Gold Detector Reviews: Minelab's "GPX 4500" (Conclusion)

(Minelab's "GPX 4500.")

(DISCLAIMER: I have no vested interest in any of the machines or brands listed in this post nor am I receiving any compensation for recommending them. J.R.)

Top Level or Professional Detectors

Minelab “GPX 4500”

In my previous post on Minelab’s “GPX 4500” I began listing some of the features that make this machine one of the best (and most expensive) gold detectors on the market today. Here are additional “GPX 4500” features for you to consider:

Backlight Function: I’ve never been much for metal detecting at night, but if your nugget or treasure hunting activities extend beyond daytime hours, the “GPX 4500’s” backlight function allows you to read the LCD menu/readout in total darkness.

Metal Detectors
 
Threshold Stabilizer: Essentially the “GPX 4500’s” threshold stabilizer acts as a fine tuning function that allows you to exercise full control over the machine’s threshold stability. The threshold stabilizer is part of the audio processing circuit and is probably best utilized with the “GPX 4500’s” audio option. All you have to do is adjust the threshold stabilizer control to hear very faint target signals.

Target Volume Control: I find this feature of the “GPX 4500” highly interesting and beneficial overall. Aside from the standard single volume control found on most metal detector brands, Minelab has added a separate target volume control. This allows you to adjust the volume of a specific target that generates an extremely faint or “soft” signal that would otherwise be too indistinct to classify as “good” or “bad.”

Gold Prospecting Books

Those of you out there who are experienced nugget hunters know how important this can be in recovering those smaller gold nuggets or deeply buried pieces of gold. Additionally, if you have any difficulties with hearing loss (as I have) this function can be an additional asset.

Advanced Discrimination: I mentioned the “GPX 4500’s” Hi-Trash discriminator function in Part 1. The Hi-Trash mode is only one part of the advanced discrimination features of a machine that essentially allows you to work even the “trashiest” ground. In most other metal detectors using high discrimination or solitary iron reject functions also limits your ability to detect good targets, especially the smaller ones.

Strapworks.com - any strap, any length, any color!
 
However, you can actually adjust the desired level of rejection within the “GPX 4500’s iron discriminate mode” using settings that run the range from cautious to aggressive. In highly trashy areas like many old mining sites this can really facilitate detecting and locating nuggets. Additionally, artifact and general treasure hunters can also make great use of this “custom” iron rejection feature.

Smart Electronic Timing Alignment: SETA is Minelab’s copyrighted electronic timing function system that I briefly mentioned in Part 1 of this series of posts. The “GPX 4500’s” SETA provides a range of sophisticated precision timing options that minimize magnetic interference, help stabilize the threshold signal, and reduce circuitry shifts and “overloads” from areas containing highly mineralized soils or “hot” rocks. In the greatest sense, SETA allows you to work in just about any soil condition that you encounter out in the field out.

That's it for now. Good luck and good hunting to one and all.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: “Gold Detector Reviews: Minelab’s GPX 4500” (Part 1)"

© J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Gold Detector Reviews: Minelab's "GPX 4500" (Part 1)

(Minelab's "GPX 4500.")

(DISCLAIMER: I have no vested interest in any of the machines or brands listed in this post nor am I receiving any compensation for recommending them. J.R.)

Top Level or “Professional” Detectors

Minelab "GPX 4500"

Minelab's bi-level pulse induction (PI) "GPX 4500" metal detector is considered by many gold nugget and treasure hunters as the best gold-detecting machine on the market today. At a whopping retail price range of $4,700-$5,000, it damn well better be.

Treasure Hunting

There's no doubt that Minelab metal detectors have earned an honest reputation for getting the gold in very difficult environments, especially in those really "hot" and mineralized areas that can wreak havoc with lesser machines. But if I had to question any aspect of Minelab detectors it would be their extremely high price range (regardless of model), especially when compared to the top level detectors of other manufacturers (Garrett, Fisher, Whites, Tesoro, etc.)

Stop and think about this for a moment. How many of us (whether novice treasure hunters or old pros) can readily shell out 5 grand for a gold machine without batting an eye? The Minelab "GPX 4500" costs a chunk of change my friends....there's no getting around that fact. And therein lies the rub.

Highly Effective and Versatile Features

OK, that fact out of the way, I will say that the Minelab "GPX 4500" has a number of features that make it a highly effective and versatile machine. These include:

"Enhanced" and "Sharp" Timing Settings: These 2 settings have been added to the "GPX 4500" to create a total of 6 timing settings that help optimize the machine's performance (improved detection depth, signal response, and pinpointing ability) depending on the type of ground being worked.

Increased Audio Gain: The design of "GPX 4500's" amplifier and the use of high-quality low noise components make the machine's signal response clear and crisp, without the typical background hum found in other detectors.

Gold Prospecting Books

Preset Operating Modes: Minelab's "GPX 4500" employs a number of factory preset operating modes that allow you to starting detecting right away in a range of field contexts. These include the:

"Custom Mode" that you can set up based on your own needs or preferences.

"General Mode" which is for basic operating conditions.

"Deep Mode" for those hard-to-reach targets buried at depth.

"Hi-Mineral Mode" which is typically employed in "hot" or highly mineralized locations.

"Hi-Trash Mode" which is pretty much self-explanatory.

The other two operating modes, "Patch Mode" and "Test A Mode" I tend to place in the "bells and whistle" category and I'm not sure of their overall value in actual operation. Perhaps one of you Minelab enthusiasts out there can clarify this for me.

Negative Ground Balancing: This aspect of the "GPX 4500" can really come in handy on those occasions where you are nugget or treasure hunting in "neutral" or low-mineralization soil environments. For you cache and artifact hunters out there, this means increased detection depth in loamy or sandy soils when you bypass the "GPX 4500's" ground balancing function by setting it in the "Off" position.

That's for this round. I''ll have more on the Minelab "GPX 4500" in a subsequent post.

Until then, good hunting!

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Treasure Hunting Questions and Answers: Part 4"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/06/periodically-i-post-answers-to-most.html

(c) J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Treasure Hunting Questions and Answers: Part 4

Periodically I post answers to the most frequent questions sent me by readers of "Treasure Trove Dreams." Here is the 4th installment in this series of posts:

"In one of your posts you say to 'forget about it' if a cache only has paper money in it. Why?"

Let me try and explain my views in that regard:

1) Typically, paper currency has little additional value other than its face value. Yes, some unusual or historic forms of currency can have a numismatic value, but that is much more rare with paper money than it is with gold or silver coins. People tend to over inflate the potential of old currency as well...silver certificates were once thought to be worth lots of money...the truth is pretty much the opposite.

Treasure Hunting

2) Currency does not hold up well over time. Paper money simply doesn't have the 'staying power" that precious metals do. This is especially true if a cache composed of (or containing) old bills is not sealed airtight. I've seen old bills come out of small caches that were in horrible shape...frayed, discolored, and crumbling so bad it was hard to recognize what they were. No matter what, they are they essentially valueless in that sort of condition.

3) Currency is hard to unload. One very important point to remember is that currency, even old bills, is hard to sell or dispose of for profit. Newer money is easier to unload but even then there are pitfalls in trying to sell or cash in large sums of bills. Old bills cannot be "cashed in" or traded at a bank in most instances and newer currency may be linked to a robbery or some sort of other criminal activity. In the latter case the serial numbers are probably registered and the IRS, FBI, Treasury Department, and/or other "officials" will be at your door eventually if you try and unload your "goodies" the straight way. Basically with paper money you're stuck trying to parcel out newer bills out at a snail's pace or using a "3rd party" buyer approach that is borderline criminal itself and may bring you only 60%-75% of face value anyway.

Paper money in caches? I'll take it if it's there, but give me gold or silver bullion or coins any day over currency. Gold and silver are easier to dispose of and much higher numismatic values are involved as well.

"Is it better to pick one area of treasure hunting to get good at, say like treasure diving, or is it better to try more than one approach?"

This is an excellent question and there isn't just one answer alone that will cover it. Some treasure hunters are "specialists" who concentrate on a single type or form of treasure hunting like shipwreck salvage. The late Mel Fisher was a classic example of this single-focus approach as is Tommy Thompson, the discoverer of the S.S. California and its huge cargo of gold. The problem with being a success like Mel or Tommy Thompson today is the ultra-high cost of the gear, ships, boats, fancy electronics, deep-sea diving submarines, etc., required to make the really big scores underwater.

On the opposite end of the treasure hunting spectrum you had the old "Owlhooters" like the late Karl Von Muller who essentially did it all. Karl prospected and mined for gold, even running a suction dredge up in the Rockies and showing others how to to do high-altitude gold dredging back in the days of balky motors and points and carburetors that needed TLC all the time. But Karl was also an accomplished treasure hunter who made a staggering amount of cache recoveries along the old Oregon and Santa Fe trails before everything was private property and off limits. Karl wrote the book on "post-hole" banks and also coin hunted, searched for artifacts in ghost towns, and even beach hunted on occasion (he was a friend of Warren Merkitch, inventor of the "Merkitch sifter," by the way).

These are the opposite ends of the treasure hunting spectrum and there are tons of steps in between. So do what appeals to you and what is truly within your grasp.

I tend to be multi-faceted when it comes to treasure hunting and have done it all except dive for treasure on shipwrecks. But my first love is gold mining and always will be....treasure hunting fits nicely into that mode as well. One complements the other.

"If you had to recommend three brands of metal detectors for basic treasure hunting what would those be?"

Ouch! You're putting me on the spot here a bit. But since you asked I'll give you my honest opinion based strictly on my own treasure hunting experiences over the years:

1) Garrett

2) Whites

3) Fisher

I've used all three brands of detectors over the course of my "hit-or-miss" mining and treasure hunting career and have never been left hanging by any one of the three. I tend to use Garrett machines for artifact, beach, and basic coin hunting, the Whites for nugget shooting and coin hunting, and the Fisher for nugget or ore hunting only. All three are excellent machines (depending on the model, of course) and I am not afraid to recommend them to you. For those of you who use other brands please understand there is no implied slight here. It's just my own personal opinion and choice.

That's it for now my friends. Good hunting out there!

If you liked this post,you may want to read: "Gold Detector Reviews: Garrett's 'Infinium LS' (Conclusion)"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/06/gold-detector-reviews-garretts-infinium_14.html

(c) J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Announcing the Winners of the Donation Drive Raffle

(1st Prize: Garrett's DeLuxe Gold Panning Kit.)

I am pleased to announce the three winners of the "Bedrock Dreams/Treasure Trove Dreams" Donation Drive Raffle. They are:

1st Prize: Edward W., Albuquerque, NM

Ed wins the Garrett DeLuxe Gold Panning Kit valued at $50.00. Garrett's "Gravity Trap" and "Super Sluice" gold pans are some of the best out there Ed, so enjoy and go get some yellow metal!

2nd Prize: Allan B., Cocoa, FL

Allan wins Sam Radding's books on "do-it-yourself" mining equipment plans, "Sam Radding's Book of Plans, Volume 1" and "Volume 2." Allan, I expect you'll be burning the midnight hours out in the garage from now on!

3rd Prize: Tim D., Glasgow, KY

Tim wins diver, treasure hunter, and underwater archaeologist Robert Marx's book, "Buried Treasure You Can Find." There are tons of good treasure leads in this book Tim, so let me know when you "hit the big one!"

My congratulations to Ed, Allan, and Tim. Guys, I'll be mailing/shipping the prizes out this coming Friday, Jun 18, 2010.

To those of you who donated but didn't win a prize please accept my sincere "thank you" and know that I truly appreciate your donations. I wish I had a hundred prizes to give out...

Whether you won or not, I give each and every one of you my heartfelt thanks for your generosity and continued support of "Bedrock Dreams" and "Treasure Trove Dreams." Keep coming back!

Thank you everyone,

J.R.

Santa Fe, NM

Gold Detector Reviews: Garrett's "Infinium LS" (Conclusion)

(Garrett's "Infinium LS.")

(DISCLAIMER: I have no vested interest in any of the machines or brands listed in this post nor am I receiving any compensation for recommending them. J.R.)

Top Level or “Professional” Detectors

Garrett "Infinium LS"

As I mentioned in my earlier post on the subject, the Garrett "Infinium LS" has a number of other specifications and features that I want to bring to your attention. These include:

1) Easy-to-use detector control interface that requires no complicated adjusting.

2) "Automatic Ground Track" feature that allows you to lock the ground tracking function for peak performance by choosing slow or fast automatic tracking to handle mineralization/soil changes.

3) Audio threshold adjustment control designed to accommodate various search styles.

4) Reverse discrimination that proves invaluable in identifying ferrous (iron) targets.

5) Choice of 4 different control housing configurations: hip mount; under the cuff; and above or below the stem.

6) Standard 10" x 14" Power DD PROformance submersible search coil plus hip mount.

7) Lightweight, power-saving detector design that uses eight AA batteries and has a low-battery warning "beep."

Gold Prospecting Books

8) Rugged design and stable performance.

9) Full 1-year parts and labor warranty.

10) Multiple frequency technology with a total of 96 employable frequencies adjustable to 730 pulses per second.

