By Sandy Waldy
Clarence and Cindy Kaiser recently arrived in Happy Camp from the state of Oregon. Neither one is a stranger to gold prospecting, from metal detecting to running a dredge and everything in between. Cindy and her mom were actually dredging for gold when she met Clarence who was coming down from the state of Washington (where he was born) doing his own dredging. That was back in 1982. They were married in 1986. After getting married, they spent the first few months out working a gold claim.
The next few years found them having their sons, doing a lot of traveling, and they even started their own jewelry business called “American Gold” from gold that they found. Many winters found them in Quartzite, Arizona selling their jewelry and mining. Then they would pick apples in the summer before returning to Quartzite. They also did swap meets along the way. They continued with the jewelry business for about 10 years.
Both Clarence and Cindy are from the country. Cindy grew up on a dairy farm in Oregon where she was born. She says. “The farm was a lot of physical work and definitely kept me in shape. That kind of living helped prepare me for the mining that we continue to do now.” Clarence ran a sheep and cattle ranch in Idaho, and also a dairy. So he is also very familiar with hard physical work.
Clarence actually joined the New 49er’s the first time in 1982, but they joined again as a couple in February of last year.
They began high-banking in April on the Club”s K-15A property, using a high-banking machine that Clarence personally designed. It consists of two hand sluices which have been modified and joined together. There is a PVC pipe which runs around the top of the upper sluice. This provides the necessary water. They use a green indoor/outdoor carpet which resembles grass in the top sluice box. It has been working so good for them that several other New 49″er members have asked Clarence to help modify their own high-bankers.
Even Cindy”s mom, Adelma, (who is 78 years old) has joined them. She says that being outside and active has helped keep her feeling young.
Most days will find all three of them out at their site working away. They have been following a good-producing pay-streak for the past 4 months. Clarence says that some areas are lesser-producing than others. But he says the trick is to continue to follow the strongest portion of the gold line, and focus the work on the layers that produce the gold. So far, they have been able to accumulate over 3 ounces of beautiful yellow gold. Clarence says that the main key is to never stop sampling.
As July rolls into August, they are taking off to pick up a larger RV, spend time with family, and take care of some business. They plan on returning to Happy Camp in September and continue with their love of high-banking. “We will be looking for a new site”, Clarence says. With his expertise, and his hard-working team, I am sure that they will find another good strike. “We love it here,” says both Cindy and her mom.
They follow the longstanding New 49″er tradition of “Miners Helping Miners” by turning over unfinished mining areas to other New 49″er members before moving onto something else.
It has been my joy to meet and speak with these wonderful people, and I look forward to their return in September. They truly lend to our Club the knowledge and love of gold prospecting.
