Welcome to Preston Country Prospecting!
and welcome to our adventures in panning, detecting, sluicing, and high banking!
 
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History:
I (Dennis) am 51 yo, I had been a member of GPAA a little more than a decade ago, but let my membership lapse when the real world of work and bills caught up with me. I had sluiced outside of San Diego California, detected and dry washed at Quartzite Arizona, and spent a month at the Stanton LDMA site outside of Wickenburg, Arizona.
Jill is about the same age 8^). She doesn't have any prospecting experience, but has hiked extensively in Glacier National Park.
We met in Arizona, got married and lived happily on 40 acres outside of Show Low Arizona.
Being just a little south of the Petrified National Forest, we spent a bit of time on the quad finding petrified wood, Apache Tears, and a lot of flagstone.
Then disaster struck. Our two year old doublewide burnt to the ground in an unexplained fire.
We lost almost everything. Oddly enough, one of the few things that wasn't in the house was my Garret Grand Master Hunter CXII metal detector. It was in the front storage unit of our travel trailer. (the travel trailer toasted, all the plastic melted like a Salvador Dali painting)
Soooo, we moved to Kalispell Montana. ?????. Jill's family is up here, and we needed their support and help.
Now, a few years later, we have time to recreate. We decided to take up sailing (now RV'ing) and prospecting.
Click on a picture to see a larger version, click on blue links for more info.
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June 11, 2007
Called Clarence Taber about membership I haven't recieved. Was told (by Jill) that I should get it any time.
Club schedule:
16-17 June
14-15 July
11-12 Aug
8-9 Sep
13-14 Oct
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April 14-15
Bought a Le Trap Sluice. Tried it out in Libby creek in town. Got a little color with only a little material run.
April 9, 2007
Sent payment to rejoined the Northwest Montana Gold Prospectors today.
April 7-8
Drove to the Cherry Creek claim. Someone already there. Accessable though. Will rejoin the club.
Road to upper Libby Creek is closed for bear until May 15.
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2006
nada
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June 18, 2005
We cooked breakfast (ok, Jill cooked, I took pictures. I did start a campfire) Saturday morning, then headed up to the common dig site. And yes, the tent is saggy. One of the uprights broke.
I took some pictures of the operation, then asked for an assignment. We went to work with a highbanker (powered sluice). Most of the highbankers had 3 people working, 2 shoveling, 1 raking. The trommels had 2 or 3 also. There were also some people doing it the old fashioned way, panning!
Dirt was delivered from a secret location via Bobcat.
In the afternoon, I helped out at the digging sight moving large rocks, Jill panned. She panned out a good sized flake!
Pictures are reduced from 2048x1536 to 1024x768. If you want the full size ones, e-mail me!
There are more pictures here.
Oh, the end result? There were 8 operations going on (highbankers and trommels), with 38 people working. So, the gold that was collected from all the operations got split 38 ways. There was one large (er) piece that counted as 1 share by itself. Luck of the draw, I got the large one! (I call it "The Montana Star" because of, well, look at it! it's on the left, with an imbedded grain).
Here are some other views of our shares:
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June 17, 2005
Drove up to the Libby Creek site in the evening. Stopped at the public panning area and talked with Jill Taber to get the times and info for the dig. The common dig starts about 8 am (Saturday), 4 hour shifts. Lunch at 12, meeting at 1pm, dig `till 5, pot luck at 6, gold split after (when ready).
We set up camp at Howard Lake, 1.5 miles down the road.
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May 4, 2005
Camped the night in the pu truck. Did a little panning, nothing to report.
Will attend the June outing of NORTHWEST MONTANA GOLD PROSPECTORS.
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April 9, 2005
Joined the NORTHWEST MONTANA GOLD PROSPECTORS today.
Their first outing is the weekend of June 18th. hmmmmm . I guess we'll go do some prospecting on our own for a while. Like tomorrow!
We did find out where their claims are, but we will probably go to the public panning area again.
Knowing where the claims are, my previous DEM pictures were aimed wrong. Here's the correct veiwpoint:
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April 8, 2005
Well, we went to Big Sky Metal Detectors located in Ronan, Mt. (map)
The store is in the back of his garage, but he has a nice selection of White's and Tesoro.
He also has a decent selection of magazines, some books, lots and lots of vials. Along with pans, classifiers, sluice boxes, and of course, detectors, you can stop in, then go find some gold!
He also has a small amount of used equipment for sale.
Jill and I bought 3 vials, 3 books, a (used) 1/8" classifier, and a 14" Garret pan.
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April 6, 2005
Here are some images/maps of the Libby public panning area.
First is a very processed DEM result looking south. The Public panning area is at the near bottom area of the picture. Second is same with exagerated elevation.
3rd is a topo from USAPhotoMaps, 4th is an picture from a plane (also from USAPhotoMaps)
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April 2, 2005
We went up to Libby for the health fair, and went back to the public panning area. The ice sheets are melted, but there is still quite a bit of snow up in that area.
4-wheel low once we got up to the panning area. Did get pictures of the signs at the restrooms, and panned five 3 gallon buckets of dirt.
The first was from the bank. (not Fort Knox, unfortunately). Nothing.
Second from a pile of material that was sitting there. Again nothing (we did get black sand from everywhere)
Third thru fifth were from the downstream end of the gravel bar on the other side of the creek (behind Jill's right shoulder in her first picture). I tried the top of it, but it was still frozen. (I guess that explains the foot of snow on top)
We got about a dozen (very) fines!! Might be able to gold plate a period!!
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Some pictures from 2 April, 2005 (reduced to 800x600 from 2048x1536 unless otherwise stated)
1536x2048 picture of public panning area topographic 
Jill panning before we found anything
The handsomest prospector on Libby Creek. (Jill says so) 
Jill panning after we found some gold
Is that a flake coming down from upstream? 
I said the road was better, not dry!
The day's take. April 2nd, 2005 
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March 5, 2005
I had run across a website about the public panning area on Libby Creek. Jill had an Asbestosis Fair to attend in Libby on this Saturday. I wasn't doing anything that day, so I brought up prospecting and Jill was agreeable.
While she was representing her company at the fair, I searched out some gold pans. At the Libby Sport Center I found some at a decent price, so I picked up a small pan for Jill, and a medium for me.
After the fair was done, we headed out to the panning area.
What a ride! There was sheet ice on portions of the "well maintained gravel road" with water on it. 4 low on the Jeep and we got up to the bridge at the begining of the panning area. It was late, but we ran a little through the pans. Didn't find anything. Oh well, we are planning our next trip up for sometime in April.
The local prospecting club has their monthly meeting on the 9th, and we will be there to join.
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