assist. AttendeesThere will be a NO TOUCH rule in effect.

Get your displays ready and show the club what your interests are!

Hopefully, more club oriented stuff than pictured here!

Page 14

The News, November 2011

Silent Auction

he program for November will include a Silent Auction. This will be a fun event which will allow you to sell some of your items, buy some great items yourself and earn the club a little money. Bidding slips will be available at the meeting. Sellers: Fill out copies of the bid form provided at the meeting for each of your auction items as soon as you arrive at the meeting. Rules For Sellers 1. Bring what you like, but lets keep it reasonable, say 25 items per seller. You may bring extras in case we need additional items to fill the tables, but only put them out after everyone else has had a chance to put theirs out. Good items to consider would be anything that pertains to our hobby or members interests. The items can be new, used, or finds. Please dont bring junk, you wont get any bids on it. 2. Fill out the bid slips completely and legibly with the item description, your name if you want to be paid, circle whether you want to donate 20% or 100% to the club and the starting minimum bid (Hint:: High starting bids = few or no bidders. Start at the minimum Members Take Note amount you can live with getting). 3. Sellers will be Please remember to bring your paid at the December meeting. If you are sale items for the auction and not able to be there, a check will be mailed please share a donation with the to you upon request. 4. Any items that do club from your auctioned items. not sell must be taken Also, remember to bring some home with you that evening. If you do not, it will be considered a form of payment should you wish donation for future to bid on items in the auction as door prizes or thrown out. payment is due at this meeting. 5. You may start setting out your items at 6:00 pm. Rules For Buyers

Gold Glossary
Specimen a hand sample or selected piece of ore. A collectable specimens value often exceeds its mineral value.

Gold Facts
Symbol: AU Atomic Number: 79 Atomic Weight: 196.967 Melting Point: 1063 (1945 F) Specific Gravity: 19.2 MOHs Scale of Hardness: 2.5 - 3 Karat 24K = 100% Pure Gold 18K = 75% Pure Gold 14K = 58% Pure Gold 10K = 42% Pure Gold Troy Weights 1 grain = 0.0648 grams 24 grains = 1 penny weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams 20 DWT = 1 ounce = 480 grains = 31.10 grams

1. Mark your name and bid clearly on the bid slips. You may cancel a bid anytime up to the time the table is closed by completely crossing out your name and bid. Please bring a pen or pencil with you. 2. Tables will close in a random manner every 15 minutes. You will not know which ones are closing in advance, so if you want an item, bid on it early. 3. Minimum bid raise will be $0.25 4. Payment is due at the end of the auction by cash or check. You will take your items home with you that evening. It will take a while to check everyone out, so let us know if you need to leave early and we will check you out first. HAVE FUN!

YOUR ADVERTISEMENT COULD BE HERE! Call Rick Mattingly at 970-613-8968 or rickmatt@q.com

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The News, November 2011

Trading Post
NOTICE: As part of our community outreach, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & Atmospheric Science, Professional Services Division offers FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participants will aid in the education of future Geoscientists! Details and specimen submittal forms with instructions can be downloaded from http:// college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/MINID.pdf Uwe Richard Kackstaetter, Ph.D. (Dr.K) Assistant Professor of Geology Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Metropolitan State College of Denver Office: SI2014 (303) 556-3070 kackstae@mscd.edu WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint or used. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993. YELLOWSTONE FAREWELL Wyoming adventure novel. Diamonds, Gold, Volcanic activity, Prospecting. Factual geology; Fictional story. $18.00 + $4.00 S&H. Spur Ridge Enterprises, POB 1719, Laramie, WY 82073. Internet: http://yellowstonefarewell.com/
About Trading Post The News runs classified ads in Trading Post for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70 words) long are free. To place an ad in Trading Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968 evenings or e-mail at: rickmatt@q.com Commercial Advertising Specifications (Monthly Donation Rate) Full Page (8 1/2" X 7") Half Page (3 1/4" X 7") One Third Page (3" X 4") Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2") $30 $20 $15 $ 5

Ads must be received by the 15th of the preceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for information on this service at (970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at: rickmatt@q.com.

NOTE: Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH.

All mistakes and misspellings were intentionally made so that you could have the pleasure of finding them.
"Do you realize that in about forty years, we'll have millions of old ladies running around with tattoos and pierced navels?" - Maxine

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The News, November 2011

WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE MINERS CODE OF ETHICS

I WILL respect other prospectors claims and not work those claims without the owners permission I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only, and in accordance with current State and Federal guidelines I WILL be careful with fuels and motor oils and be cognizant of their potential destructive effect on the environment I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash and debris that I find - I will not litter I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous to those around me at all time I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural resources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, and respect all laws or ordinances governing prospecting and mining I WILL NOT remove stream bank material, destroy natural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor discharge excess silt into the waterways I WILL NOT refuel motorized equipment in the stream I WILL NOT allow oil from motorized equipment to drip onto the ground or into the water I WILL NOT prospect in areas closed to prospecting and mining

(Continued from page 9)

ounces. There are many area mines that produced gold in pyrite and telluride minerals. The Jamestown, Gold Hill and Ward area mines all produced lode gold. Nederland North of Nederland on Route 160 toward Ward, turn east onto the Sugarloaf - Sunset road for 7 miles to the Oregon Mine. This mine produced gold in sulfide ores. Ward The Ward district is 9-13 miles northwest of Boulder. It covered 12 square miles in headwaters of Lefthand and Fourmile Creeks. The old camps of Sunset and Copper Rock, more than 50 lode mines in area, had a total production of 172,000 ounces of lode gold. The Niwot and Columbia mines were the largest producers of lode gold. In east part of district, many mines produced gold in tellurides.