11) Effective submersion depth of 200 feet with near neutral buoyancy.

This post and Part 1 cover the major aspects of the "Infinium LS" pretty well. There's no doubt it's a good machine that can be employed to great effect in any number of situations, including both "wet" and "dry" nugget hunting.

Good luck out there!

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Waybill to Lost Gold in Utah's Henry Mountains (Conclusion)"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/06/waybill-to-lost-gold-in-utahs-henry_11.html

(c) J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Waybill to Lost Gold in Utah's Henry Mountains (Conclusion)

(Dinosaur "quarry" near Hanksville, Utah. The Henry Mountains and Mount Ellen can be seen in the background.)

I now present you the conclusion of this treasure tale about lost Spanish gold in Utah’s Henry Mountains:

Exhausted and Heartbroken

What bothered him the most was that he and “Pancho” had not been able to locate the old Spanish mine despite the fact they had found evidence in the Henrys that the Spanish had indeed been hard at work there. The old smelter they had come across proved this.

About 3 weeks after “Pancho” Olgean (Olguin?) gave up the treasure search and left the Henry Mountains Al Hainey did likewise. By this time he was exhausted, out of supplies, and heartbroken.

A Sad Case

Penniless and out of options in the midst of the Great Depression, Al Hainey pulled up stakes and departed the state of Utah for greener pastures. He had little in the way of material possessions except the rusty colored rocks he had picked up near the old Spanish smelter.

Gold Pans

Many years later folks that knew Al Hainey fairly well said that they had seen him in various Western states including Nevada, Arizona, and California. They said he was sad case now, a half-crazed “bust out” who spent the bulk of his time wandering and hitchhiking, stopping here and there occasionally to take odd jobs and then moving on.

An Interesting Twist

Here’s where the story takes an interesting twist. Many years later a sheep man named Harry Ogden claimed to have seen Al Hainey near the town of Hanksville, Utah. (Note: Hanksville is only a dozen or so miles away from the Henry Mountains. J.R.). Here’s what Ogden says transpired:

“Some miles outside Hanksville I saw an old man carrying a gunnysack slung over his shoulder. I thought he looked familiar so I went on over to him. Well I’ll be damned if it wasn’t Al Hainey! Al must’ve been about 75 years old by this time and he seemed a bit off in the head…but he was still pretty spry despite all.”

“We got to talking some and he said he was heading up into the Henrys again to find that old Spanish gold mine him and ‘Pancho’ had looked for back in the ‘30s. Then he showed me a couple of small reddish, rusty looking rocks.”

$50,000 a Ton in Gold

“’See these rocks?’ he asked me. ‘They came from an old Spanish smelter up in the Henrys. After all these years I finally got the damn things fire assayed.’ Then he looked left and right like he was making sure no one else was around and leaned in close. ‘I struck it rich!’ he cackled. ‘These here rocks assayed out at $50,000 a ton in gold!’”

“Then he just turned away laughing his fool head off and started heading straight for the Henrys toting that gunnysack full of supplies. I just figured he was crazy in the head and telling tall tales about those rocks he had. What happened to him after that I can’t say.”

So there you have it.

Just another tall tale of lost gold? Or is there an old Spanish smelter high in the Henry Mountains surrounded by rusty looking rocks?

Let me know if you find out my friend. Good hunting to you.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: “Striking it Rich:' California Man Finds 9-Pound Nugget”

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/06/striking-it-rich-california-man-finds-9.html

© J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

"Striking it Rich:" California Man Finds 9-Pound Nugget (Updated)

(The 9-troy pound gold nugget Jim. S. found on his Nevada County, California property.)

No Plans to Strike it Rich

A San Francisco Bay Area businessman had no plans to strike it rich in placer gold when he purchased a plot of land not far from the old California Gold Rush community of Nevada City. Still, Jim S. (last name withheld purposely) knew that Nevada County as a whole was extremely rich in gold back in the day and the old hydraulic rock tailings on his property were physical reminders of this fact.

Gold Concentrators
Metal Detectors

What Jim didn’t know at this point (but would learn later) was that the oldtimers who had once worked his property just skimmed the rich surface deposits off, including hydraulicking exposed portions of ancient river gravels that would later be known as the “Great Blue Lead.” (Note: You can actually see the blue coloration of these gravels in the photo of Jim’s nugget. J.R.). Armed only with picks and shovels, the oldtimers figured that digging down to bedrock on the property would require too much time and effort to be worth their while.

