Prospecting Dilemma

[Jim_Alaska]

RIP Dick. My prayers and condolences go out to his family.

[Leonard]

I was at Elmendorf for 2 years in the early 60's. In SAC looking out over the B47's loaded with nukes. Funny never thought that 20 years later I would be working making them. I was there during the big earthquake.

Leonard

[Geowizard]

A living legacy;

The best that each of us can expect to do is become a living legacy.

- Geowizard

[Geowizard]

I was at Elmendorf for 2 years in the early 60's. In SAC looking out over the B47's loaded with nukes. Funny never thought that 20 years later I would be working making them. I was there during the big earthquake.

Leonard

Leonard,

I was stationed at Elmendorf in the early 70's. I was in Alaska Air Command. I think SAC was still there too.

-Geowizard

[Leonard]

I was in the 4158th Combat Support Group 1963 - 1965
Leonard

[Geowizard]

Leonard,

Thank you for your service!

That was a hair raising period in the history of National Defense.

While the rest of my squadron laid around the barracks whining about noting to do, I was out prospecting! I got my Private and Commercial pilot licences, went to Anchorage Community College for two years as a full time student and served in the USAF. Prospected Crow Creek, Hope, Hatcher Pass mostly.

- Geowizard

[Flintgreasewood]

Leonard, thank you for the memory photos and your kind words. Yes, it was a lot of work developing the dredge site on Fourmile Creek above Boulder. Unfortunately, all that work was obliterated in a few short hours. Back in 2010 a horrific wild fire swept through upper reaches of that canyon along with many others in the area. The fire forced us to flee our home in nearby Salina [Colorado's first mining town]. But that's another story. Two years later a 100 year storm dumped 11 inches of rain in 30 hours over the rugged, denuded hillsides resulting in unprecedented flooding. My dredge site was totally reconfigured and much of my dredge and hoses were irretrievably buried under tons of boulders and gravel. Seeing the photos is bittersweet. We moved on and now we're here in Alaska where it doesn't rain so much.

[ProspectingAK]

I just wanted to say that I really enjoy reading all the posts on here and am thankful that I finally made it to Alaska at 42 and lucky enough to have ended up in the Fairbanks Area the epicenter of gold. I enjoy the info and photos of the prospecting adventures by those veterans on the site. Its 2-12-19 and that means that the snow will be starting to melt in about 6 to 8 more weeks. Praying we don't get much more the rest of winter so it melts off a lot faster
Been researching a lot of the areas within 75 miles of Fairbanks and seems the gold is almost everywhere. Been reading old writings from the turn of the century 1900-1920 and you can glean some good insight. I bought a GoldHog Raptor Flare highbanker looking forward to seeing water running thru it. Any info on a good place to buy hose in or around fairbanks would be appreciated. I have the highbanker, honda high pressure pump, and 3 inch dredge nozzle but need to start picking up hose and intake lines foot valve etc.
Anyone familiar with Colorado Creek located North of Chena Hot Springs Road it empties out into the Chena River east of Fairbanks.

[Jim_Alaska]

Keep in mind that I have not been in Fairbanks since 2003. But there is or was a place on Van Horn Road that sold hoses of all kinds, that's where I ought my dredge hoses. It was called something like Alaska Rubber or Fairbanks Rubber, not sure which. If you look in the phone book or just drive Van Horn Rd, you should be able to find it.

I have been to Colorado Creek, but never prospected on it. I was there for hunting.

[gabbie]

pro music in Fairbanks sell mining stuff they are over by joanns fabric on the river