Recreational Gold Prospecting in & around Chicken Alaska

[waveaction]

Thank you Jim for keeping this website open. I joined about 10 years ago and have received a lot of valuable information over that time. I am just posting some information for any new comers looking at finding some gold and having a great time doing it. I ran the Goldfever Prospecting camp for Dean Race for a few years until it was sold in 2016. Now days I just prospected for recreation. This last year (2018) the wife and I spent 6 weeks at the Chicken Gold Camp operated by Mike and Lou Busby. They run a nice operation for the recreational prospector. The new owners of Goldfever Prospecting Camp are Mat and Ginger Fontes and they are doing a great job running the dredging camp for recreational prospectors. You also have the Jack Wade Recreational area which this year I did manage to get some nice gold out of (not a lot and you have to work for it). While in the area you just might run into Dick Hammond (Chickenminer). A heck of a nice guy....

[Leonard]

Great picture! It seems that Alaskan pictures have a beauty of their own. Chicken and Dawson are a couple of places I never got to but wanted too. I spent a lot of time around Euerka area and had one ill-fated trip to Nome. I met John Schilling, rode with him to Fairbanks, Les Cobb, stayed a week in his original cabin, Sid Cobb, helped build a cabin for his mother, Tobe Larson, filmed and photographed his operation, ate at his house, Mark Exeter, stayed at his place for 3 months over 3 years. Never met Jim in Alaska but met him and Marci on the Klamath. Met Kurt and visited his Colorado claim. This forum is a great place to meet people.

I got to do a lot over 3 years. Didn't find a lot of yellow gold but did find a ton of friendships. I always wanted to get up to Ophir and spend some time there with Geowizard but won't happen. I'll spend the rest of my time in Colorado.
Leonard