Here are the winners from the Legal Fund drawing. – October 2025

 Newsletters
Oct 182025
 

New 49'er Newsletter

FOURTH QUARTER, OCTOBER 2025                            VOLUME 39, NUMBER 2

Dave McCracken

Newsletter By Dave McCracken General Manager

Rich Klamath river gold dust in a blue pan.

We are dredging again! One ounce of gold now is worth more than $4,000! That means a pennyweight is worth $200. Nearly anyone can recover a pennyweight of gold or more per day out of the Klamath River!

Here are the winners from the Legal Fund drawing on 9-30-2025

Twenty five 1-Ounce American Silver Eagles: 1. Ray Sterner; 2. Rebecca Parrish; 3. Bernie O’ Connell; 4. Dennis Zander; 5. Peggy Johnsen; 6. David & Linda Ballard; 7. Ryck Rowan; 8. Ryck Rowan; 9. Dennis Zander; 10. Rich Helburg; 11. Edward Murphy; 12. Michael Carter; 13. Bernie O’Connell; 14. Peggy Johnsen; 15. Robert Deknes; 16. Rebecca Parrish; 17. Ryck Rowan; 18. Robert Andrekewics; 19. Ryck Rowan; 20. Josh Kirby; 21.Ryck Rowan; 22. Robert Brandes; 23. Greg Yager; 24. Greg Yager & 25. Roy Davis

Grand Prize #1 (.385oz. Nugget) John T. Hawthorne; Grand Prize #2 (.467oz. Nugget) Peggy Johnsen; Grand Prize #3 (.273oz. Nugget) Ryck Rowan; Grand Prize #4 (.347oz. Nugget) Barbara Pettigrew; Grand Prize #5 (.557oz. Nugget) Ryck Rowan

Thank you very much to everyone who contributed to this legal drawing!

Note that some contributors won more than one prize. Since we are very careful to honestly perform Legal Fund drawings in front of whoever wants to watch, and we are also careful to issue exactly one ticket for each $10 contribution we receive, it is possible that those who won multiple prizes contributed more money to the drawing. There were some substantial contributions. But it could just be luck of the draw!

Here is some video I captured during the drawing:

In any case, the drawing generated funds to launch our defense of the new case law that was adopted in Siskiyou County during April of this year (Tucker) that now allows suction dredging and motorized mining if you belong to a partnership, corporation or other Association. I’ll cover this in the next section.

Operating Motors and Using Suction Dredges Again Has Been Ruled Legal Under Specific Circumstances by the Siskiyou County Court!

Note: the beginning of this section is partly repetitive from an earlier newsletter so as to bring everyone up to date on the existing state of our legal affairs:

New 49’er member, Tucker Clements, was cited last season by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (F&W) for operating a suction dredge up on the Salmon River (California river). His case was dismissed in April of this year by the District Attorney (DA) and by the Superior Court of Siskiyou County.

This is a huge win for our industry!

Tucker made his defense by demonstrating to the Court that he was dredging under a partnership, rather than the F&W regulations created for individuals. In short, F&W 5653 regulations state as follows:“(a)The use of vacuum or suction dredge equipment by a person in a river, stream, or lake of this state is prohibited, except as authorized under a permit issued to that person by the department…”

And then, 5653.8 “For purposes of Section 5653 and 5653.3, “person” does not include a partnership, corporation, or other type of association.”

Because Tucker demonstrated to the Court that he had a partner involved in his operation, the entire case was thrown out of Court. Here is the written Order from Superior Court of Siskiyou County:

Order: “The defendant has produced evidence that shows that he substantially complied with the scope of conduct allowed by Fish and Game Code 5653(a). Pursuant to 5653(8), “For purposes of Section 5653…’person’ does not include a partnership, corporation or other type of association.” The defendant has substantially complied with the requirements of Section 5653(a) because he was acting as an agent of a partnership.”

The Order was signed by the District Attorney (DA) on April 15 2025, and the Superior Court judge on April 17th. Since the case was not appealed by F&W, our assumption has been that the law is settled in Siskiyou County.

I have to admit that we were all surprised by this revelation. Therefore, our dredging and other motorized mining season did not really begin until sometime in June. By that time, Tucker had already departed to begin his dredging season in Alaska.

After Tucker departed, a notation turned up on Tucker’s docket in Siskiyou County Court that the DA had refiled the Section 5653 violation against Tucker. That was confusing, and it created a shadow over the legal rights of small-scale miners in Siskiyou County. We could not get at the citation, because Tucker was out of state; so we placed our efforts on raising Legal Funds (section above) to be prepared for the coming battle.

Some members did not want to take the chance of being cited. Others of us decided to rely upon the original court ruling. My estimate is that we had an average of 25 members dredging and using motors on our claims between June and the end of August of this season. As far as I know, there was not a single F&W warden on the Klamath River or our creek properties all the way through August. Because of these new developments, The New 49’ers have had the best season in at least a decade! There are generally more cars out in front of out office in Happy Camp. A group of active miners accumulate inside our member space to socialize and exchange information and excitement nearly every morning.

Most members depart in early September because the weather normally gets cooler, the rains usually begin, and children go back to school.

In early September, several wardens came down and wrote a few citations to dredgers. The citations were for violation of Section 5653, possession of a suction dredge within 100 yards of a closed waterway. Each time, the wardens explained to the miners that they were aware of the Siskiyou County Court’s Order Dismissing Tucker’s case in April; but that “suction dredging as part of a partnership was still against the law!” What?

How can a State agency force a criminal procedure upon you in front of our local Superior Court; and then completely ignore the Court’s Order because they do not approve of the outcome? This sounds a lot like the California Deep State to me!

A more clear idea about the F&W position can be found by reading their statement in their latest newsletter, which can be found here. I’ll just make a few comments, because most of it is just nonsense: The newsletter states, “No partnership, membership or business relationship provides an exemption from this prohibition.” Note that F&W’s own Section 5653.8 is ignored entirely! And then, assuming they are referring to the Tucker case in April, the newsletter says, “Due to a clerical error the dredge case was temporarily dismissed.”

That was not a clerical error in Tucker’s case. It was a formal dismissal! Once again, we have California Deep State Officials deciding that a Superior Court dismissal was nothing more than a clerical error because they don’t like the outcome. I believe the proper (and only) remedy for a court decision that you disagree with is to file an appeal. But they did not file an appeal. Rather, they decided to ignore the Court Order!

The problem with DEEP State officials is that they believe they are so powerful that they can ignore a Decision from the very same Court that they use to prosecute everyday citizens!

Question: How can these wardens and our court system believe they can be respected by the public if they can just make up their own rules and force them upon us? What happened to, “Nobody is above the law?” These are the very same guys who have sworn an oath to uphold the law! This is exactly what motivates the “defund the police” movement! If there is no longer rule of law, America is doomed!

Governor Newsom has already announced that he will soon propose the elimination of 10,000 state jobs as just one of additional cutbacks to resolve California’s overspending problem. These officials have no problem with eliminating the livelihoods of small-scale miners. But they will be crying when California runs out of money to pay them! California has already run out of money. We, and our gold deposits will still be here when these government officials are long gone!

Tucker’s new (old?) case is now scheduled to be heard (heard again as if the first time didn’t count) in mid-November. He has agreed to assistance from our attorney, James Buchal. We really need to win this because then they will have to dismiss the few other citations F&W has issued and we can make our plans for the 2026 season.

If we lose, we will not have the luxury of just deciding that the new Decision does not even count. We will have to file an appeal. That means I will need to pull out more of my personal treasure to be prizes for the next Legal Fund-raiser. Whatever it takes!

Four Dams Upstream on the Klamath River Have Been Removed

The Klamath River is flowing about a foot lower than before the dams were removed. When we started in June, there was three-to-five feet of water visibility depending upon the location. The Klamath was never a very clear river to begin with. I can do fine with three feet of visibility as long as I am not working under a tall working face. The river was running with six feet or more visibility when my season ended in late August.

The Scott and Salmon Rivers, and our Elk and Indian Creeks are running crystal clear if you prefer the smaller waterways. We have extensive properties for you to choose from.

Some members are working on the edge of the Klamath River next to the banks and recovering good gold for their efforts. Some members are also dredging on the creeks. Others are running high-bankers or dry-washers, using their vacuum mining machines, sluicing, electronic prospecting and panning.

Our Facebook Presence

Our staff and others have been updating the Newfourtyniner Facebook page on a regular basis. Members come into our office every week and allow us to take images of the gold they are finding. Sometimes this can be very exciting! Sometimes we even go out and capture some images and video of where members are doing well. Therefore, the latest exciting news, images and video, in full color, can be found on our Facebook page. Especially since we are not sending out newsletters as often as before, our Facebook page is a good way to stay current and even actively participate.

You can expect to see updates on the Tucker case as it unfolds on our Facebook Page.

Member Accident Insurance

Our group insurance plan is great for those who do not have an insurance policy to cover you in case of a minor accident. All members are eligible to receive our low-cost group accident plan.

Our plan covers an individual for $15,000 in accident insurance, including dental, during any mining venture on New 49’er properties. It covers bodily injury caused by an accident and resulting directly and independently of any other cause. It is a supplemental policy, meaning that if you have some other form of insurance, this policy only covers you when the other runs out. It is also a $2,500 life insurance/dismemberment policy if your death or dismemberment is the result of a mining accident.

The policy costs $30 per person, per year—at this time. This covers from October 4th of the existing year through October 3rd of the following year. There is no rebate if you purchase the policy later in the year; the fee is still the same.

With insurance companies, you never know when rates are going to be increased; so we suggest you obtain your policy in early October by printing out this form, filling it out, and sending it to the office with your check for $30 per person.

Conclusion

Keep the faith, you guys. We have been holding on and praying since suction dredging was eliminated in California during 2009. If things go our way this time, we can all start looking towards recovering more of that $4,000+ gold!

Reminder that you can sign up to receive this free newsletter right here.

Dave McCracken, General Manager

New 49’er Gold Prospecting Association

27 Davis Road P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012
www.goldgold.com

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Operating Motors/Suction Dredges Ruled Legal Under Specific Circumstances by the Siskiyou County Court! – July 2025

 Newsletters
Jun 282025
 

New 49'er Newsletter

THIRD QUARTER, JULY 2025                            VOLUME 39, NUMBER 1

Dave McCracken

 

 

 

Newsletter By Dave McCracken General Manager

 

 

New 49’er member, Tucker Clements, was cited last season by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (F&W) for operating a suction dredge up on the Salmon River (California river).  His case was dismissed several weeks ago by the Siskiyou County District Attorney (DA) and by the Court.  This is a huge win for our industry!

Tucker made his defense based upon legal theories presented by Public Lands for the People (PLP). Basically,

gold-find-2025

Image of gold recovered during a single day of work by one of our members just using a high-banker out of the water. The value today of what he recovered is $330!

Tucker showed the Court that he was dredging under a partnership, rather than the F&W regulations.

In short, F&W 5653 regulations state as follows:  (a) The use of vacuum or suction dredge equipment by a person in a river, stream, or lake of this state is prohibited, except as authorized under a permit issued to that person by the department…

5653.8  For purposes of Section 5653 and 5653.3, “person” does not include a partnership, corporation, or other type of association.

Because Tucker demonstrated to the Court that he had a partner involved in his operation, the entire case was thrown out of Court.  Here is the written order from the Court:

Order: “The defendant has produced evidence that shows that he substantially complied with the scope of conduct allowed by Fish and Game Code 5653(a). Pursuant to 5653(8), “For purposes of Section 5653…’person’ does not include a partnership, corporation or other type of association.” The defendant has substantially complied with the requirements of Section 5653(a) because he was acting as an agent of a partnership.”

The Order was signed by the District Attorney on April 15 2025, and the judge on April 17th.

We have been working with our attorney to confirm whether or not a card-carrying New 49’er member of our association would automatically be granted this exception from the dredging regulations.  Meanwhile, our attorney has sent us this one-page partnership agreement which is very simple to fill out. Fortunately, there is a notary service located just on the other side of the post office here in town. If you cannot link to the agreement, just call our office and we will send one to you in the mail.

News about this is growing fast. We have members arriving every day with their motorized equipment. Even my own dredge will be in the Klamath River in a few days!  With gold at $3,300 per ounce (and climbing), sucking up gold deposits has become a high priority!

Four Dams Upstream on the Klamath River Have Been Removed

As I write this, the Klamath is flowing at around the normal summer flow rates that we have always seen. Water levels are clearly dropping. There is now three-to-five feet of water visibility depending upon the location.  Yesterday, I drove all the way up to the headwaters of where the Irongate lake used to be. Iron gate was the dam furthest downstream towards Happy Camp. I could not find any heavy equipment pushing silt into the river. So, I am assuming the silt in the water is remnant of the silt washed into the river when the dams were removed. Water quality at the old dam sight is the same as it is further down river.

The Klamath was never a very clear river to begin with. I can do fine with three feet of visibility as long as I am not working under a tall working face.

The Scott and Salmon Rivers, and our Elk and Indian Creeks are running crystal clear if you prefer the smaller waterways.

Some members are working out in the river next to the banks and recovering good gold for their efforts. Some members are also dredging on the creeks.

There should be a dramatic drop in the water level along the Klamath River as we move through the dry season. Slower water should improve water quality. This should help us get down into the deeper gold deposits, some which should be exposed and out of the water. Dam removal may turn out good for gold prospecting in the end.

To prepare for likely legal challenges, I will be digging out some of my juicy gold nuggets as prizes for a new Legal Fund Raiser. Watch for an announcement about this in the next few weeks! 

Potlucks Scheduled for the 2025 Season

All of these events are being announced on our Facebook page:  July 12th; July 26th; August 9th; August 23rd. This is as long as wildfires don’t force us to cancel them. So far this season, we have not had any wildfires in our area and the skies have been clear and blue.

We are doing 6 pm potlucks at the Happy Camp Community Hall (used to be called the Happy Camp Lions Club) down towards the river in the middle of town. Just ask anyone for directions. Please bring something to add to the meal along with your preferred beverage.

Our Facebook Presence

Our staff and others have been updating the Newfourtyniner Facebook page on a regular basis. Members come into our office every week and allow us to take images of the gold they are finding. Sometimes this can be very exciting! Sometimes we even go out and capture some images and video of where members are doing well. Therefore, the latest exciting news, images and video, in full color, can be found on our Facebook page. Especially since we are not sending out newsletters as often as before, our Facebook page is a good way to stay current and even actively participate. 

Member Accident Insurance

Our group insurance plan is great for those who do not have an insurance policy to cover you in case of a minor accident. All members are eligible to receive our low-cost group accident plan.

Our plan covers an individual for $15,000 in accident insurance, including dental, during any mining venture on New 49’er properties. It covers bodily injury caused by an accident and resulting directly and independently of any other cause. It is a supplemental policy, meaning that if you have some other form of insurance, this policy only covers you when the other runs out. It is also a $2,500 life insurance/dismemberment policy if your death or dismemberment is the result of a mining accident.

The policy costs $30 per person, per year—at this time. This covers from October 4th of the existing year through October 3rd of the following year. There is no rebate if you purchase the policy later in the year; the fee is still the same.

With insurance companies, you never know when rates are going to be increased; so we suggest you obtain your policy in early October by printing out this form, filling it out, and sending it to the office with your check for $30 per person. 

Annual Dues is Billed Next Month

We bill all Full Members $50 for annual dues in August.  September through the end of the year is when we must shoulder the load of increased property taxes and filing fees to the County and Bureau of Land Management. These are legal requirements which allow us to continue making a substantial number of federal mining claims available to our members.

In real terms, the true value of the gold along these extensive properties may be worth more than the net assets of most financial institutions on the planet. Especially these days when the government is printing trillions of Dollars out of thin air. The reason that prices are going up is not because goods and services are worth more than before. Prices are going up because the Dollar is not worth as much as it was before. More or less, on the long term, increased gold values signal the reduced purchasing power of paper currencies.

I remind you every year that we should be calling our extensive properties the “Klamath First National Bank.” Ours is the only bank in the world where you can go out, set up your own camp, and make a draw anytime you wish. There are no interest, rent or bank fees to pay.  And you never have to pay the gold back! This is as close as it comes to an opportunity to maintain some degree of personal freedom during these ever-more difficult and troubling times. Especially with gold prices going up as they are. Not to mention that we are located smack in the middle of some of the best Pacific Northwest country you will ever see. As far as I know, we are the only organization in the world that makes a very large bank of pure wealth freely available to our members.

As long as you guys continue to stand with us, we will continue the fight for our basic freedoms.  There remains hope that America will wake up and realize that we need to produce value and wealth in excess of what we consume.

I am willing to invest my personal resources to keep our program going as long as you guys, our members, are also willing to hang in there until we overcome what is destroying America, or it becomes clear that there is no longer any hope. My assessment of your support will be in what percentage of Full Members are willing to invest $50 a year to help keep our dream alive: The freedom for Americans to go out on the federal lands and invest your personal energy and resourcefulness in exchange for all the gold you can find.

We should do all we can to maintain our Klamath First National Bank. If lost, we will never get it back! We are enormously lucky to have access to it. Thank you very much for your continued support over the many years!

Happy 4th of July to everyone,

Dave McCracken, General Manager

New 49’er Gold Prospecting Association
27 Davis Road P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012
www.goldgold.com

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Robin Burgen Demonstrates His Successful Gold Mining Program – August 2024

 Newsletters
Jul 272024
 

New 49'er Newsletter

THIRD QUARTER, AUGUST 2024                            VOLUME 38, NUMBER 1

Dave McCracken

 

 

 

Newsletter By Dave McCracken General Manager

 

Longtime supportive member, Robin Burgen, is using a hand-operated dry-washer to mine gold along the banks of the Klamath River. And he is getting nice gold! He has taken the time to demonstrate his methods in a series of helpful videos.

gold-nuggets Robin Burgen

Like the rest of us, Robin begins with a gold pan to locate productive pay dirt:

Here is the rest of his story:

More Members are Returning to Happy Camp this Season!

More members and guests are returning during this 2024 season and we have also had somewhat of a surge in new members. There are so many people in the office some mornings that it reminds me of the good old days before we were reduced to mostly hand mining for gold. We attribute some of this to the excellent television coverage provided to us by a recent Discovery Channel Special. Gold has increased as much as $500 since last year at this time. This has also spurred interest. Imagine that just a pennyweight of gold is now worth around $122! One pennyweight is 1/20th of a troy ounce. Just a single grain of gold is worth around $5! It takes 24 grains of accumulated gold to make up a pennyweight. A grain of accumulated gold would be around the volume or size of a matchhead. In any good place along our properties, some members often recover a grain or more than a grain of gold in an average pan, and a pennyweight or more of gold in a day if you are working at it. Many members do better.

We now have a third permanent person in the office. Our normal business hours are 9 am until 2 pm on Mondays through Fridays. It is a good idea for you to call in advance if you plan to visit the office. There are occasional times when we close early or may not open because of any number of reasons. Namely wildfires, power outages or other emergencies. Mountain weather conditions and/or health issues occasionally will prompt us to close the doors for a day or more. We also have voicemail at 530 493-2012.

Even if our office is closed, our mining properties are always open to members for prospecting and camping.

Two More Potlucks are Scheduled in August of this Season

We scheduled two potlucks in July, which should have taken place by the time you read this newsletter. All of these events are being announced on our Facebook page. The two potlucks in August will take place at 6 pm on August 10 & 24. This is as long as wildfires don’t force us to cancel them. So far this season, we have not had any wildfires in our area and the skies have been clear and blue.

Turnouts at our Saturday evening potlucks this season have been pretty good. We are doing them at the Happy Camp Community Hall (used to be called the Happy Camp Lions Club) down towards the river in the middle of town. Just ask anyone for directions. Please bring something to add to the meal along with your preferred beverage.

Four dams Upstream on the Klamath River are Being Removed

All of the flood control along the Klamath River is actively being removed. Here is an updated article that provides some details and images. It is not a pretty sight! But it should get better in time.

As I write this, the Klamath is flowing at the normal summer flow rates that we have always seen. Therefore, there must still be some dam waters being held back and released further upstream. The US Forest Service has announced that this will be the final season for commercial rafting on the Klamath. That’s a signal that water levels should be dropping. The water is muddy, though there is now about a foot of visibility at the surface in Happy Camp and further downstream. Some members are working out in the river next to the banks and recovering good gold for their efforts. Most members, like Robin’s story above, are prospecting up off the river or along our creek properties. Once the excess water is allowed to flow away, there should be a dramatic drop in the water level along the Klamath River. This should help us get down into the deeper gold deposits, some which should be exposed and out of the water. Dam removal may turn out good for gold prospecting in the end.

Trimming the Fat

Last season, I announced that in a continuing effort to keep our costs in line with income, we had identified properties that we managed where members have never taken an interest. We let those go. As far as I know, nobody even noticed. Though there are several out-of-state companies that have filed claims directly over our traditional and popular properties and put them up for sale. This has happened numerous times over the years. Because I made that announcement last season, several members on our Facebook page assumed that we sold off our best properties and there was some alarm and disappointment until we straightened it out. First of all, we have not sold a single claim. If someone else files paper over our properties and tries to sell them, it does nothing to eliminate our control over the properties. Please have faith that I will never let any of our good properties go. We are not planning to let any other properties go at this time.

However, we have taken on several new properties in the Wingate area along the Klamath River – which filled in the last openings in our continuous stretch of the Klamath river from above Happy Camp downstream to just above Clear Creek (around nine or ten continuous miles). Most of it has never been mined due to the higher flows (because of flood control). This might be fantastic for gold recovery once the river drops, and it is only one of many long, continuous stretch open to our active members.

Our Facebook Presence

Our staff and others have been updating the Newfourtyniner Facebook page on a regular basis. Members come into our office every week and allow us to take images of the gold they are finding. Sometimes this can be very exciting! Sometimes we even go out and capture some images and video of where members are doing well. Therefore, the latest exciting news, images and video, in full color, can be found on our Facebook page. Especially since we are not sending out newsletters as often as before, our Facebook page is a good way to stay current and even actively participate.

New Email addresses

Because of ongoing Internet changes, we have decided to perform our email functions with a different provider. These changes will be reflected on our Contact web page. Please try and remember that our @goldgold addresses will only be active for a short time longer. As of now, we expect to be using the following addresses: Office: <49ersmemberservices@proton.me>; Billing & administration: <teyaw@proton.me> and <dickey49er@proton.me>; Internal Affairs: Rich Krimm: <rckrimm@att.net>; Dave McCracken: <davemack74@protonmail.com>

Member Accident Insurance

Our group insurance plan is great for those who do not have an insurance policy to cover you in case of a minor accident. All members are eligible to receive our low-cost group accident plan.

Our plan covers an individual for $15,000 in accident insurance, including dental, during any mining venture on New 49’er properties. It covers bodily injury caused by an accident and resulting directly and independently of any other cause. It is a supplemental policy, meaning that if you have some other form of insurance, this policy only covers you when the other runs out. It is also a $2,500 life insurance/dismemberment policy if your death or dismemberment is the result of a mining accident.

The policy costs $30 per person, per year—at this time. This covers from October 4th of the existing year through October 3rd of the following year. There is no rebate if you purchase the policy later in the year; the fee is still the same.

With insurance companies, you never know when rates are going to be increased; so we suggest you obtain your policy in early October by printing out this form, filling it out, and sending it to the office with your check for $30 per person.

Annual Dues is Billed This Month

We bill all Full Members $50 for annual dues in August.  September through the end of the year is when we must shoulder the load of increased property taxes and filing fees to the County and Bureau of Land Management. These are legal requirements which allow us to continue making a substantial number of federal mining claims available to our members.

In real terms, the true value of the gold along these extensive properties may be worth more than the net assets of any financial institution on the planet. Especially these days when the government is printing trillions upon trillions of Dollars out of thin air. The reason that prices are going up is not because goods and services are worth more than before. Prices are going up because the Dollar is not worth as much as it was before. This happens because too many Dollars have been printed and circulated. More or less, on the long term, increased gold values signal the reduced purchasing power of paper currencies.

I remind you every year that we should be calling our extensive properties the “Klamath First National Bank.” Ours is the only bank in the world where you can go out, set up your own camp, and make a draw anytime you wish. There are no interest, rent or bank fees to pay.  And you never have to pay the gold back! This is as close as it comes to an opportunity to maintain some degree of personal freedom during these ever-more difficult and troubling times. Not to mention that we are located smack in the middle of some of the best Pacific Northwest country you will ever see. As far as I know, we are the only organization in the world that makes a very large bank of pure wealth freely available to our members.

Having said that, governments (California, Oregon, Washington and others) have imposed unreasonable regulations upon our industry. Basically, we have lost the right to excavate or process minerals using motorized mining components within 100 yards of an active waterway. But all of our other traditional mining methods are still available to us. We have not given up hope that American policymakers will eventually wake up to the fact that our natural resources are what will fuel the economy of the future if we want to be prosperous. This goes for farming, ranching, timber, mineral, oil and natural gas development. Since this is an important election year, I urge you to vote for leaders that support natural resource development. You know, “Drill baby drill!”

As long as you guys continue to stand with us, we will continue the fight for our basic freedoms. There remains hope that America will wake up and realize that we need to produce value and wealth in excess of what we consume.

We all know that these are very troubled times for America. The whole world hangs in this balance. If conservatives win back control in the upcoming elections, it would not be unreasonable to hope that we can win our country back. Then we might be able to win our industry back. There remains some reason for hope.

I am willing to invest my personal resources to keep our program going as long as you guys, our members, are also willing to hang in there until we overcome what is destroying America, or it becomes clear that there is no longer any hope. My assessment of your support will be in what percentage of Full Members are willing to invest $50 a year to help keep our dream alive: The freedom for Americans to go out on the federal lands and invest your personal energy and resourcefulness in exchange for all the gold you can find.

We should do all we can to maintain our Klamath First National Bank. If lost, we will never get it back! We are enormously lucky to have access to it. Thank you very much for your continued support over the many years!

Dave McCracken, General Manager

 

New 49’er Gold Prospecting Association
27 Davis Road P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012
www.goldgold.com

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Doyle Hyde Showing off Some Gold he Recently Recovered on our K-17 Property – August 2023

 Newsletters
Aug 052023
 

New 49'er Newsletter

THIRD QUARTER, AUGUST 2023                            VOLUME 37, NUMBER 1

Dave McCracken

 

 

 

Newsletter By Dave McCracken General Manager

 

 

Doyle

Doyle Hyde

Doyle Hyde has been bringing gold into the office that he has been hand-mining on properties upstream and downstream of Happy Camp. This gold was recovered towards the upper end of our property near Seattle Creek.

Three Employees Now Working in the Office

With more members and guests returning, we have added a third person to the office for the ongoing summer season.  Our normal business hours are 9 am until 2 pm on Mondays through Fridays, and 8 am until noon on most Saturdays through the busy season.

It is a good idea for you to call in advance if you plan to visit the office. There are occasional times when we close early or may not open because of any number of reasons. We have voicemail at 530 493-2012. Wildfires and other emergencies, mountain weather conditions and/or health issues occasionally will prompt us to close the doors for a day or more.

Even if our office is closed, our mining properties are always open to members for prospecting and camping.

Two More Potlucks Scheduled in August of this Season
gold for prizes

Gold nuggets set aside as drawing prizes during the potlucks.

Things along the Klamath River have pretty-much normalized. With more members around, we began doing potlucks again. Turnouts have been pretty good. Two remaining scheduled potlucks for this season will happen at 6 pm at the Happy Camp Community Hall (used to be called the Happy Camp Lions Club) on the following dates: August 5th and 19th. Please bring something to add to the meal along with your preferred beverage.

Weekend Group Prospecting Projects

We are trying a new idea this season as a substitute for our Organized Weekend Prospecting Projects.  We are meeting up on Sunday morning after the Saturday evening potlucks. Then we venture to a nearby location where we believe that prospects for finding gold are good. We will provide sampling and panning instruction. Participants can keep all the gold you find. This is a free program available to all members.

Since our normal schedule is still being worked out, if you want to participate in a sponsored prospecting adventure, please call our office and place yourself on the list.

Four dams Upstream on the Klamath River are Being Removed

All of the flood control along the Klamath River is being removed. Here is an article that provides some details and images.

My understanding is that the four dams will be completely drained next summer. Once the excess water is allowed to flow away, there should be a dramatic drop in the water level along the Klamath River. This should help us get down into the deeper gold deposits, some which should be exposed and out of the water.

Trimming the Fat

There was a time when it cost so little to file a mining claim that we would immediately pick up any gold property that was available along the Klamath and other gold-bearing tributaries in the area. But the cost of maintaining a mining claim, along with most other things, has gone up dramatically in recent years.

In a continuing effort to keep our costs in line with income, we have identified properties we manage where members have never taken an interest.  We will let those go, and add new properties where we believe the gold prospects are more encouraging. We have already taken on several new properties in the Wingate area along the Klamath River. Please stay tuned for more information as we make progress.

Television Show Coming Our Way!

I am not able to disclose very much about this without breaking an important trust. Nearly everyone is familiar with the several gold programs that have been playing on various television networks for many years. Some of them are very popular. I was involved several years ago with a 4-part series that involved finding the long-lost Golconda Diamond Mine. That was the richest diamond mine in the world, which is now completely flooded by a reservoir. Links to these episodes are on the left side of this page.

There is a lot of interest in these types of shows where normal folks can go out and find a fortune if fate is on their side. The challenge is that typical commercial mining requires substantial financial and other investment. Setting up a commercial program in India or Alaska is not something the average person can afford to do.

So more recently, the interest of these filming companies has evolved into finding more small-scale mining projects that an average person or family could afford to do. We get queries on a regular basis.

Several weeks ago, a filming company was here from the United Kingdom for a few weeks to capture just regular people using traditional methods to recover gold. They seemed happy with our program. I gather they are planning around eight episodes to capture the “Modern Gold Rush in America.” I’ll keep you posted.

Facebook/Forum
doyles gold

One member brought this gold into the office which he recovered using a gold pan along the edge of the river downstream of Happy Camp.

Some of you are aware that we have maintained our own Internet message Forum for quite some time. Our Forum was quite busy years ago when we were in a legal contest to maintain suction dredging in the western U.S. Activity on our forum since then has fallen off significantly.

Our Internet Forum was mostly created by founding member, Jim Foley. Jim has moderated our forum since it was started many years ago. However, I am sorry to report that Jim passed away just a few days ago (stroke). We are all going to miss him very much.

While Jim and a few others have moderated the forum, our office staff have been updating The New 49’er facebook Page on a daily basis. Members come into our office every week and allow us to take images of the gold they are finding. Sometimes, this can be very exciting! Therefore, the latest exciting news, in full color, can be found on our facebook page. Sometimes, we even go down and get some images and video of where members are doing well. Especially since we are not sending out newsletters as often as before, our facebook page is the best way to stay current and even actively participate.

We don’t need both an Internet Forum and a facebook page. They both pretty-much serve the same purpose. Since more creativity is going into the facebook page, we will make this announcement on the forum for a while before shutting off the forum page.

Annual Dues is Billed This Month

We bill all Full Members $50 for annual dues in August.  September through the end of the year is when we must shoulder the load of substantial property tax and filing fees to the County and Bureau of Land Management. These are legal requirements which allow us to continue making a very substantial number of federal mining claims available to our members.

In real terms, the true value of the gold along these extensive properties may be worth more than the net assets of any financial institution on the planet. Especially these days when the government is printing trillions upon trillions of Dollars out of thin air which is fueling inflation. The reason that prices are going up is not because goods and services are worth more than before. They are going up because the Dollar is not worth as much as before. This happens because too many Dollars have been printed and circulated.

I remind you every year that we should be calling our properties the “Klamath First National Bank.” Ours is the only bank in the world where you can go out and make a draw anytime you wish. There are no interest or bank fees to pay.  And you never have to pay the gold back! This is as close as it comes to an opportunity to maintain some degree of personal freedom during these ever-more difficult and troubling times.  As far as I know, we are the only organization in the world that makes a very large bank of pure wealth freely available to our members.

Having said that, governments (California, Oregon, Washington and others) have imposed unreasonable regulations upon our industry. Basically, we have lost the use of our mechanical mining components within 100 yards of an active waterway. But all of our traditional mining methods are still allowed.

As long as you guys continue to stand with us, we will continue the fight for our basic freedoms.  There remains hope that America will wake up and realize that we need to produce value and wealth in excess of what we consume.

We all know that these are very troubled times for America. The whole world hangs in this balance. If conservatives win back control in the upcoming elections, it would not be unreasonable to hope that we can win our country back. Then we might be able to win our industry back. There remains some reason for hope.

I am willing to invest my personal resources to keep our program going as long as you guys, our members, are also willing to hang in there until we overcome what is destroying America, or it becomes clear that there is no longer any hope. My assessment of your support will be in what percentage of Full Members are willing to invest $50 a year to help keep our dream alive: The freedom for Americans to go out on the federal lands and invest your personal energy and resourcefulness in exchange for all the gold you can find.

Thank you very much for your support over the many years!

Dave McCracken, General Manager

 

New 49’er Gold Prospecting Association
27 Davis Road P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012
www.goldgold.com

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Couple Gets a Pleasant Surprise Using a “Wheel of Fortune!”- May 2022

 Newsletters
May 292022
 

New 49'er Newsletter

SECOND QUARTER, MAY 2022                            VOLUME 36, NUMBER 1

Dave McCracken

 

Newsletter By Dave McCracken General Manager

EricStory by Eric Spitler

Another summer season is upon us here in Happy Camp. The weather is beautiful along the Klamath River and surrounding area. The gold mining opportunities are endless! For us, summer isn’t the beginning of our mining season. We mine year-round. Warm weather just opens up other possibilities.

Betsy and I work the gravel bars during winter. Our careful choice of locations puts us in the sun. We worked a dark spot in a canyon during our first winter season in Happy Camp, and learned from that experience how cold it can be.

These days, during the winter, we pick the gravel bars that are graced with warmth, even on cloudy days. We just completed a winter season, and it went fine. But it is nice to have the summer weather settling in. A lot of our gold prospecting takes place in the water once it warms up; sometimes completely underwater.

Though there are other members who are already mining underwater on the Klamath. We will be out there soon enough!

Since the water is not quite warm enough for us to do that yet, we are using the warmer days to expand our gold projects to the lowering level of the river, where the cool water is now refreshing at leg level. Ourselves, and other members, have had good luck along the edge of the river where winter storms have swept gravel away, leaving a concentration of gold remaining in place.

We have been glad to have other members of the Club mining nearby during this past winter. A few hardy souls have made for a friendly outdoor community atmosphere. We all learn from each other.

This year, we adopted the use of a spiral gold wheel from some of our mining companions. Our friend offered to run our previously-processed concentrates that seemed to us to be depleted of gold values To be honest, we did not expect much.. Now, we’re not novices. We have been at this game for a long time. But a spiral wheel was never part of our arsenal. It is now!

Out of a nearly full bucket of concentrates, which represented weeks of mining, we had already removed an ounce of beautiful, small flakey gold through a concentrator sluice. The processed material was destined to get the heave-Ho.

Not so fast! One cycle through the spiral wheel, and we recovered just under another half-ounce of fine gold!

Oh oh! Well, we have chosen to look at the positive side rather than ponder over the tons of concentrates that we have discarded over the many years…

Many of us own a garage full of gold contraptions, as well as a truck full of equipment that rides around with us. So not to add to your ever-growing arsenal of gold-getting gadgets; but in case you are interested, give the gold wheel a try. We affectionately refer to ours as the “Wheel of Fortune.“

 Update from Dickey Melton, Internal Affairs

For those of you who have not met me, I pretty much manage ongoing affairs for The New 49’ers these days. I can be found at our office in Happy Camp, if I am not out helping members or keeping an eye on the mining properties which we manage. Stop in anytime for a cup of coffee and some spirited conversation about whatever is the passion of the moment. Our office is a very friendly place.

There is not much happening along our properties that I am not aware of. We have so much property available, and there is so much room for all our members, there is no need to keep secrets about where the latest gold hot spots are. Everybody is going to find out about it, anyway! Members have brought in some really nice gold over these past few years!

Momentum this season is picking up along the river. The phone is ringing, and more people are showing up nearly every day.

fine gold The boys

Longtime members, Jim and Cash, stopped at the office just a few days ago to show off some gold they have been recovering off the bottom of the Klamath River along our extensive Wingate property, simply by using their hands to sweep the light material off of bedrock. On that day, they had recovered 1.7 pennyweights (20 dwts = 1 ounce of gold) in around seven hours while taking turns in the river. At 75% of the spot price, that comes to $70 – or $10 an hour. While it does not sound as good as a regular job, they do get to experience the great outdoors, have very little overhead, don’t have to worry about losing their job – and the cool thing is that if they hold onto the gold, the return for their labor is going to go up with the price of gold once it finally begins following (or getting ahead of) the inflation that we are all experiencing.

On that note, one member recovered around 16 ounces of beautiful gold two seasons ago working the bottom of the river by hand just part time along our Mega Hole properties. That’s more than $22,000 at today’s market price. He was only out there during the low-water summer months. There is an amazing amount of opportunity in the shallow portions of our extensive river and creek properties.

Talking about adventure, one of our members, who usually spends a couple months every summer, came into the office with his wife and an interesting story. Their adult children were also in Happy Camp for a visit.

They had a raft and were floating the Klamath a few miles downstream from town, just below Rattlesnake Rapids. On the opposite side of the river, there is a cliff about 50 to 100 feet above the water. There is an old mining site on top that is flat for about 500 feet. They said they heard a noise over top of them. Looking up, they saw what looked like Bigfoot. They said there is no way that it was a bear or a dog. Walking upright, the creature followed them the length of the cliff, so they got a good look at it for several minutes. They said the encounter really shocked them. I know this member is not someone to just make up stories. In fact, they have kept it a secret because some people might think they are crazy. This was not the first Bigfoot encounter our members have experienced over the years.

Comments by Dave Mack

The way things are lining up, we expect to have a pretty good season. Gold aside, many members are very happy to get up here where the ongoing political turmoil and health issues in our country can largely be set aside for a while. It’s nice to get a break from all that. We are located in some of the best great outdoors that America has to offer.

Organized Events for the 2022 Season:  Quite a few members have called in to ask if and when our Weekend Organized Events will start up again this season. I’m sorry to say that mining events sponsored and managed by The New 49’ers will not be happening. I have devoted a lot of time mulling and worrying over the organized events, because they have been one of our most popular programs dating all the way back to 1986. Thousands of people have cycled through these events.

As a result of 10+ years of litigation with our adversaries all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, I have learned that it is unwise to discuss important legal matters on a public forum. Please trust me when I say that organized Group Projects, in the manner that we always enjoyed them, have a fair chance of getting us participants in legal trouble. We can have a private discussion (face to face) about this if you want to know the reasons why.  My reasons are grounded in the desire to have you enjoy all the opportunities we offer with as little risk as possible.

However, there is nothing in this that prevents members from teaming up to work together in any way that you desire. Members already get together on a regular basis to team up on mining projects, camp together along our properties, share meals and social time. Let’s please keep it this way for a while.

The reason you are not getting these newsletters as often as before is that it feels wise to keep our costs to a minimum until world events start leaning more in our direction. We should all hope that republicans win back at least one of the congressional legislative branches in November to at least slow down the ongoing destruction of the American Dream. There is plenty to be concerned about. It feels like a good idea to keep our heads down for the moment and quietly enjoy the blessings that remain available to us.

Free societies are largely made up of people who are allowed the freedom to create goods and services which can be exchanged with others. No country in history has ever survived by simply printing money to solve all its problems. Printing money alone just makes the problems bigger and more widespread, causing the need to print even more money. This goes on either until the course is reversed or the bottom is reached. This is the trend where we find ourselves today. You cannot change economic reality by wishful thinking.  Until we get back to this reality, my own prediction is that we will not see very much that will change our existing circumstances for the better. So, we wait.

Except for one important thing: There always comes a point where gold will establish the true value of paper money. So at least we are not completely trapped by the misguided policies of those who are in charge.

What I mean by this is that under the circumstances, we are lucky to still have plenty to be thankful for. We can still get gold along our properties if we are willing to work for it. We still have the right to freely occupy some of the most beautiful  public lands in America while pursuing our adventures. The left will take these rights away if given a chance. So, we can hope the results in November will lean our way.

I will follow up again later this season. Until then, my best wishes to everyone,

Dave McCracken, General Manager

New 49’er Gold Prospecting Association
27 Davis Road P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012
www.goldgold.com

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Gold is Being Recovered Along the Klamath River and Tributaries – August 2021

 Newsletters
Jul 312021
 

New 49'er Newsletter

THIRD QUARTER, AUGUST 2021                            VOLUME 35, NUMBER 2

Dave McCracken

 

Newsletter By Dave McCracken General Manager

I am honored to introduce Dennis Kim. Dennis has been a strong supporter of The New 49’ers for a long time. Some of you might remember him in earlier newsletters because he participated in many of our Weekend Group Mining Projects.

gold In bottles Dennis Kim

Dennis comes over from Hawaii to prospect for gold during our summer months. He has always had a natural ability to get onto the gold. This largely has to do with his work ethic and never-quit world view. Dennis really works hard. His kindness to others seems to have no bounds. The girls in our office call Dennis “Mr. Aloha” for the macadamia nuts and candy he brings them every year.

Dennis served two tours with the Army Rangers in Viet Nam during the 1960’s.

campSeveral years ago, Dennis lost a pretty serious contest with a large boulder that ultimately broke one of his legs in six different places. After surgery put his leg back together, Dennis returned to Hawaii to do some healing. He says he was a complete invalid for at least six months. I’ll bet! The following season, Dennis returned to Happy Camp on crutches, which he traded in for a walking stick; and he then resumed his gold mining program until the end of the season. How’s that for determination?

We have a bunch of members working the shallows of the Klamath and working all of our side tributary mining properties using masks and snorkels. Some are also using motorized dry washers up away from the waterways. Some of them are recovering impressive amounts of gold. I have seen some nice gold nuggets being brought into the office. Dickey (our Office Manager and Internal Affairs) has been telling me about members who are doing well up on Indian Creek.

Scott RiverI paid a visit to Dennis Kim several mornings ago, because I heard that he and his mining partner, Brent, also from Hawaii, have been recovering nice gold using hand methods inside the Scott River.

I found Dennis and Brent in their well-organized camp along the Scott River. My timing was good, because they were just getting ready to go out to their mining site for the day. I followed them by car up to S-3, a place where they have been mining in the river for at least two seasons.

The Scott River is running low and pretty warm at this time of the year. They are both working in the river without having to wear full wet-suits.  I captured the following video sequences which demonstrates the way they are recovering gold and nuggets out of the river:

alter

One of the interesting things about Dennis is that he brings an offering of food, incense and hand-picked flowers every day. He places these items and more on an alter which he has made from some rocks off the streambank. I have seen this practice many, many times in Thailand, Cambodia and elsewhere. I have been told that the gift to spiritual forces is for the hope of good luck and personal safety. It is a means to harmonize closer to the world around us. Dennis told me that the practice is a respectful gesture to communicate their intention to create no harm to the area where he and Brent are searching for gold in the river. I know from long experience that the Thai culture also takes these “giving’s” very seriously. Here is Dennis explaining his viewpoint:

The difference is that Dennis’ gifts are always gone the following morning. I’m sure there are very grateful local wildlife creatures that show up there for dinner or breakfast every day.

Brent

Brent is strong as an ox!

The mining program Dennis and Brent are doing is very simple. They both are working inside the river, using weight belts to get deeper into the water without floating away. As the younger person on the team, Brent is packing or rolling the larger rocks out of their excavation. The water is so clean and clear that he is not even using a mask and snorkel. Dennis is then using a modified shovel to excavate smaller-sized streambed from underwater into a #4 sized screen that is sitting on top of a 5-gallon bucket. The buckets of material are then fed into a hand sluice that is set up on the backside of their excavation. Here it is on video:

Shovel

Modified shovel for digging underwater.

 

 

They modified their shovel so that most of the material is not washed off as Dennis lifts and moves it underwater to the catch bucket.

The team switches places once Dennis has exposed more of the larger rocks along the bottom of where he is digging. This way, the excavation of pay-dirt is rather continuous.

Most of the gold they have recovered so far, including all or most of the gold nuggets, have come off the bedrock. They also recovered plenty of gold last season on the far side of the river, and never reached bedrock. So, the streambed itself is also rewarding them.

Boulders are clearly getting larger as they excavate deeper into the streambed; too large to roll out of the hole. Those boulders may, or may not, be sitting on bedrock. They may just have to juggle them around in the bottom of the hole in order to excavate underneath them.

This was pretty close to my own plans for doing some mining this season inside Indian Creek. That is, until I realized how cold the water is that is flowing down the creeks! This is just me. I have suffered in my life with enough cold water running into my wet-suit.  I have explored the area along Indian Creek where last year’s Slater Fire removed all or most of the underbrush. There is a lot of fresh opportunity there for hand mining inside the creek.  We do have members that are not being discouraged by the colder water.

sluice

Pay dirt is processed through a sluice set up at the backside of the excavation.

Dennis explained to me that the gold they are recovering is just icing on the cake. He said the outdoor experience and challenge of finding and recovering the gold provides adventure that brings internal rewards which exceed the value of the gold. The place they are mining along the Scott River is an outdoor paradise.

Annual Dues are More Important These Days

We bill all Full Members $50 for annual dues in August.  September through the end of the year is when we must shoulder the load of substantial property tax and filing fees to the County and Bureau of Land Management. These are legal requirements which allow us to continue making a very substantial number of federal mining claims (60+ miles of gold-rich river and creek properties) available to our members.

In real terms, the true value of the gold along these extensive properties is probably more than the net assets of any financial institution on the planet. Especially these days when the government is printing trillions upon trillions of Dollars out of thin air which is fueling inflation. Prices are not going up because goods and services are worth more than before. They are going up because the Dollar is not worth as much as before. This happens because too many Dollars are being printed and circulated.

We should be calling our properties the “Klamath First National Bank.” Ours is the only bank in the world where you can go out and make a draw anytime you wish. There are no interest or bank fees to pay.  And you never have to pay the gold back!

This is as close as it comes to an opportunity to maintain some degree of personal freedom during these ever-more difficult and troubling times.  As far as I know, we are the only organization in the world that makes a very large bank of pure wealth freely available to our members.

Having said that, governments (California, Oregon, Washington and others) have imposed very unreasonable regulations upon our industry. As long as you guys continue to stand with us, we will continue the fight for our basic freedoms.

There remains hope that America will wake up and realize that we need to produce value and wealth in excess of what we consume. We all know that these are very troubled times for America. The whole world hangs in this balance.

I believe personal integrity and pursuit of the truth are the only road towards enlightenment. The guidance I receive on that level is that we should stay the course for a while longer and see how these larger forces play out. I am willing to invest my personal resources to keep our program going as long as you guys, our members, are also willing to hang in there until we overcome what is destroying America, or it becomes clear that there is no longer any hope. My assessment of your support will be in what percentage of Full Members are willing to invest $50 a year to help keep our dream alive: The freedom for Americans to go out on the federal lands and invest your personal energy and resourcefulness in exchange for all the gold you can find.

This is not the first time I have made this commitment to you in August. We are still here thanks to you guys!

Comments by Dave Mack

We are having a pretty good season. Many members have been along our extensive mining properties and have visited us in the office. Most are very happy to get up here where the ongoing political turmoil and health issues in our country are not really visible.

We will continue to try to keep our costs from exceeding income while we wait for the political leanings to swing back in the direction of reducing regulatory burdens which create more harm than good. Things appear to be coming to a head. The hard reality is that a free society cannot just print money forever to keep the private economy going. Free societies are largely made up of people who are allowed the freedom to create goods and services which can be exchanged with others. Until we get back to this reality, my own outlook is that we will not see very much that will change our existing circumstances for the better. So, we wait.

Having said that, we still have plenty to be thankful for.

My best wishes to everyone,

Dave McCracken,

New 49’er Gold Prospecting Association
27 Davis Road P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012
www.goldgold.com

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“There is No Gold in the Sand.” What? – April 2021

 Newsletters
Apr 092021
 

New 49'er Newsletter

FIRST QUARTER, APRIL 2021                            VOLUME 35, NUMBER 1

Dave McCracken

 

Newsletter By Dave McCracken General Manager

Gold imageStory and images by Betsy Anderson & Eric Spitler 

That’s what I kept saying to Betsy: “The more years you mine for gold, the more knowledge you gain, and you structure your operation around that. In the pursuit of gold, techniques must be formed, based upon a good understanding of gold deposits and how they were formed. The behavior of the noble metal, as it travels from its source to the place it enriches, is a detectives’ hunt on the order of Columbo.  The greater your skills, the greater your success on a more regular basis. This also means not chasing down false leads or questioning your intuition. being able at a glance to dismiss unlikely possibilities… Right?”

Ah, but there she was, my wife, test panning, and showing me good golden color that she supposedly recovered in the upper layers of sandy silt. We were working a clay layer that paid well. But we had to dig three feet through the sandy silt to reach the clay. I was so certain there was no gold in the sandy silt from my years of suction dredging, that I didn’t even bother testing it.

But, as Betsy reminded me, suction dredges have much faster recovery systems that don’t catch fine gold very well out of sand. Now we are sluicing. Much slower water flow through the sluice. This is a whole new reality for gold recovery!

Eric feeding sluice Betsy shoveling sand

So, for weeks, off went the top layer, with the rocks and sticker bushes. Every once in a while, Betsy would test to see if we were down to the pay. Sampling high in the deposit, she would often come over and show me another gleaming pan. I would congratulate her and say something like, “Our shovels are covered in clay and muck from the pay layer…” I was certain that’s where the gold had come from. It seems like the lessons in gold mining never stop!

One day, Betsy convinced me to test the top sandy material myself. I went over to the river and carefully rinsed the shovel and pan of any gold from the pay layer. Then I returned to dig out a sample from the silty area she suggested. I thought it would be a wasted effort. Then I saw the yellow flecks appearing in the bottom of my pan. It wasn’t as rich as the pay layer, but it was certainly worthwhile enough to run through the sluice.

I looked back at all the hard work we had devoted to restoring the area we had already dug.

“Don’t worry,” Betsy said, “There’s lots more of that sand anyway!”

Thoughts from Dickey
office staff

Dickey, Teyaw and Christina in our administrative office.

Here I am at 6 am on March 30 2021, sitting in my cabin in Happy Camp, sipping on my first cup of coffee. Light from the glass door of my wood stove is flickering on my three dogs laying on the floor in front of me, a hint of daylight to the east over China grade. My rooster is crowing, exclaiming that another day is upon me.

My thoughts continue to flash back to the morning of September 8th of last year. Things are not much different on this early morning. But that was the first day of the Slater fire that raced down Indian creek destroying the homes and property of people I know and love. I still feel a little anxiety from the experience of living through the fire. But the sadness is tapering off as each day goes by and things are picking up as we head into spring and the new mining season.

road view burned sticks

One thing the fire did was open parts of Indian Creek that were too over grown with underbrush to access before. Some members have expressed interest in prospecting up Indian Creek this coming season. While they have been kind of quiet about it, I know members who were already getting nice gold up there. Indian Creek gives up some beautiful gold nuggets!

Last year, some of our members were prospecting in stream in both the creeks and the river with quite a bit of success. They were using using masks and snorkel, rolling small boulders and cleaning cracks in the bedrock.

I now have a new Minelab Excalibur II 1000, excellent for gold detecting underwater and on land. I am going to spend some time in the water this season, I’m anxious to see how it is going to work out.

Well, it’s time for my second cup of coffee. As I look out the window, I see the plum tree is in full bloom, the grass is in need of mowing, the daffodils are in full bloom, spring has arrived in Happy Camp! Time to get my mining equipment together and head for the river.

It’s about time to open the New 49’rs office so people can come in, get some coffee, buy mining supplies and spin a few yarns before heading out gold prospecting.

We hope to see you all on the river this season! 

From our Girls in the Office

The sun is out, the snow is gone and the flowers are in bloom.  Cool!

In spite of the challenges we have faced with the Slater Fire and COVID-19, we are still open and are gearing up for another great season of prospecting.

It’s nice to see our members trickling in from all over the globe, watching their smiling faces as they grab sluice boxes, tools, buckets and pans, eager to get out on the river and creeks. Some items such as our pyramid pans, sluice boxes and crevice suckers have become so popular we can barely keep them in stock!

Our claims along Indian Creek are open for prospecting. If you are a metal detector enthusiast, these claims might just be the adventure you are looking for.

Please call us any time: 530 493-2012. 

Final Comments by Dave Mack

A lot has happened since I last sounded in. It is too much to talk about in a newsletter. The best strategy under the ever-evolving circumstances has seemed to be to just remain silent, and continue to provide service to our members. The purpose here is basically to let you guys know that we are still open and our mining properties are freely available to all members and guests. We are expecting a pretty busy season.

Because of ongoing legal and political circumstances, I’m sorry to announce we will not be supervising organized weekend mining projects or potluck gatherings this season. I don’t want to risk getting a hundred or so members in trouble for not following the proper social distancing guidelines in California. But we will be out and about providing assistance to members as we can. Otherwise, things are about the same as they are laid out in our Operation Guidelines. Please bring your gold finds into the office to show them off. We always get an emotional boost from that!

Just so you know, all or most of the areas along our extensive Indian Creek properties were cleared to the ground by the Slater fire of poison oak, blackberry bushes and other undergrowth. The fire did not reach our property on Thompson Creek.

Just to weigh in on something that is not being hotly debated in the national dialog, I am going to link you here to a recently-done documentary that is a thorough education on what is fast becoming the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the entire world. And I am not talking about COVID or the vaccines — though they will certainly originate out of this much more serious situation. This documentary lays it all out very clearly. It is worth every minute of the time to sit down and watch it.

Bit by bit, the ever-decreasing value of currencies, coupled with the need to print vastly increasing volumes of currency, is putting stress on nearly everyone, though the reasons for the stress are not broadly understood.

If you want to inch closer to the source point of what is really wrong in the world, and perhaps prepare for worse times which may not be far off, I strongly suggest you watch this documentary while it remains available. It says a lot for owning or being able to find your own gold:

End of the Road: How Money Became Worthless – Full Documentary – Text Link: https://youtu.be/r_ichZ0Ji0M

My best wishes to everyone,

Dave McCracken,

New 49’er Gold Prospecting Association
27 Davis Road P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012
www.goldgold.com

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2020 Prospecting Season is Going Better Than Expected! – August 2020

 Newsletters
Aug 012020
 

New 49'er Newsletter

Dave McCracken

Third Quarter, August, 2020
Volume 34 – No. 4

Newsletter By Dave McCracken
General Manager

Papa Bear

Papa Bear showing off the results of several hours of work in his “secret spot.” He shows off his gold mining adventures and friends on a YouTube channel up on the Internet.

Because of the COVID situation and predictable economic downturn, we were expecting a rather slow mining season this year. But we have a surprising number of members arriving along the Klamath River and tributaries, and there is quite a lot of excitement around Happy Camp about the gold that some members are recovering.

We even considered putting a commercial toilet out at K-15A last week because of the number of members camping up there. But when we took a closer look, we realized that nearly all of them already had closed black water systems and had arranged for the local service provider to stop once a week to pump them out.

There is a lot of gold, and some really nice nuggets being recovered from K-15A!

You know; we have some really cool members!

 

Sluice in rapids

I think everyone is feeling really lucky to be out in some of America’s greatest outdoors, and being free to search for gold and other adventure with no hassles or bad news.

Quite a few members are bringing the gold they are finding into the office to show off. I am impressed! Some members are sniping shallow cracks in the river, and in the creeks and prying nice gold nuggets out of the cracks. There are two members up on Indian Creek that really struck it rich. We agreed to not publish images of their gold so as to not start a stampede up there. I’m not kidding!

Our property holdings are so extensive, we have been walking or boating right past these gold rich areas for the past 35 years and never even took a look!

Longtime member, Adam Myers and his dad, fabricated a rather ingenious sluice box on stilts that they set up right out in the middle of the Klamath River at Savage rapids. They are recovering some nice gold. Their history with us extends way back to the 1990’s. I remember they were working a commercial dredge on the Klamath just below Seattle Creek. That was after myself and half dozen other commercial miners recovered nearly a thousand ounces of gold. They still did well! And the truth is that most of that upper stretch of K-17 has yet to be mined. But I believe we will need suction dredges to get at it.

Dickey Melton showed me an image of a bunch of chunky gold nuggets that were recovered at the mouth of Indian Creek just in a single day. He said those were recovered by digging up out of the water.

Here is a pennyweight of beautiful nuggets that Scott Bagley recovered during just part of a single day!

Other members are actually swimming across to the far side of the Klamath River and recovering gold right out of the shallow water with masks, snorkels, fins and a gold pan. Others are using small boats and kayaks.

We have signed up a fair number of new members this season already.

It’s possible that the 3+ months of COVID lockdown is motivating people to get out in the great outdoors and experience some adventure. The near-record high value of gold may also have something to do with the increased interest. I added it up the other day, and a pennyweight of gold (20th of an ounce) at today’s price is worth $75 even when discounted to 75% of the spot price value. You can always get at least 75% of spot, or more, for the gold you find in the river.

I know one member who has recovered nearly an ounce of gold just prospecting part time during the month of July. Others are doing just as well. All of this without the use of any mechanized assistance!

Office Doors Now Open Between 9 AM and 4 PM, Mondays Through Fridays

To make life easier on everyone concerned, we will immediately begin opening the front door of our office and store between 9 AM and 4 PM, Mondays through Fridays.

There is a free Internet connection around our building for members. The girls in our office can provide details.

Our phone number is 530 493-2012. There is a voice mail system. We will return your calls.

In the case of an emergency, Our Director of Internal Affairs, Rich Krimm, can be reached at (510) 681-8066.

Annual Dues Are More Important These Days

We bill all Full Members $50 for annual dues in August.  September through the end of the year is when we must shoulder the load of substantial property tax and filing fees to the County and Bureau of Land Management. These are legal requirements which allow us to continue making a very substantial number of federal mining claims (60+ miles of gold-rich river and creek properties) available to our members.

In real terms, the true value of the gold along these extensive properties is probably more valuable than the net assets of any financial institution on the planet. Especially these days when the government is printing trillions upon trillions of Dollars out of thin air (as necessary as that might be under the circumstances). We should be calling our properties the “Klamath First National Bank.” Ours is the only bank in the world where you can go out and make a draw anytime you wish. There are no interest or bank fees to pay.  And you never have to pay the gold back!

This is as close as it comes to an opportunity to maintain some degree of personal freedom during these ever-more difficult and troubling times.  As far as I know, we are the only organization in the world that makes a very large bank of pure wealth freely available to our members.

Having said that, in case you have not heard, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined for a second time to review our legal complaints that leftist State governments (California, Oregon, Washington and others) are imposing very unreasonable regulations upon our industry. As long as you guys continue to stand with us, we will continue the fight for our basic freedoms.

There remains hope that America will wake up and realize that we need to produce value and wealth in excess of what we consume. Mr. Trump and his team appear to be leading the charge on this, though he is not getting as much support from congress and the mainstream press that he deserves. We all know that these are very troubled times for America. The whole world hangs in this balance. We are all going to have a better idea the way things are going to go once the November elections are settled.

I believe personal integrity and pursuit of the truth are the only road towards enlightenment. The guidance I receive on that level is that we should bite the bullet and stay the course for a while longer and see how these larger forces play out. I am willing to invest my personal resources to keep the program going as long as you guys, our members, are also willing to hang in there until we overcome what is destroying America, or it becomes clear that there is no longer any hope. My assessment of your support will be in what percentage of Full Members are willing to invest $50 a year to help keep our dream alive. The freedom for Americans to go out on the federal lands and invest their personal resources to keep all the gold you find is what settled the west!

This is not the first time I have made this commitment to you guys in August. We are still here thanks to you guys!

Kitco’s one year chart confirms that gold was in the mid $1,400’s just a year ago. Now it is trading just under $2,000. This is quite a jump considering the existing state of the economy! One day, our leaders may realize that it would be a good idea to allow us modern methods to recover it?

I am eternally grateful to those of you who stick it out alongside me and our loyal staff.

 

New 49’er Gold Prospecting Association
27 Davis Road P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012
www.goldgold.com

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Montine Blevins has Moved on at 69 – June 2020

 Newsletters
Jun 102020
 

New 49'er Newsletter

THIRD QUARTER, JUNE 2020                              VOLUME 34, NUMBER 3

Dave McCracken

 

Newsletter By Dave McCracken General Manager

Montine Blevins R.I.P.I am very saddened to announce that Montine Blevins has passed on from a long battle with Colon Cancer. She was originally diagnosed in 2015. But she stayed at her desk and on the New 49’er phone for more than three years afterwards, always insisting that she was most happy there.

Nearly everyone associated with our program knew and loved Montine. She was the most helpful person we ever had at the counter and over the phone. Montine would go out of her way to help anyone who needed it.

A healthy portion of Montine’s time was donated to our organization. Like so many other members along our long path, Montine just loved to be involved. She took charge of making sure everyone who arrived for our weekend mining projects was signed up, had a place to stay, and had gear they would need for the program.

She would cook all afternoon in preparation of our Saturday evening potlucks. I don’t think she ever missed a potluck, or any other event that was sponsored by The New 49’ers. In fact, I once got a little too much sun on a Saturday afternoon. When I did not arrive at the potluck, Montine immediately dispatched our Internal Affairs to make sure I was alright, and she took charge of the potluck!

I have owned and operated my own businesses since departing the navy in 1977. There have been many friends, supporters and employees along my path. With the help of many volunteers along my way, we were able to claw out a small-scale mining empire along the Klamath River and its tributaries in northern California.

I can tell you from a lifetime of experience that, other than very productive commercial mining which can happen on occasion, profit margins are very thin in the businesses associated with small-scale gold mining programs. There were times when lack of adequate cash flow required me to cede most of my responsibilities over to the staff, and put one of my dredges back to work in the river. I could always generate income from the river. But building something great for thousands of people to enjoy was worth more than money or gold!

With these things always on my mind (meeting this week’s payroll), every minute of every day was important to the bottom line. While we had some fun with mining and other adventure, and sometimes after hour relaxing times, there was never any time for goofing off during the normal work day. People who knew me well sometimes called me a slave monger. I don’t like to micro manage others. In my world, it was just a matter of making sure we could pay our bills. We never missed a payroll.

So there was no place for employees to be spending hours upon hours on the phone, just gabbing away. There was no time for it. It was like, “Please just answer the phone, get an address so we can send a promotional packet, and move onto the other things we need to finish today!”

Montine joined our staff in the year 2002.

During the 38 years since we began The New 49’ers, Montine was the only person ever on our staff who would win my smile every time I saw her just gabbing away on the phone – just like she had all the time in the world to visit with her mother or sister.  Of course, it was always with a member or someone calling for more information. Montine always made time for everyone who needed or wanted it.

Many evenings after everyone else went home, long after she punched out for the day, I could hear her laughing and locked into meaningful phone discussions out at her desk. She was calling back people who had left messages on our answering service. She was never in a hurry to leave the building. Then she would place orders to restock her shop. Then she would straighten up her work place and let herself quietly out of the building. She never needed any acknowledgment for all the extra things she did. She was happy to have found her calling in life.

Years ago, when there was a fracking boom back east, Montine’s husband, Rusty, landed a good job somewhere in a place where they could not find enough qualified workers. Before moving to Happy Camp, Montine devoted 18 years as a police despatcher. She was a heck of a good organizer and could have been with her husband and earned perhaps three or four times what we could pay. I asked her one day why she did not follow the oil rush? She stopped right in her tracks; turned around and looked me straight in the eye; and said, “Young man; life is about a lot more than money! This is my home! And this is where I am staying.”

As I remain locked down in the Philippines for about another month, I called Montine at a prearranged time a few weeks ago and we shared some caring moments on the phone. I admit that I am not very good at saying farewell to my closest friends. I get all squishy and usually say the wrong thing. Montine made it easy on me. My perception was that this wonderful person had made peace with her time on this earth, and was completely ready to move onto the next adventure, whatever that might be. Rusty told me she was in that same peaceful place all the way to her final breath.

Assuming she would lead the way to our next adventure ahead of me, I asked her to please watch for me. Because if there is another chapter after this one, I want Montine to be an important part of the story.

Pot Luck in Montine’s memory

Saturday June 27th @ 2:00 pm

Happy Camp River Park Pavilion

 

Office Doors Now Open Between 9 AM and 1 PM, Mondays Through Fridays

To make life easier on everyone concerned, we will immediately begin opening the front door of our office and store between 9 AM and 1 PM, Mondays through Fridays.

If you need to reach our office outside of these hours, we have administrative staff at work inside the building during normal workdays from 9 AM until 4 PM.

There is a free Internet connection around our building for members. The girls in our office can provide details.

Our phone number is 530 493-2012. There is a voice mail system. We will return your calls.

In the case of an emergency, Our Director of Internal Affairs, Rich Krimm, can be reached at (510) 681-8066.

Unless things change, I should be returning to the U.S. in mid-July.

Thank you very much for your kind support, and I hope to cross paths with you out on the river later this summer.

Dave McCracken, General Manager

 

 

New 49’er Gold Prospecting Association
27 Davis Road P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012
www.goldgold.com

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Action Alert – Small-scale Miners Are Going to the U.S. Supreme Court Again! – January 2020

 Newsletters
Jan 272020
 

New 49'er Newsletter

FIRST QUARTER, JANUARY 2020                              VOLUME 34, NUMBER 1

Dave McCracken

 

Newsletter By Dave McCracken General Manager

 

When I made the statement in last month’s newsletter that we would be making another attempt at having our situation heard in the U.S. Supreme Court, I did not know it would happen so soon. Gold miners tend to be a hard-headed bunch of good natured people. We do not give up easily. Not giving up when times are difficult, aside from an occasional surprise, is the only way we ultimately find the rewarding gold deposits. Sometimes very rewarding!

For those of you that have been following along, you know that State agencies in Oregon and California have been attempting to eliminate small-scale gold mining on the federal lands all the way back since 1993 or before. Our industry, more or less, overcame these attempts over the many years until 2007 when California passed a law which put an end to suction dredging. Their reasons claimed to be for the protection of fish. Though, honestly, there is not a single documented instance where underwater mining, in accordance with reasonable regulations, has ever harmed a single fish. Not one! At the same time, both States sell fish-kill licenses to millions of fishermen. What?

