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Norcross, GA 30093-3059

GMS Field Trip

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dahlonega
Gold (and best sand)!

GMS Field Trip
Tours and Gold Panning in Georgia
Saturday, July 23, 2016

The GMS field trip to Dahlonega had 4 locations divided into morning and afternoon activities. We started at the Chestatee Diving Bell pavilion. Local historian and president of the Lumpkin County HIstorical Society, Chris Worick, gave us a presentation about the diving bell. He and others were instrumental in preserving this unusual and rare artifact. He explained the history of the diving bell up to its current status and explained how it was used. It is a fascinating artifact and we thoroughly enjoyed his talk.

From the diving bell it was a short walk to the Dahlonega Gold Museum where we received a group rate and a personalized tour! The museum is packed with the history of gold mining in Dahlonega as well as the Dahlonega mint. We also learned about the Cherokee people and the sad history of the "Trail of Tears". GMS member Richard Harris volunteers at the museum so we got an extra special tour!

Then a few minutes and a short drive later we were at the Crisson Gold Mine where we received another group rate! They also ran the stamp mill just for us! The stamp mill crushes rocks so the gold can be extracted. It is loud and exciting and a rare glimpse of historical gold mining in action. Then, we lined up alongside a water filled trough and watched intently as a Crisson employee demonstrated panning. Once we got the idea, she gave us our own pans of sand and we went to work! Everyone got a few flakes of gold in a little glass vial. Then we did a little "gem grubbing" and filled baggies with colorful stones like aventurine, citrine, amethyst, rose quartz, quartz crystals, corundum crystals, amazonite, and Kento may even have found some common opal!

After a break for lunch, we reconvened for a trip to an old gold mine. Each junior received a little bag of chocolate gold coins. Then, Chris Worick gave us a brief history of the mine. After we arrived at the mine, we walked up the creek to see a water wheel. Chris talked about hydro-mining and we speculated how the wheel may have been used. Though its purpose is unknown, it is an impressive artifact and juniors got to turn it. GMS member Bob Brady set up his "gold cube" and ran sand through it to extract a concentrate of heavy sand and gold! All practiced up on our panning techniques, the rest of us jumped into the creek and worked away. I heard of at least 4 people who found small bits of gold in the creek including a junior! One member and his daughter were the most successful. They panned at least a dozen flakes -- definitely encouraging to the rest of us. At the end of the day, Bob Brady emptied the cold cube concentrate into an old peanut butter jar (thanks to Shelley Stubbs and her peanut butter loving son!) The concentrate has tiny gold "flour". Bob donated it to the GMS sand collection :o)

There are so many people to thank for making this a fun and successful trip. Chris Worick shared his expertise to tell us all about the Chestatee Diving Bell as well as the old gold mine we visited. Richard Harris made our museum trip extra special and we sincerely appreciate his assistance. Three different property owners graciously allowed us access to the old gold mine to pan in the creek. Bob Brady worked hard with his gold cube to extract concentrate for the club. And all of the field trip attendees were very helpful and friendly with one another! Thank you to everyone who made this trip safe, educational, and so much fun!

Lori Carter
On behalf of Charles Carter, GMS Field Trip Chair
e-mail:

Location 1: Chestatee Diving Bell

Photo by Lori Carter

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The diving bell is on the left and the original entry tube is on the right
(The tube on the top of the diving bell is a replica)
Photo by Lori Carter

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You can see inside the entry tube
Photo by Lori Carter

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Chris Worick gave us a presentation about the diving bell
Photo by Lori Carter

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Chris pointed out this stamp on the diving bell. It indicates the bell was manufactured by the Pottstown Iron Company

History of the Chestatee Diving Bell
An entrepreneurial quest for gold

Photos by Lori Carter

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History of the diving bell from the information posted in the diving bell pavilion

Preservation of the Chestatee Diving Bell
Its more recent history is as fascinating as its beginnings

Photos by Lori Carter

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Information about preserving the diving bell (taken informational plaques in the pavilion)

More about the Diving Bell

Photos by Lori Carter

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What a fascinating artifact from Dahlonega gold history!

