Black Hills...

[mudpuppy]

Back in the mid to late 80's the Wife and Daughter and I lived in Rockerville SD. I worked for a guy who put in the water mains in Keystone and also did a lot of construction work in the area..we did a lot of digging, blasting, building, etc...I also trapped beaver in the many little streams and creeks all throughout the Black Hills...most of the time, my little 4 year old Daughter was with me, either checking traps, calling coyotes, or dinking around...Regarding gold...Yes its there, We'd take a 5 gallon pail, 1/4" screen, and a pan into some of those places and fill that pail with the gravel in the bottom of the underwater beaver canals or holes they dug into the bank, rock it around at an angle for a few minutes, dump off the top junk, run the rest bottom third through the screen into the pan and pan it out...I had a little vial of flakes and whatnot, seems like we'd find them in most every pan, they were small though...it was just sort of a distraction more than an effort to make money, we didn't have a TV, so we were outside a lot! cant find anything sitting around in the house, so it was fun...The daughter is now in her 30's and came across my old metal gold pan the other day and shared her memories of our time spent fooling around doing that. Me and her and our dumb dog Louie...That was the real treasure of my gold panning experience!
I sure do enjoy reading this forum, all the adventures and gear and whatnot you all use..I remember all my spots out there...maybe someday I'll make a run, kick back and re-live the past a little.
Mud

 

[Ed in SoDak]

Sandy and I live north of Hill Silly and we've played at prospecting quite awhile ourselves. One small nugget, otherwise tiny flakes like you and your daughter found. The creek down in the Stratobowl is said to have nuggets while all the largest nuggets found in the Hills came from the Tinton area.

The only place open in Rockerville these days is the Gaslight restaurant/lounge. The old "wild west" tourist buildings are still there, rotting away and falling down. Keystone is pretty well developed into tourist shops and motels, even moreso then it was in the '80s.

-Ed

 

[starvin]

Just get out and go prospecting Mud. Come on out to Southern Oregon, Northern California and get to sniping. Every year we see people from all over this country trying out this part of the country. Best of luck to all that get out.

 

[mudpuppy]

Hey Ed! Been into the Stratobowl many times! I lived straight south of there down by what we called Hettricks Gulch, or the School Section...I helped build all those log homes just south of Rockerville. I guess theres some really rich homes that went in there since...Starvin', I was just on the blower with a friend of mine from Idaho...he's got a gold claim near Salmon, and its a good one,..I hiked the Three Sisters back in the late 70's..sold my jeep in Springfield, and walked all the way to Bend, caught a bus to MN, asked my dream girl out, and we've ben together ever since....I'm trying to liquidate and hit the road boys...who knows? Best of luck to you!
Mud

 

[starvin]

The itch does get to a fellow after awhile Mud. My wife has been threatening me with a divorce claiming that I am seeing another woman. That's prospecting! If your wife agrees to go with you, the best to you both. I wish my partner would understand after forty four years of marriage. Again, the best to all that are on the search. Marv