Let me make it clear that we do not have a problem with fishing. Our problem is with State officials who just make up the rules as they go along, regardless of the factual situation. Not just State officials, but also a majority portion of our elected officials, and a fair portion of today’s judges – whose sworn duty actually is to protect us from overbearing and unreasonable State officials.

But most judges these days just act as a rubber stamp on the dictates of overbearing government, and deliberately turn America’s productive citizens into criminals. I have watched this play out in the courts for the past ten years as our industry has attempted to bring sanity back into the management of small-scale mining. We have raised and wasted over a million dollars in legal fees and attempts to lobby legislatures, only to have elected officials, State employees and judges ultimately turn their backs on the truth and take away our freedoms. I have been caught by complete surprise by the way America’s leaders have turned their backs on our founding principles!

We have fought two cases all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court, only to have them rejected. This is not a slam on the high court. That body receives so many appeals, it only accepts around five percent. As important as our situation is, whoever advises the high court determined that other cases were more important to America as a whole. We pray this third attempt to reach the highest court in the land will succeed.

Our case is extremely important, because it strikes directly at the heart of socialism in America, where government officials have the power to ignore the truth and do as they please with impunity because they are acting on behalf of “the State.” No; I am not exaggerating!

If you have any doubts about whether socialism is a good idea for America, all you need to do is take an honest look at what the House of Representatives have put President Trump through during their impeachment proceeding. All or most of America’s historical and iron clad jurisprudence, and the concepts of honesty and fairness, were swept aside because the majority in the House wants to get rid of Mr. Trump at any cost, even if it means the end of honesty and fairness for themselves and all Americans forever: “Shut up! We are the State. We can do anything we want to. If you disagree, you are an enemy. If you object out loud, you are treasonous!” This is socialism. Is that really what we want to pass off on our kids and grandkids?

Like him or not, Donald Trump is the duly elected leader of the free world. Watching what the democrats have put him through over the past 3+ years is not only appalling; it is the realization that socialism has already, to a dangerous extent, taken over America’s leadership, its government institutions, educational institutions at all levels, nearly all of our mainstream press, and the thinking of maybe as much as half of America!

America is in an internal war; the battle between people who want to control everything we think and do, and those of us who want to live productive, honest lives and be left alone. We do not want to be ruled by others who have no idea how to produce wealth and safe neighborhoods.

The truth is that the socialists pretty much had America all wrapped up until Donald Trump was elected. Just one man! He was elected because half of America was feeling that the country’s direction was going down the wrong path. This is why our enemies hate him so much! One guy came along at just the right time; at the tipping point of no return from total government control over America, forever. They had it all tied up. Now we are watching their disappointment play out through the worst of socialism. I predict that the left will generate widespread violence when America turns back towards our founding principles. Hope for the best. Plan for the worst!

In any event, the big realization I have had in watching the impeachment process play out is that if the left in America can do that to the President of the United States, we as small-scale miners never had a reasonable chance of winning our industry back. Even now, our only chance of a long term fix will be through the U.S. Supreme Court. This is because, even if Mr. Trump or his team enact new administrative rules that free us to do motorized gold mining on the federal lands, America’s enemies (within) will file lawsuits in front of left-leaning judges and have us stopped again. We will need the U.S. Supreme Court to ultimately vindicate our rights and freedoms.

The good news is that, because of Mr. Trump’s two appointments to the high court so far, the high court is no longer left-leaning. Our case is so straightforward, there is more than a reasonable chance we can win our industry back in full, if we can just get the court to review it. We can do that if we don’t give up. We just have to keep trying!

Our industry has just hired (this week) a prestigious law firm: They are called, “FISHERBROYALS.” They have a presence in ATLANTA • AUSTIN • BOSTON • CHARLOTTE • CHICAGO • CINCINNATI • CLEVELAND • COLUMBUS • DALLAS • DENVER • DETROIT • HOUSTON • LONDON • LOS ANGELES • MIAMI • NAPLES • NEW YORK • PALO ALTO • PHILADELPHIA • PRINCETON • SALT LAKE CITY • SEATTLE • and WASHINGTON, D.C. They will compose and submit an Amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in the matter of THOMAS A. KITCHAR, et al., Petitioners, v. OREGON DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY, et al. The Supreme Court allows “Friend of the Court” briefings to hear what other legal scholars have to say about the legalities in important cases.

Rather than go into the particulars of this case, I will link you to the Petition for Writ of Certiorari which our longstanding attorney wrote last month in conjunction with Pacific Legal Foundation. Mr. Buchal has been our steadfast, loyal advocate for the past 10 years. He was originally hired back in 2005 by mining associations in Oregon on this very case which is being directed to the U.S. Supreme Court.  That’s 15+ years in court to try and regain their livelihoods! Who can stay in a fight for that long? Only Americans that are determined to hold onto freedom!

Tom Kitchar did a wonderful job in putting together a Summary which outlines the history of this 15-year battle, and how difficult our enemies and the lower courts have made it for us to obtain justice. You can find Tom’s Summary right here.

The New 49’ers hired Mr. Buchal upon strong recommendations from the miners in Oregon when the State of California secretly conspired with environmentalists to eliminate our suction dredge regulations. That was more than ten years ago. He has been a brilliant and tough fighter on our behalf, but has unfortunately been up against a stacked deck. The lower courts in both Oregon and California, with perhaps a few exceptions, have been co-opted by the socialists.

Frankly, underwater and motorized mining have been forbidden in Oregon and California for so long, that many longtime supporters have either gotten too old, gave up or passed away. Some remain dedicated to the fight, but it has not been enough to keep up with legal costs. That’s what this Action Alert is about. Our industry needs a boost in our legal defense resources. More on how you can help down below.

Just to demonstrate how tight this is, any amicus brief (friend of the court) to the U.S. Supreme Court concerning our case must be filed by the 3rd of February!

We have already lost in the Oregon and California supreme courts. Fortunately, this Oregon case has been ongoing since before those decisions were made. Therefore, the original case remains alive.

Note that those who are named in the Petition are not allowed to support an Amicus brief. Mostly through tireless effort by Tom Kitchar of the Waldo Mining District in southern Oregon, initial support for the Amicus has been pledged by THE NEW 49ERS LEGAL FUND, PUBLIC LANDS FOR THE PEOPLE (PLP), WILLAMETTE VALLEY MINERS (WVM), TOM QUINTAL in Oregon, AMERICAN MINING RIGHTS ASSOCIATION (AMRA), BOHEMIA MINE OWNERS ASSOCIATION (BMOA), NORTHWEST MINERAL PROSPECTING CLUB (NWMPC), COUER D’ALENE MINING DISTRICT (CDAMD), GALICE MINING DISTRCIT (GMD), JOSEPHINE COUNTY in Oregon, and SISKIYOU COUNTY in California.

We have not yet raised enough money to fully pay for the services of FISHERBROYALS. There will also be more legal and political challenges as we, the Trump Team and all or most freedom-loving Americans attempt to free up productive activity for Americans again. I’m sure your financial contributions to any of the prospecting organizations listed above will be going to the right places. As to our Legal Fund, there is still time to buy tickets for our ongoing fund-raiser that will come to an end on February 14, just a few weeks from now (please see just below).

All I can do is give a deeply felt thank you to everyone who continues to support the cause for freedom!

The New 49’ers Legal Fund-raiser!

There will be 26 prizes in all:
Two Grand Prizes: 1/2-ounce American Gold Eagles
Four ¼-ounce American Gold Eagles
Ten 1/10th-ounce American Gold Eagles
Ten 1-ounce American Silver Eagles

Our office will automatically generate a ticket in your name for every $10 legal contribution we receive ($100 would generate 10 tickets).

This drawing will take place at 2 pm on Friday, 14 February 2020, at our headquarters in Happy Camp. You do not need to be a member of our organization to participate. You do not need to be present to win.  There is no limit to the size or frequency of your contributions, or to the number of prizes you can win.

Legal contributions can be arranged by calling (530) 493-2012, by mailing to The New 49’ers Legal Fund, P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, CA 96039, or online:



$10.00 each – Enter the number of tickets you wish to purchase into the quantity field then click “Update” before checking out. Your contribution to The New 49’er Legal Fund is tax-deductible.

The New 49’ers Legal Fund

2020 Schedule of Events 

There is a learning curve to successful gold prospecting. One of the most effective methods of progressing through the learning curve is to go on prospecting adventures with others who more experienced than you are.

Our 2-day Group Mining Projects are one of the primary benefits of New 49’er membership which set us apart from other mining associations.  All weekend events are free to Full & Associate Members. All participants share equally in the gold we recover.

Group projects are limited to a certain number of participants. Scheduling in advance is strongly advised to ensure a position on any specific weekend project: 530 493-2012  

2020 Schedule of Events: June 20 & 21; July 18 & 19; August 22 & 23. 

Planned Office Hours for the Time Being

The upcoming holidays will have our offices closed on December 23, 24 & 25 for Christmas, and January 1 for New Year’s Day.

Until further notice, we will continue opening the doors between 9 AM and 4 PM on weekdays.  The office will be closed on weekends, except for the morning hours during the Saturdays when we are sponsoring the coming season’s Weekend Group Projects.

Members are invited to sign in your whereabouts on our properties over the phone in case there is some reason we need to find you.

Our mining properties are freely available to all members in good standing 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, unless the Klamath National Forest is closed due to wildfires.

For any problems, our Internal Affairs is available over the phone: Richard Krimm is our Director of Internal Affairs, email or call (510) 681 8066 (also available after hours and on weekends). 

 

 

New 49’er Gold Prospecting Association
27 Davis Road P.O. Box 47, Happy Camp, California 96039 (530) 493-2012
www.goldgold.com

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