Rich New Mining Properties along the Upper Klamath River!
 

Four ounces of gold recovered by the second Group Dredging Project along the new UK claims this season

We completed a second Group Dredging Project on the new mining properties along the upper Klamath River (UK) in July, and recovered another 4 ounces of gold in 5 days of dredging. About half of the Project participants were relatively new at dredging, and we started the week by sampling a new area long the claims. So we were very pleased with the results.

These new mining properties are producing consistently in fine and flake gold wherever hard-packed streambed is dredged. Some really nice nuggets are also being found. Quite a few members have spent time on these claims during the past month.

Because the properties are so large, the surface has hardly been scratched. Almost all of the activity has been on the property furthest upriver (UK-3) so far, although we have already established that the lower 2 properties also produce similar amounts of gold in shallow deposits.

We have established long-term camping (free) in the area, and chemical toilets are in place. As the area is near to Interstate 5, cell phones even work there!

Based upon my own surveys, most members are finding grey hard-packed streambed material (with gold) within about 6-inches of the river bottom in just a few feet of water, The average hard-packed layer is between 18-inches to 3-feet to either bedrock or an extremely hard layer of cemented gravel (false bedrock).

There is no question in my mind that these are the best dredging properties we have acquired since the “Glory Hole” in 1986. Only these are much more extensive! This acquisition is another big stroke of luck for the Club this year. Dredging is really easy on these claims. In most places, the water is slow-moving and shallow. It is a good place to learn while actually finding respectable amounts of gold. I was on the claims yesterday and talked with one member who is recovering lots of jewelry gold by just cleaning out the cracks on exposed bedrock out in the middle of the river! Three other members showed me nice nuggets that they are recovering on the Interstate-5 side of the river.

As the dredging season on these claims is over at the end of September, and the claims have hardly even been touched yet, I expect we will see lots of action here for the next few seasons. We are planning to do the August Group Dredging Project here, as well.

Directions to the New UK Claims:

Map of the Upper Klamath Area

These claims are situated both upstream and downstream from where Interstate 5 crosses the Klamath River. There are basically two ways to gain access to the claims and our camping area: One is by exiting Interstate 5 at exit #786, which is where the Colliers Rest Stop is located, and where Interstate 5 crosses the Klamath River. The other is to exit Interstate 5 at exit #789, which is the next I-5 exit to the north. From there, you can drive east several miles and connect with Klamathon Road.

Klamathon Road is a dirt road that follows along the Klamath River, starting where Interstate 5 crosses the Klamath River at exit #786 (There is no sign there calling it “Klamathon Road” at the lower end), and ending at Ager Road around 6 miles upriver. Access to the Club’s UK claims and the camping area will almost entirely be accomplished from Klamathon Road. The Klamathon Road is almost entirely unpaved, and there are some narrow places towards the lower end. Four-wheel drives are not necessary. But it is far better to access our camping area with RV’s by driving in from Interstate 5 via the #789 exit.

There are some places to park and camp along these UK properties, but please be careful to not block or inhibit traffic along the Klamathon Road or pre-established river access routes. For the future of our activity, it is important to be considerate of others who are actively using the road and river in this area!!

CAMPING for members has been arranged in a large area alongside the Klamath River approximately 3 miles upstream along Klamathon Road from exit 786 off Interstate 5. Chemical toilets have been placed there for member use. Please do not dump RV tanks into these toilets, because they will over-fill, and eliminate usage by other members who are not self contained. Members can reach the camping area from either of two directions: 1) From Interstate 5 exit #786, the camping area is located on the left side 3 miles upriver along Klamathon Road. You will see a large field down near the river. There is an entrance located just past the cattle-guard which crosses the road (2nd cattle-guard on Klamathon Road from where it begins near exit #786) at around 3 miles from Interstate 5. We do not recommend you drive RV’s in by this entrance. There is a better entrance to the camping area down the road at around 2.9 miles. Watch for the tire tracks. If in doubt, check it out on foot first!!

2) From Interstate 5 exit #789 (the sign says “Henley Hornbrook”), you will take an easterly direction off the exit. This is “Copco Road”. Follow the signs towards Copco Lake and Iron Gate Dam. You will pass a Chevron gas station and Mini-Mart on your right. Around 2.9 miles down Copco Road, you will take a right turn onto Ager Road, drive across the bridge (crosses the Klamath River), and take an immediate right onto Klamathon Road. Watch for the sign. The first entrance to our camping area is located 1.6 miles down Klamathon Road on the right. There are several nice places to camp here if you are self contained. The larger camping area can be found by continuing further down Klamathon Road. The 2nd entrance (on the right) is near the cattle-guard at around 2 miles down Klamathon Road (from Ager Road).

