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The Golden Highway—Tuolumne County
October 2003 by Frank Lorey III
Heading north into Tuolumne County on California’s Highway 49—the “Golden Highway”—from Mariposa County, you see few traces of the gold rush days because the largest mining town of the period is now covered by Don Pedro Reservoir. If you slow down and take a careful look, along the shores of the lake are numerous streaks of tailings that mark the mines of the old town of Jacksonville.Tantalum
Tantalum is a refractory metal which is non-toxic, ductile; easily fabricated, has a high melting point, is highly resistant to corrosion and is a good conductor of heat and electricity. It has the unique ability to transmit an alternating current in only one direction.
Humble Beginnings
Right away I got a target, and it ended up being gold from a nice little bench. With only an hour left of daylight, I continued heading upstream and found five more tiny pieces of gold with my VLF…
North Korea Seeks Outside Help to Modernize Mining
Eager to earn hard currency, isolated North Korea is trying to modernize its decrepit mining industry with foreign help.
Picks & Pans: DEF Prospectors Rally Was a Huge Success
For many years we have been losing our rights. The main reason this has been happening is because as prospectors and miners, we tend to be loners. This trait has helped the environmental movement because...
Oregon Miners File Suit Against Fisheries Service
Eastern Oregon Mining Association members have filed a federal lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) demanding that the agency provide biological opinions on any threat to wildlife or the environment so miners can begin working their claims.
Modern Mining Reclamation
A study showed that between 1930 and 1980, only a quarter of one percent of the land in the United States was used in all mining applications combined, including surface mining, tailings disposal, underground mines, and all mineral processing facilities.
Placer Mining in Canada's Yukon Territory
Frank Taylor’s family has been mining in the same area of the Yukon Territory since 1935. He’s been working his current placer operation on Duncan Creek near Mayo since 1975.
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
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• Brighter Days Ahead Reports Nevada Mining Association
• Waldo Miners File Suit
• Roll-Front Uranium Deposits
• Deadly Storms May Expose Gems in Sri Lanka
• Picks & Pans: Dredging and Detecting in Sierra City
• Hidden Features in Venezuela
• Dredging for Monazite in Idaho
• Gold in the Philippines
• 2003 California State Gold Panning Championships
• Judge Holds Companies Liable for Some Damage
• Looking Back
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices







