Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 1 30 HOW TO PROSPECT TODAY Now that it's been a cen- tury and a half since gold was first found in Montana, could there possibly be any left? Absolutely! Gold in 1860 - 1870 fluctuated be- tween $20 - $30 per ounce. Today gold is hovering around $1,700 to $1,800 per ounce. The prospectors of old skimmed the cream off the top and moved on. Researching where gold has previously been found considerably raises the odds of success. Proper tools make everything easier. Fortunately, the list of what is needed to prospect is short compared to many hobbies. While the Old Timers used metal pans, today's plastic pans are lighter and available in several colors. Choosing a non-black pan offsets the gold as well as the black sand that is also found at the bottom of the pan. A large-bottomed pan processes material faster. A 5-gallon bucket is handy to haul dirt and great to use as a stool while panning. A pick, shovel, and vial to put the gold in round out the list. First-time panners often assume they are sending most of the gold back down the stream. Practice brings peace of mind and decreases the time spent on each pan. Gold is heavier than most other things found in a stream; weighing 19 times more than an equal volume of water. Toss fishing weights, BB's or marbles into some dirt and practice panning from a tub in the backyard. Witnessing how easy it is to keep this faux gold from sloshing out is confidence-boosting. When selecting a spot to explore, remember gold's heaviness. It tends to stay close to the banks and to travel in straight lines. Where water slows is where gold will be found. Possibilities are the inside bend of a stream, the downstream side of boulders or spots where a narrow stretch widens out. Once a spot is chosen, push rocks aside and dig down as far as possible or until bedrock. Scoop material and water into the pan, then alternate shaking the pan back and forth while dipping in and out of the stream; allowing outflow to discharge the lighter sediments. A sluice is used for production, separating gold from the gravel at a much higher rate. Sluices work by creating a straight, consistent channel with riffles to catch the gold. Each riffle creates an eddy that slows the water and sinks the gold. The sluice is placed in the stream, dirt is shoveled into the top, and the flow of water washes the lighter materi- al downstream. It was a tough life for Montana's early miners. They lived on dreams and hopes that often never materialized. A few found great wealth, but most barely scraped by. But once bitten by the gold fever, it was hard to shake. More than once a defeated soul reached the end of his wits and was heading off the gold trail, determined to not look back until—what was that? What'd they just say? ... A whisper of a new strike? Eureka! CONFEDERATE CONFEDERATE GULCH GULCH MARYSVILLE MARYSVILLE N OW T H AT I T ' S B E E N A C E N T U RY A N D A H A L F SINCE GOLD WAS FIRST FOUND IN MONTANA, COULD THERE POSSIBLY BE ANY LEFT? ABSOLUTELY! PATTI ALBRECHT

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