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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.What is a Mining Right?
A mining right is a powerful and not commonly understood concept that is all too often watered down by agency regulatory interference...
Lamproites and Diamonds

PLP and MMAC Update
Minerals and Mining Advisory Council (MMAC) founder Joe Martori met with Jim Scrivner, the Bureau of Land Management Deputy State Director of Energy and Minerals in Sacramento, California...
California's Mother Lode Quartz Veins

Legislative and Regulatory Update
• BLM proposed budget asks for funds for mining restrictions
• Oregon bill 838
• California suction gold dredging update
Old-Time Mining Geology Books
Geology books are best used by geologists, but many of the old-time books can be understood by most anyone who has an interest in rocks and minerals. Certain words or phrases may stump the layman, but just skip those parts and go on to the portions of the books that are easily understood. Some of the old-time mining geology books should be in every small miner’s collection.
Legislative Update
March 2023
Subscription Required:
The Bawl Mill
• A Guide to Overlooked Gold Deposits—Part II
• 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