NUPA NUGGETS

Volume XX, Issue 7 July 2011

This Months Meeting

President:
Sandy Patterson 801-393-2132

1st Vice President:

Cody Patterson

Its time for our annual Ice Cream Social! Be sure to come and socialize with the other members, ask questions, swap stories about the ones that got away (or didnt)! It will be outside in the back area that has the grass and picnic tables.

2nd Vice President:

David Linton

Treasurer:
Sheryl Governale 801-388-0720

Secretary:
Alan Meyer

Parliamentarian:
Dave Deheer

Claims Director:
Lonnie Fausett

Members at Large:
Mike Governale Kim Patterson Donale Richan Leo Richan Bob Shriber Hal Berry

Newsletter Editor:
Donale Richan 801-589-2445

Check out the N.U.P.A. website at: www.nupainc.org or http://nupagoldclub.blogspot.com

Current precious metal prices: Gold: $1594.10 Silver: $39.27

From www.kitco.com as of July 16, 2011

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The Official Newsletter of the Northern Utah Prospectors Association

Volume XX, Issue 7

Prospecting season is upon us. I certainly hope that all of you are getting out and getting some. I am afraid that with my schedule I am not, so far. The next two months outings are in Idaho. When you go to Idaho, be aware of all the things that are happening up there. If you are going to dredge, you must have a Dredge permit letter from the State of Idaho. You can download it at www.idwr.idaho.gov. or I will have some copies at the July meeting. It costs $35.00 and you should get one soon enough that the state has 15 days to return it to you. I can not stress the importance of abiding by the rules. This is a chance for us to show everyone that recreational mining is not a harmful recreation and we do not hurt the environment, fish, wildlife or land. Keep a CLEAN campsite. Take care of your sanitation, garbage, etc. Do not leave bottles, cans, or other crap in your campfire pit. Go to the IDAHO CONSERVATION Leagues web site and read what they think of us miners. If you are brave, this would be an excellent place to leave a blog reputing the things they say we do, like harm the fish eggs, stir up mud, leave deep holes, etc. Read and follow the NUPA CODE OF ETHICS (which are printed in this newsletter). Have fun, but be careful. The Middle Fork of the Boise River is still running pretty high. It is a good-sized river and can be dangerous. Watch your kids, grandkids and pets. It would not take long for anyone to slip and fall into the river and be gone. Take a lesson from all the children here in Utah that has fallen into rivers, creeks and streams this year. I cannot think of a worse way to ruin an otherwise fun trip. This months meeting is the annual Ice Cream Social and gabfest. I understand we will have ice cream, bananas, root beer and all the toppings, so come ready to eat your fill and then some. If you newbies have any questions, this would be a good month to bring them up. I am sure someone at the meeting will have an answer, or we can make one up. Kim and I are happy to report that we have a new grandson; Oliver Alexander Patterson. He was born July 3, weighed in at 8 lbs. 15 oz. and was 20 inches long. Grandpa calls him Opie already. Wonder what that means for the poor kid. Anyway, we are very proud and glad that he and mother are doing well. Safe Prospecting Sandy
Be Careful Be careful of your thoughts, For your thoughts become your words. Be careful of your words, For your words become your actions. Be careful of your actions, For your actions become your habits. Be careful of your habits, For your habits become your character. Be careful of your character, For your character become your destiny.

