A few items to help you get started...
Mining Claim Procedures for Nevada Prospectors and Miners
A very useful document put out by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada Reno.
Mining Claims and Sites on Federal Lands -- BLM Resource Document
Covers discovery, staking, recovery, fees, maintenance requirements, assessment work
Gold Panning Instructions
Step-by-step instructions on how to pan for gold.
How to Mine and Prospect for Gold
This Bureau of Mines publication, originally published in 1971, still contains some very useful information.
Sluicing Instructions
Step-by-step instructions on how to set up and use a sluice box to recover gold.
