October 2003 (Vol. 73, No. 2) $3.25
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The Bawl Mill
• House members "earn" another raise
• Not the sharpest knife in the drawer...I mean...clerk in the store
• That's 8.49 million first-class postage stamps -
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Administration won't appeal latest ruling on Roadless Rule
• Improved forest management plan by year's end
• IBLA rules in favor of Cortez Gold Mine and BLM -
A Guide to Overlooked Gold Deposits—Part II
The following are situations that the modern prospector would do well to research. Some specific areas are described, but more importantly they present background into what the author feels are worthwhile and generally overlooked situations... -
Brighter Days Ahead Reports Nevada Mining Association
A new report predicts brighter days for mining in Nevada if the price of gold maintains at current levels. -
Waldo Miners File Suit
On August 29, 2003, the “Miners” (Waldo Mining District, along with Bob & Lesa Barton of Armadillo Mining Shop) filed Complaints in US District Court for the District of Oregon (Medford) against the United States Forest Service, Scott Conroy (in his official capacity as Forest Supervisor of the Siskiyou National Forest), and Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans. -
Roll-Front Uranium Deposits
If the uranium industry stages a comeback, it will not likely be a mad rush like it was in the 1950s. Except for non-radioactive uranium, most surface and near-surface deposits have been found. -
Deadly Storms May Expose Gems in Sri Lanka
Floods and landslides that struck Sri Lanka several months ago, killing 266 people, may bring a windfall for miners. The movement of tons of soil and rock is believed to have unearthed new gems according to local industry workers. -
Picks & Pans: Dredging and Detecting in Sierra City
Every year for the past several years I have taken a prospecting trip to Sierra City, California, to dredge on a friend’s claim. Sierra City is a historic gold rush town of a little more than 200 persons. Known mostly for its rich lode mines, it also had... -
Hidden Features in Venezuela
Venezuela is considerably larger than the state of Texas and is located on the north coast of South America. The capital city of Caracas (pop. 4 million) is some 2,135 miles south of New York City. Most of the population is in the northern half of the nation, with paved highways connecting the principal cities and towns. The Orinoco River flows through the southern and central parts of the country, and much of the travel into the interior is along that river and its tributaries. -
Dredging for Monazite in Idaho
The advent of the nuclear age, after World War II, aroused concerns in government circles when officials realized the United States was entirely dependent upon foreign sources of supply for rare earth elements. This prompted the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) to enlist the US Bureau of Mines Special Minerals Investigation Branch to evaluate monazite-bearing placers in the United States in 1948. -
Gold in the Philippines
The Philippine archipelago, with over 7,000 islands that stretch for 1,100 miles north-south, was settled by Malaysians several thousand years ago. Ferdinand Magellan landed and was killed there in 1521. Spaniards took over the islands in 1571, and founded Manila, which is located on a large natural harbor. After the Spanish-American war in 1898, the United States took over the Philippines, and found itself in a brutal 6-year war before gaining control of all of the islands. -
2003 California State Gold Panning Championships
Saturday, August 30, and Sunday, August 31, were big days for gold panners in California. This was the O.K. Corral shootout for gold panning, and left standing after two days of intense competition were the champions. One hundred ninety-five panners went for the titles in six divisions. -
Judge Holds Companies Liable for Some Damage
A federal judge found mining companies liable for at least some of the costs of cleaning up pollution of Idaho’s Silver Valley from a century of mining. -
The Golden Highway—Tuolumne County
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. -
Looking Back
Excerpts from California Mining Journal, our original title, published 50 years ago this month. -
Melman on Gold & Silver
There was certainly no shortage of attention-grabbing headlines during the past month. First we had the successful initiation of a recall election in California, followed by enormous increases in the price of gasoline in the USA and Canada, then both nations suffered through the worst power blackout in decades, and finally we are witnessing what appears to be the unraveling of the “road map” to peace in the Middle East.
