Lost Nugget Mine, Near Topock
Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2009 3:24 pm
Lost Nugget Mine
This is just a short little tale, but interesting all the same. Perhaps it is still there just waiting for you to swing a detector over it. See below for more info!
Out in the Arizona desert, exact location unknown, but supposed to be about a two days' trip for a burro along the east side of the Colorado River south of Topock, is a streak of yellow clay full of gold nuggets. It has been seen by at least two men and $50,000 or $60,000 in gold nuggets has been taken from it at different times.
One day about 30 years ago a man came in from the desert and boarded a Santa Fe train at Needles, California. On the way east he showed the Santa Fe conductor about $30,000 worth of large gold nuggets, stating that he had found them in a streak of yellow clay on the desert south of Topock. He gave the conductor several of the large nuggets and stated that he would return later to work the mine. Several months passed and then one day the man got off the train at Needles accompanied by a younger man whom he introduced to the conductor as his son. The two men were outfitted for the trip, taking supplies sufficient to last them for about two weeks.
When three weeks had passed and the men had not returned to Needles the conductor notified the authorities and a search was made to the south of Topock but no trace of the missing men could be found and the searchers returned to Needles. The conductor then secured the services of two Indian trailers and in about two months from the time they had disappeared into the desert the Indians came upon the dead bodies of the father and son and nearby the carcasses of the burros. The men and burros had been shot and the cargo of gold nuggets stolen. Many trips have been made into the desert in search of the rich diggings but no one else ever brought back any more of the golden nuggets.
Those who would search for the mine would do well to heed the advice of the old Santa Fe conductor and look for a band of yellow clay out on the desert about two days trip for a Rocky Mountain canary to the south of Topock on the east side of the Colorado.
About 11 years ago on a trip to a completely different destination; that we couldn't find (no GPS with us then) We decided to go to Laughlin, Nevada to purchase a topo map of the area we were going to prospect in. Well we stopped in the Southern end of Bullhead City for gas and while in the gas station, Jack, our partner started talking to another person getting gas. He was in a midsized pick-up with a camper shell on it. He was telling Jack that this was his last trip out prospecting because he was just too old and was hurting to much to keep it up. But he did do real good on this last trip. He had approx. 10 or 12 - 5 gallon buckets in the back that were full of yellowish clay chunks. He took a miners hammer and broke some of up in his hand and it was full of small (!/2 size of a pea, and smaller) pieces of gold. Probably not all of it had gold. Now after reading this, is this where he found it. He said he was South of Topock East of the river.
It might still be there!
Don...
This is just a short little tale, but interesting all the same. Perhaps it is still there just waiting for you to swing a detector over it. See below for more info!
Out in the Arizona desert, exact location unknown, but supposed to be about a two days' trip for a burro along the east side of the Colorado River south of Topock, is a streak of yellow clay full of gold nuggets. It has been seen by at least two men and $50,000 or $60,000 in gold nuggets has been taken from it at different times.
One day about 30 years ago a man came in from the desert and boarded a Santa Fe train at Needles, California. On the way east he showed the Santa Fe conductor about $30,000 worth of large gold nuggets, stating that he had found them in a streak of yellow clay on the desert south of Topock. He gave the conductor several of the large nuggets and stated that he would return later to work the mine. Several months passed and then one day the man got off the train at Needles accompanied by a younger man whom he introduced to the conductor as his son. The two men were outfitted for the trip, taking supplies sufficient to last them for about two weeks.
When three weeks had passed and the men had not returned to Needles the conductor notified the authorities and a search was made to the south of Topock but no trace of the missing men could be found and the searchers returned to Needles. The conductor then secured the services of two Indian trailers and in about two months from the time they had disappeared into the desert the Indians came upon the dead bodies of the father and son and nearby the carcasses of the burros. The men and burros had been shot and the cargo of gold nuggets stolen. Many trips have been made into the desert in search of the rich diggings but no one else ever brought back any more of the golden nuggets.
Those who would search for the mine would do well to heed the advice of the old Santa Fe conductor and look for a band of yellow clay out on the desert about two days trip for a Rocky Mountain canary to the south of Topock on the east side of the Colorado.
About 11 years ago on a trip to a completely different destination; that we couldn't find (no GPS with us then) We decided to go to Laughlin, Nevada to purchase a topo map of the area we were going to prospect in. Well we stopped in the Southern end of Bullhead City for gas and while in the gas station, Jack, our partner started talking to another person getting gas. He was in a midsized pick-up with a camper shell on it. He was telling Jack that this was his last trip out prospecting because he was just too old and was hurting to much to keep it up. But he did do real good on this last trip. He had approx. 10 or 12 - 5 gallon buckets in the back that were full of yellowish clay chunks. He took a miners hammer and broke some of up in his hand and it was full of small (!/2 size of a pea, and smaller) pieces of gold. Probably not all of it had gold. Now after reading this, is this where he found it. He said he was South of Topock East of the river.
It might still be there!
Don...