September 2000 (Vol. 70, No. 1) $3.75
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The Bawl Mill
• Man turns in two gold bars...
• You'd better get used to the dark... -
Over the Divide
Merle W. Swanson
1913-2000 -
A Word from the Editor
I've received a few letters over the past year regarding assays and assayers. Most wanted to know how to tell the good ones from the bad. You'll find most of these questions answered by Ralph Pray in his article, "Fake Assays and Assayers," in this month's issue. -
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Idaho EPA may pare back agressive water stance
• House panel recommends changing federal mineral royalty
• Gold mining company raises funds to fight initiative
• Comment period extended -
Guest Editorial—Globalizing Mining in America, Part II
Defeating the Biodiversity Treaty -
Gold Point, Nevada—A One-Man Mining Town Restoration
Almost 200 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada, Gold Point was developed initially as a gold mining community in 1868. Like most mining camps, it experienced a typical boom-to-bust cycle, and by 1882, Gold Point was clearly on its way to becoming just another abandoned ghost town. -
Rare Coin Makes a Mint at Auction
Imagine a coin worth more than its weight in gold... -
Letter to the Editor
In the August 2000 issue of the Journal, the story of the "Quartszite Area" was most informative and accurate. -
Jackson Hole Gold, Wyoming
Placer gold was found near South Pass, at the south end of the Wind River Mountains, in 1842, and lode gold was discovered in the same area in 1867. The principal gold rush was between 1867 and 1874. -
Picks & Pans: Big River Dredging in Northern California
Back in the early 1990s, a gold mining club in northern California (on the Klamath River near Happy Camp), was offering a free "Trial Week" to test their claims. I decided to take them up on their offer. After obtaining a California Dredge Permit, I loaded my trusty Jeep with my camping gear... -
Fake Assays & Assayers
There may be as many crooked gold assayers in the Southwestern U.S. as there are self-employed honest ones. Right now it looks that way. What can be done to stop the crooks? Why do the scams continue? How can you tell the difference between the good guys and the half-assayers? Who are the crooked ones? Where are they? -
Turning Acid Mine Drainage Into Drinking Water?—Grass Valley Company May Have the Answer
HPT Research recently tested their patented process for treating Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) on thousands of gallons of contaminated water at the Mammoth Mine. -
Everything You Need to Know About Gold Wheels
The theory of making the gold wheel work is really very simple—classification. When all the materials introduced into the wheel are classified to the same mesh, the heaviest materials will be extracted... -
Exceptional Gold Dredging in New Zealand
Gold was first discovered in New Zealand during the early 1840s, but it was only when prospectors located rich alluvial deposits of easily won gold in the South Island in 1861 that the country experienced its first true gold rush. -
Lightning Creek, British Columbia
Lightning Creek is one of the famous placer gold streams in the Cariboo district of east-central British Columbia, Canada. It is 445 miles, by highway, north of Vancouver, some 50 miles east of the town of Quesnel (pop. 8,500). -
Mine Reopening Could Revive Region
Cominco American Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Vancouver, British Columbia-based Cominco Ltd., is seeking regulatory approval to reopen the mine in early 2002. -
Willow Creek Dredging Trip
When I received an invitation for a Fourth of July dredging trip from my friend Leonard, I thought it a terrific way to not only show respect for America's freedoms, but also as a way to honor the throngs of prospectors whose labors fueled our nation's... -
Melman on Gold & Silver
At long last the time of artificial quiet is over and the quadrennial political "silly season" is getting underway in earnest. The Republicans have just finished their convention in Philadelphia and (at press time) the Democrats are about to descend on LA-LA land. -
More Treasure From Sunken Ship
Gold chains, silver coins and bars of solid gold glittered in the tropical sun as the family of famed treasure hunter Mel Fisher showed off another significant find from a sunken Spanish galleon.