Treasurers Report:
Checking: $2653.21 Savings: $5647.18

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The Official Newsletter of the Northern Utah Prospectors Association

Volume XX, Issue 7

How to Mine and Prospect for Placer Gold

By J.M. West

History Of Placer Gold Mining

Placer gold mining in the United States spans a period of nearly 200 years. Earliest mining took place in the Eastern States and particularly in the southern Appalachian region during the late 1700's and early 1800's, but the richer deposits were soon exhausted, and interest turned to the West. The earliest production of any note in the West was from the Old and New Placer Diggings near Golden, Santa Fe County, N. Mex. These deposits were worked as early as 1828. A few other deposits were mined in the succeeding years until the first discovery of major importance, that of James Marshall on January 24, 1848, on the American River at Coloma, Calif. This discovery was a major factor in the rapid settlement of the West and triggered the first of the great gold rushes in the United States. Because of the lure and excitement of gold mining, prospectors spread throughout the West and in subsequent years many more rich placer gold deposits were found. A selected listing of discoveries subsequent to Coloma follows: 1848-49 1849 1852 1857 1858 1858-60 1859 1860-61 1862 1863-64 1864 1867 1874-75 1876-77 1881 California Nevada Oregon Montana Nevada Arizona Colorado Washington Colorado Idaho Montana Idaho Arizona Arizona Utah Montana Nevada New Mexico South Dakota Nevada Nevada Trinity and Klamath Rivers Gold Canyon Grants Pass district Gold Creek Six-Mile Creek Gila City Cherry Creek, Ralston Creek, Platte River Blewett Pass (northern and central parts of State) Clear Creek, Blue River, Arkansas River Clearwater River, Pierce City, Oro Fino, Elk City, Florence, Warren Bannock, Alder Creek Boise Basin La Paz district Weaver Creek, Lynch Creek Bingham Canyon Helena Tuscarora district Elizabethtown district Black Hills, Deadwood Gulch Copper Mountain (Charleston district), Osceola Spring Valley

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The Official Newsletter of the Northern Utah Prospectors Association

Volume XX, Issue 7

Continued from page 3

In Alaska, gold occurrences were reported as early as 1848, and gold was found in the Yukon region about 1878; but not until the fabulously rich finds in 1897-98 in the Yukon's Klondike (in Canadian territory) did placer miners really begin to exploit the Alaskan deposits. In rapid succession, miners stampeded in 1898 to rich discoveries in the Nome area of Alaska, then in 1902 to the Fairbanks area; the Fairbanks placers were among the last of importance to be discovered. Any history of placer mining would be incomplete without a word on dredging, which marked a major turn in operational efficiency. Dredging offered a way to handle tremendous quantities of material at a low unit cost and made it possible to mine where gold values were as little as a few cents per cubic yard. Probably the first successful bucketline dredge in the United States was operated in 1895 on Grasshopper Creek near Bannock in Beaverhead County, southwestern Montana. Others quickly followed, until by 1910, use of dredges had grown so that in California alone about 100 were in existence, of which 63 were reported in operation. The first gold dredging in Alaska occurred about 1903, and the number of Alaskan dredges grew, until in 1914, 42 were in operation. The peak number of active dredges, 49, was not reached until 1940; World War II then interrupted most operations. Costs rose beyond profitable levels after the war, and only a few of the deactivated dredges were returned to service. All gold dredges of any significance in the United States have been shut down, and most have been dismantled or sold abroad. Placer gold production today is primarily a byproduct of washing sand and gravel for use as an aggregate in the construction industry. Commercial placer mining by other means continues only at a few locations. California and Alaska have accounted for more than three fourths of the total production of record. A large share of the overall production, it should be added, has come from dredges.
Note from Newsletter Editor: I found this article on the web and thought it was interesting, so therefore, thought I would share it with you. The hardest thing about being the editor is finding interesting articles for my readers. This is just the first installment and theres more to come!

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The Official Newsletter of the Northern Utah Prospectors Association

Volume XX, Issue 7

The Cost of Advertising

Do you have a business youd like to see advertised in the newsletter? Well heres the breakdown the cost. Just let the newsletter editor have the information.