3,800 Troy Ounces in the First Few Feet!

Jim pondered these facts and wondered. Eventually, however, both the high spot price of gold and Jim’s own curiosity got the better of him and he hired experts to survey and test his property for gold.The experts came armed with ground-penetrating radar (GPR), metal detectors, and heavy equipment in the form of a backhoe.

After some preliminary digging and sampling in various spots the experts told Jim that a range of samples indicated his ground was averaging 3,800 troy ounces in the first few feet! In case you didn’t already know, this is fabulously rich ground…the sort of ground most gold miners and treasure hunters (me included) dream of but will probably never see in their lifetimes.

(Note: In sample averaging like this it may be good to note that where one spot may indicate extremely high gold values another spot may indicate only slight gold values...that's why it's called averaging...so it doesn't necessarily mean that every bit of Jim's ground will hold 3,800 troy ounces. J.R.)

$110,000-$120,000 for Gold Content Alone

After the GPR indicated large anomalies along a certain section of Jim’s property the backhoe was brought in and excavation began. About 10 feet down (and about a foot above bedrock) metal detectors began going crazy and indicating large masses of non-ferrous metal directly below. One of these large masses of non-ferrous metal turned out to be the 9-troy pound (108 troy ounces) nugget shown above.

This nearly unbelievable nugget find is pretty much one solid mass of gold with a small amount of quartz still attached. It’s value? Well, at today’s spot gold prices the nugget is worth around $110,000-$120,000 for the gold content alone. For its specimen value however, this spectacular nugget may command as much as 5-10 times this amount from collectors or a museum.

"That Ain't All..."

That ain’t all, my friends. A 10-troy ounce and an 8-troy ounce nugget were found close by, indicating other large placer gold nuggets are probably waiting to be uncovered near bedrock. And we are just talking about large nuggets here, not about the smaller nuggets, coarse pieces, flakes, and fine gold that will provide the bulk of gold recovery values on Jim’s land.

The only possible fly in the ointment for Jim is getting the proper permits for conducting mining operations on the property. This may prove problematic for him since California has become notorious in small-scale mining circles for its anti-mining legislation and radical environmentalist special interest groups.

This find should show all of you that it’s still possible to “strike it rich” out there if Lady Luck smiles on you. But more than luck it’s having a piece of good ground, doing your research up front, and putting the right effort forward.

Good luck and good hunting to one and all!

If you liked this post, you may want to read: “Waybill to Lost Gold in Utah's Henry Mountains (Part 3)"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/06/waybill-to-lost-gold-in-utahs-henry_06.html

© J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Gold Detector Reviews: Garrett's "Infinium LS" (Part 1)

(Garrett's "Infinium LS.")

(DISCLAIMER: I have no vested interest in any of the machines or brands listed in this post nor am I receiving any compensation for recommending them. J.R.)

Top Level or “Professional” Detectors

Garrett "Infinium LS"

The Garrett "Infinium LS" is one of the new breed of higher-end ($1065.00-$1250.00) metal detectors that employ a pulse induction (PI) operating technology. Most professional nugget hunters today are in agreement that PI is vastly superior to most other operating systems (i.e., VLF/TR, VHF, etc.) especially when it comes to handling highly mineralized or "hot" ground. Additionally, PI technology is very stable and extremely versatile when it comes to overall performance.

"Land or Sea"

Unlike many of its PI counterparts, the Garrett "Infinium LS" is completely submersible (yes, including the control housing). In fact, the "LS" stands for "land or sea." Because of this fact Garrett likes to proclaim that the "Infinium LS will change the way you hunt for treasure on the land, in the water, and everywhere in between!"

Metal Detectors

This may or may not be completely true, but what is apparent is the obvious advantage that a completely submersible nugget-hunting machine has. Although most nugget hunting is done "dry" (old tailings, dry placers, Aussie Outback, etc.) many bedrock gold "snipers" I know who work the California Motherlode's rivers, creeks, and streams could put the "Infinium LS" to good use. In my view this aspect of the "Infinium LS" opens up new possibiilites for nugget hunters.

There are also obvious advantages to a "land or sea" machine like Garrett's for treasure hunters who are not strictly focused on gold nugget recovery alone. If you are into scuba diving or underwater salvage the "Infinium LS" can prove a real asset, just as it can for those you interested in locating buried caches or troves on dry land.