Location 2: The Dahlonega Gold Museum

Photo by Lori Carter

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We started with a film about gold mining in Dahlonega
Photos by Lori Carter

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Richard Harris gave us an exclusive look at bricks in the wall plus there was one on display.
They were made from mud taken from a local creek and they contain tiny bits of gold!
Photos by Lori Carter

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More artifacts from the Chestatee Diving Bell
plus a model of what it looked like on the barge
Photo by Lori Carter

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I like these old marbles
Photo by Lori Carter

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There is a nice rock and mineral collection there too

Different Gold Mining Methods

Photos by Lori Carter

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Flumes carried water via gravity to high pressure hoses

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Water cannons blasted large amounts of rock, gravel, and sediment from hillsides

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A water cannon and nozzle on display at the museum
Photos by Lori Carter

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The kind of mining a lot of people associate with mining: underground, explosives, and dangerous
Photos by Lori Carter

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A placer deposit (pronounced "plasser") is an accumulation of heavy sediments.
Placer mining evokes the iconic images of gold panning,
but other tools like rocker boxes were used (see the Crisson photos below)
Hydraulic mining also uncovered placer deposits

Ore Processing

Photos by Lori Carter

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There is a small replica of a stamp mill at the museum. Richard Harris ran it so we could see how it works.

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We got a closer look at a larger stamp mill

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Close-up of the cams that lift the weights used to crush ore

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Dahlonega Mint
Rare Gold Coins

Photos by Lori Carter

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Coins minted in Dahlonega have a "D" mint mark and are very rare because they were minted for such a short time (1838-1861)

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Coins minted by private minters are even more rare and valuable

Location 3: Crisson Gold Mine

Photos by Lori Carter

Old Gold Mining Equipment

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Photos by Lori Carter

They ran the stamp mill for us!

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It starts with a pile of gold bearing quartz

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The ore is loaded into the stamp mill

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As cams turn they lift heavy weights that drop and crush the ore

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Water continuously washes crushed ore through the mill...

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...and washes it over metal plates
Photos by Lori Carter

Panning for gold

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A pan of sand? Hm, I guess I'm done...

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...but these guys want to learn how to pan

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So this nice lady showed us what to do

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It didn't take long and she had this -- can you see the gold?

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There it is!

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Now it's our turn!

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Look how hard they are working

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Everyone is carefully swishing that sand around

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Here's how it looks after a little swishing

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Charles was a little tentative...

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...but Casey got into it

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Daniel finished mine for me

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Nice sand!

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And a little bit of gold too!
Photos by Lori Carter

Gem Grubbin'

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Nice sand!

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But these guys want the cool rocks!

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Kento did great!

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Stacy and her family "grubbed" a nice bag of rocks too!

Location 4: Old Gold Mine

Photos by Lori Carter

The Water Wheel

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Photos by Martha Carroll

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Photos by Lori Carter

Panning in the Creek

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Photos by Martha Carroll

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Photos by Martha Carroll

Bob Brady and the Gold Cube

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Photos by Lori Carter

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Bob shoveled sand and gravel from the creek and put it in the gold cube

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A water pump powered by a marine battery pumped water over the sand
The water pushes the sand down through multiple levels of the cube

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Each level of the cube has a textured surface that traps heavy particles

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At the end of the day, Bob emptied each level into a bin

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Then he panned a bit to check for gold!
Note: The concentrate from the gold cube had mostly very fine gold "flour"
so Bob donated all of it to Sand Section!
Photos by Martha Carroll

What we found

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Martha Carroll's pan

Photos by Lori Carter

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A father/daughter team panned all of these!

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Bob Brady found this beautiful quartz arrowhead!
Note: It is legal to collect artifacts on private property but not elsewhere
Photos by Lori Carter

Some fun guys

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Photos by Martha Carroll

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