Ad Size 3 Months 6 Months 12 Months 1/4 page $3.00 $5.50 $10.00 1/2 page $4.50 $8.00 $15.00 Full Page Business Ad for 1 month $8.00

Cleve Burr
Service & Solutions Executive
Xerox Corporation
Cell : 801.400.6830 Fax : 801.535.8516 Email: [email protected]

Items For Sale:

Artic Cat snowmobile, low mileage, excellent condition $1000. Western Field 12 Gauge pump shotgun, variable choke$110. Appliance lift. BC (before China)$35. Acetylene torch (commercial use) with rechargeable bottle, use for copper pipe soldering, brazing, silver solder. Will melt silver$125. Empty 12 gauge shotgun shells for reloading. Over 100 casings. Great if you reload. Cost less than 5 cents to reload each shell. Contact Frank Kuba at 801-643-5090

No one ever injured his eyesight by looking on the bright side of things!

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The Official Newsletter of the Northern Utah Prospectors Association

Volume XX, Issue 7

July 26...General Meeting @ 7:00 pm Its our annual

ICE CREAM SOCIAL. Be sure to come and enjoy an evening eating ice cream (with all the toppings) and socializing with all the other members! We will meet outside in the back of the terminal building where the picnic tables are. See you there!

August 9 ...Board of Directors Meeting @ 7:00 pm August 19-22...Kay mack King and Queen Outing
This is a great outing for those who are new to the club. You can pan in the stream or work the exposed bedrock on dry land. The most minimum tools for working the bedrock would be: gold pan, small shovel, and a trowel. Other tools that might make your life easier would be: a small whisk broom, an old screw driver or crevice tool, a bucket (to cart your dirt to the stream) and, possibly, a sluice box. Theres gold to be found there! If you have a drywasher, and the dirt on Kaymack King is dry, you can use that, too. Just be courteous of others that may be downwind of you!

Upcoming Outings: Mark Them On Your Calendar! September 23-25...Crescent Creek October ?...Rock Your World Show

Make sure you come to the meetings and put your input in for what and where youd like to do and go!

Door Prize Winners

Mike Governale
Rubber Gloves

Raffle Winners
Keene Clean-up Pan U-Dig-It Folding Shovel

Daryl Olsen Daryl Olsen

Brian Lewis
Snappy Grips

Treasure Scoop Just as a reminder, winners of the door prizes are asked to bring refreshments for Julys Meeting. The treasurer will gladly reimburse you for this expense if you give her your receipt.

Bill Carey

Sheryl Governale
Pocket Microscope

Clair Mackay
Small Nugget

Large Nugget Quarterly Nugget

Bill Carey

Colin Kendell

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The Official Newsletter of the Northern Utah Prospectors Association

Volume XX, Issue 7

July 2011
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 1 Friday 2 Saturday

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NUPA 5 Outing
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August 2011
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Meeting 7:00 pm @ Airport

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Meeting 7:00 pm @ Airport

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The Official Newsletter of the Northern Utah Prospectors Association

Volume XX, Issue 7

PROSPECTORS CODE OF ETHICS

Northern Utah Prospectors Association, Inc.

1. To know and obey all laws, rules and regulations pertaining to prospecting and mining. 2. Respect private property and the mining claims of others at all times. Get permission first before crossing any marked boundary. 3. Conduct your mining activity in a manner that will cause minimal disturbance to others. 4. Plan your operation and obtain all required permits prior to proceeding to ensure minimal environmental impact and erosion. 5. Restore the area to its original or better condition when finished with your operation. 6. NEVER disrupt or damage wildlife breeding sites, even if its legal to do so. 7. Remove all trash and debris found in and around all streams, rivers, and campsites. Leave each area cleaner than when you arrived at it. 8. Keep your equipment maintained and in peak operational condition. 9. Use extreme caution when using petroleum products around waterways. Do not allow any gasoline, oil, or petroleum product to get into the waterways. 10. MINE SAFELY!! No amount of gold is worth injury or death to yourself or others.

REMEMBER. WHEN YOURE PROSPECTING AND MINING, YOUR ATTITUDE AND ACTIONS REFLECT NORTHERN UTAH PROSPERTORS ASSOCIATION, AS WELL AS YOURSELF.