Gold fever strikes mom and pop prospectors in US West

[The Northerner]

* Bad economy, high gold prices fuel upturn in prospecting

* trend encompasses amateurs to big corporations

* Few regulations for small operators in Western states (Repeats with no changes to text)

By Laura Zuckerman

SALMON, Idaho, Sept 15 (Reuters) - When John Brewer's construction business soured along with the U.S. economy, he sought to replace lost income by prospecting for gold from the river valleys of central Idaho to the wilds of Alaska.

Armed with the tools of the trade -- a metal detector, gold pan and sluice box, a series of screens that sort gold from alluvial material like sand and gravel -- the Montana man represents the new face of a pursuit that once paved the way for settlement of the Western frontier.

The poor economy and a record price of gold have renewed interest in prospecting in Western states where public lands are rich with deposits and small-scale operators are all but free from government regulation.

What Brewer has in common with 19th century prospectors is a drive for gold equaled in intensity only by the instinct to keep quiet about its location and volume.

"Asking a miner where they found it and what they found is like asking an angler about his secret fishing hole," said Brewer. "We're not going to tell anybody. As soon as you tell anybody, there will be a crowd -- and that would be counterproductive."

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0315242120100915

[Warpy]

1. Some of the streams here in NM are still suitable for panning

and with the hyper inflated price of gold, it's almost a worthwhile pursuit for unemployed people. Collecting cans still pays better, though.

Just keep an eye on the sky, folks, this is flash flood country.

[Adsos Letter]

2. " As soon as you tell anybody, there will be a crowd -- "

As Sutter discovered, to his eternal chagrin.

[Ikonoklast]

3. I want to try that one day.

Had a couple of friends that panned for gold in Cali a while back, they got shot at when they mistakenly got caught prospecting on someone else's claim.


I think they about broke even, paying for the trip and food for three months, but that was about it.