(Continued from page 3)

having been in Colorado since that time."(2) The Company owned 250 feet on the Bates mine in Gregory Gulch. There were three shafts on the property, ranging in 1865, from 150 to 175 feet deep, exposing a 3 foot wide vein of ore. Equipment was purchased for the mill, but was not used in 1865, as the metallurgy was puzzling. Other properties were owned by the Company on Clear Creek, and the local agent was Thos. R. Tannatt.(3) Apparently they could not survive the metallurgical problems, which were solved in the district within the next ten years. Nothing was heard of the company after 1866. (1) Spencer, Elma Dill Russell; Gold Country, 1828-1858; The Naylor Co., San Antonio, TX; 1958, p. 132. (2) Hollister, Ovando; The Mines of Colorado; Samuel Bowles & Co. Springfield, Mass. ; 1867; p. 150. (3) same, p. 193.

Offer Your Assistance To Any Of Our Program Coordinators

The News, November 2011 Page 17

Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club 2011 Schedule of Events
Month
January

Meeting Program
Club Business and Open Forum
Love Token Coin Presentation By Rick Mattingly

Trip/Activity
No Trip/Activity Scheduled

February

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

March

Update on Mining Laws, Permits and Land Access for the 2011 Prospecting Season, What the Future Looks Like. By Ben Higley, President, Gold Prospectors of Colorado Gold and Platinum in Wyoming By Wayne Sutherland, WGS

GPS, Compass & Map Clinic

April

Clear Creek Gold Panning

May

Detecting Presentation By Tom Warne

Lets Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas Event Prospecting, Detecting & More Clinic at Lions Park Advertised and Open to the Public Nugget Shooting Clinic at Lions Park Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing

June

Gold Nugget Shooting Presentation By Rick Mattingly

July

Gold Refining Presentation By David Emslie

Manhattan Ghost Town Detector Outing Gold Nugget Shooting Outing

August

Crack & Crevasse Prospecting By Bryan Morgan

Ames Monument, Vedauwoo & Wyoming State Museum Tour

September

Meteorite Presentation By Dr. Robert Brownlee

Annual Coin & Prize Hunt Colorado Mineral & Fossil ShowDenver Lucite Hills Wyoming Gem Outing

October

Bottle Hunting Presentation By Rick Mattingly

Off-Road Detector & Cache Hunt

November

Annual Show & Tell & Silent Auction Annual Find of the Year Awards & Christmas Party

Local Detector Outing

December

Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show

Good Hunting in 2011!

Page 18 The News, November 2011

Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Contact List

RMPTH Coordinators Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator Coordinator Paul Lange Robert Crain Bryan Morgan Rick Mattingly Home 1-970-663-5776 1-970-484-6488 1-970-416-0608 1-970-613-8968 E-Mail plange50@msn.com brymorg@frii.com rickmatt@q.com

The News Staff Editor-in-Chief Assistant Editor Rick Mattingly Dick French 1-970-613-8968 1-970-482-2110

rickmatt@q.com
dickyf99@comcast.net

Internet Web Site Web Master Volunteers/Coordinators Find of the Month Joe Johnston Betsy Emond Paul Mayhak Paul Lange Johnny Berndsen Peggy Stumpf Joe Johnston Bryan Morgan Darrell Koleber Volunteer Needed! Tom Warne Jacob Wootton Johnny Berndsen 1-303-696-6950 1-970-218-0290 1-970-482-7846 1-970-663-5776 1-970-667-1006 1-307-632-9945 1-303-696-6950 1-970-416-0608 1-970-669-2599 1-970-635-0773 1-970-980-6016 1-970-667-1006 cjoej1@peoplepc.com pjmcolo@q.com plange50@msn.com johnnyberndsen.com circlestar@yahoo.com cjoej1@peoplepc.com brymorg@frii.com gutshot1016@yahoo.com goldigger48@msn.com jacob-wootton@yahoo.com Rick Mattingly 1-970-613-8968

rickmatt@q.com

Presentations Club Historian Club Librarian Panning Demos Setup & Refreshments Door Prize

General Information Contact: Paul Lange at 1-970-663-5776

Visit RMPTH on the Internet at: http://rmpth.com

Lets Go For The Gold !

The News, November 2011 Page 19

The News
Rocky Mountain Prospectors & Treasure Hunters Club P.O. Box 271863 Fort Collins, CO. 80527-1863

NOVEMBER, 2011 ISSUE