Please; no open fires are allowed in this camping area!!

About the UK Properties:

IMPORTANT: No dredging or mining activity is allowed within 100 feet of the three bridges which cross the Klamath River along these properties.

UK-1: is located along the Klamath River in the area where it flows past the Colliers Rest Stop. The upper boundary is located 100 feet downstream from the lowest of 3 bridges which cross the Klamath River in this area. The lower boundary is located at Hwy 96 mile marker 105.28, near to the 30 MPH sign down on the bend.

Map of UK-1

We do not have any of our own signs posted along this property, because the land is privately owned. Club members have been given permission to mine there.

While water and toilets are available in the rest area, you cannot move into the rest area to support your mining operation along the river there. There is not an RV dump station in the rest area. Please do not launch dredges or other mining equipment from the rest area. You must accomplish this from the Hwy 96 side of the river. Please do not climb the fence (rest stop) to gain access to the river!

Generally, there is reasonable access to the river from the Hwy 96 side. While some access may be easier from the rest area, if members begin launching equipment from there, or start climbing the fences, we will be forced to withdraw this property from Club use. Please cooperate!

PROSPECTS: This section of the river has an exceptional amount of fine and flake gold in a shallow flood layer, on top of an older layer of cemented gravel. There has been some sporadic dredging activity over the years, almost exclusively along the east side of the river (rest stop side). To locate places which have never been previously mined, look for gray hard-packed material towards the surface. There are confirmed gold nuggets being recovered off the Hwy 96 side of the river, although very little dredging has been done on that side so far.

UK-2: The lower boundary is located 100 feet upstream from where the north-bound Interstate 5 bridge crosses the Klamath River. The upper boundary is located 6/10ths of a mile upstream on Klamathon Road near telephone pole #66. There is a river access road 1/10th of a mile further up the road, which switches back down river and reaches the water directly at the upper boundary.

Map of UK-2

While there is some room for some camping further up river (on both sides of the road near the old miners cabin), please be very careful to not block or inhibit the use by others of this river access, or the Klamathon Road.

We do not have any of our own signs posted along this property. The land is privately owned. Club members have been given permission to mine there.

Note: There is a large pull-off area on this property just upstream from Interstate 5. While day-parking of cars or pick-up trucks (not RV’s) is alright there, camping is not allowed. This is one of our agreements with the land owner who has given Club members permission to mine on this property. If you must camp somewhere for a night while planning your next move, we suggest you go over to the rest area

PROSPECTS: This section of the river has an exceptional amount of http://www.goldgold.com/claims/thumbnails/UK2/FineandFlakeGold.jpgfine and flake gold in a shallow flood layer, on top of an older layer of cemented gravel. We recently did a Dredging Project near the lower boundary and recovered 3.9 ounces of gold in just several days of dredging. Several other members recovered 6 ounces of gold near the upper boundary in just several days of dredging. Most of the property has yet to be sampled. Look for the hard-packed gray layer either on bedrock or on top of a very hard layer of cemented gravel. The property caretaker says that several miners did a little dredging on the west side of the river (Interstate 5 side) towards the lower end of the claim, and they were recovering nuggets as large as ¼-ounce in size.

UK-3: The lower boundary of this claim is located around 8/10ths of a mile up Klamathon Road. Look for our Club signs to begin several hundred feet upstream from the old miners cabin at Carson Gulch. The upper boundary is posted on a tree 1.5 miles up Klamathon Road, near telephone pole #48.

Map of UK-3

There is a pretty good river access point, some parking, and a little camping near the two old houses just upriver. The houses and fenced-in property is posted as a “National Heritage Site” by the federal government, so please do not use any metal detectors (or even make them visible) in or around that area.

Several members floating a dredge onto UK-3 in July

PROSPECTS: This section of the river has an exceptional amount of fine and flake gold in a shallow flood layer, on top of an older layer of cemented gravel. We recently did a Dredging Project near the upper boundary and recovered 4 ounces of gold in just several days of dredging. Several other members have been doing well dredging along the Klamathon Road side of the river and out towards the middle, with at least one member recovering as much as ¾-ounce of gold per day. Most of the claim has yet to be sampled. One sample hole on the Interstate 5 side of the river appears to show that the gold is also over there. Some small nuggets have been recovered. Look for the hard-packed gray layer either on bedrock or on top of a very hard layer of cemented gravel. It appears that the gold is some-what evenly disbursed through the hard-packed gray material and that the more of it you process, the more gold you recover.

Links To Other Group Mining Projects

Schedule of Events