Advanced Pulse Induction (API) Technology

In its promotional materials Garrett makes the point that the "Infinium LS" employs a "souped up" version of PI technology the company calls Advanced Pulse Induction (API). This API operating technology combined with a specialized search coil enables the "Infinium LS" to find very small nuggets as well as very thin flakes or other pieces of gold with only slight mass to them.

In other treasure hunting venues Garrett's API is effective in both "all metal" and discrimination modes. Unlike the "old days" when I first started swinging a detector and machines would lose additional depth as more discrimination was applied, the "Infinium LS" has little resultant depth loss in discrimination mode. This can be a tremendous asset in coin hunting as well as a potential benefit in certain nugget hunting situations.

(Note: By the way, my first metal detector was a Garrett that used beat frequency oscillator or BFO circuitry. The BFO employed a rapid or slow beat response to good or bad targets and a simple needle meter indicator. You really had to learn to "listen" to targets with a BFO before you began digging...no fancy graphic displays to show you what was what underfoot. Most of you out there probably have never heard of BFO machines so this should show you how far back on the Owl Hoot Trail I go! J.R.)

Adjustable Frequency Option

Another very nice aspect of the "Infinium LS" is its adjustable frequency option. This is really something you won't see on most gold detectors since they are designed to operate on one frequency and one frequency alone. This frequency adjustment range (from low to ultra high) allows you to choose and set up the optimum frequency for the specific type of hunting you are performing.

Anyhoo, I'll have more "Infinium LS" features and specifications for you in the immediate future. There are just too many to squeeze into a solitary post.

So until then take good care out there.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Small-Scale and Recreational Mining 'State of the Union' (Part 3)"

http://goldbedrockgold.blogspot.com/2010/05/small-scale-and-recreational-mining_31.html

(c) J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com

Waybill to Lost Gold in Utah's Henry Mountains (Part 2)

(Mt. Ellen Peak, the highest point in the Henry Mountains.)

Mining Equipment

In my previous post I said I'd tell you more of Al and "Pancho's" story as well as provide you with a potential waybill to the location of Spanish gold in Utah's Henry Mountains. So here goes:

Despite their down-and-out status and few supplies to sustain them, Al Hainey and his erstwhile treasure hunting "pard" Francisco "Pancho" Olgean (Olguin?) not only made it into the Henry Mountains but managed to sustain their search there for over two months. Here is Al Hainey's description of the salient events of their journey:

A Flat Rock and Arrow

"We crossed the Colorado River at Escalante's old ford and headed north to Fifty Mile Mountain. We followed a beat-up old trail marked out by little stone monuments. When me and 'Pancho' finally got to the flattop summit of Fifty Mile we found us a trail marker and right close by we found a big flat rock with an arrow carved in it."

(Note 1: In 1776-1777, long before Al and "Pancho" crossed the Colorado River at this low-water point, an expedition led jointly by Silvestre Velez de Escalante and his fellow Franciscan priest Francisco Dominguez made a crossing of the river here. Thus, the name "Escalante's Ford." Forget using the ford as part of the treasure's waybill however...it now lies underneath hundreds of feet of water from Lake Powell. J.R.)

(Note 2: Carved or painted arrows have long been known as common treasure signs or symbols in the American West and Southwest. They typically indicate the direction toward or path to buried treasure. J.R.)

More Directions to the Old Mine

"After we found that arrow marker "Pancho" said we should follow the direction it pointed in. We did just that and lo and behold it wasn't too long before we come across a cave that was pretty much hidden away so's you couldn't see it unless you was right up close to it."

"Inside the cave on a back wall we found all sorts of writing there on the rock in Spanish letters. Hell, when ol' 'Pancho' seen that writing he just started laughin' and carryin' on like a crazy person. He told me he was happy because that Spanish writing gave us more directions to where the old mine was."

(Note: If you are a serious treasure hunter you may already know that Spanish words, phrases, or writings found out in the field should not always be taken or translated literally. The Spanish language is rife with words and phrases that can have multiple meanings depending on the context they are used in. However, words such as oro [gold] or plata [silver] or mina [mine] are pretty much meant as is. J.R.)

I'll have more of Al Hainey's waybill to possible Spanish gold in a subsequent post. Until then, good hunting to you.

If you liked this post, you may want to read: "Waybill to Lost Gold in Utah's Henry Mountains (Part 1)"

http://treasuretrovegold.blogspot.com/2010/05/waybill-to-lost-gold-in-utahs-henry.html

(c) J.R. 2010

Questions? E-mail me at jr872vt90@yahoo.com