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Gold prospecting alive and well in Montana Posted: Thursday, Jul 24, 2008 - 05:14:58 pm MDT By Hope Nealson The Western News
When it comes to gold prospecting, not much has changed in the last century-and-a-half. The same Libby Creek claims frequented by the region’s early prospectors in the 1860s are still scoured today by modern-day prospectors like Braxton Walborn. He got into Montana gold prospecting at age 4.Walborn, retired and living in Kalispell, prospected for 40 years, joining the Northwest Montana Gold Prospectors club in 2001 before becoming its president. “I just like being out in the woods, messing around in the old ghost towns and seeing the history,” Walborn said. “That’s how Montana was made and what brought people to Montana.” The gravels of the Libby district were first tested in the early 1860s when prospectors, including John S. Fisher, came through the area looking for gold, naming Fisher River, Libby Creek and Cherry Creek along the way. “Most of the creeks were named after the prospectors who originally found the gold,” said Gary Henry, NWMGP treasurer. “The original camp and (Libby) townsite was up real close to our claim. As time went by that old camp dissipated and moved further down.” Although most of the 250 club members hail from Montana, some come from as far away as Florida, Texas, New Hampshire and Minnesota to be able to use the club’s claim. The prospectors meet each month at their Libby Creek claim from June through October to not only share their knowledge and love of prospecting, but distribute the cost of developing the gold claim through their annual $30 family membership fee. “We are some pretty hardy people. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts off the dirt, we have some people up there with metal detectors. Last October we were prospecting in the snow,” Braxton said. Using trommels, the crew of around 25 moves an average of 75 yards of dirt in a weekend. “We use a piece of equipment to get it loose, but it’s all hand-shoveled into the wash equipment,” Braxton said. “The people are moving a lot of that dirt.” Braxton said the amount of gold they end up with varies. They divided 1.5 ounces gold in their best outing in June 2007. In contrast, this past June netted just one-third of an ounce. But many, like Henry, don’t do it for the money. “I still have every piece I’ve ever found,” he said. “It’s a little trophy.” Although Henry’s grandfather panned gold up Confederate Gulch during the Depression to feed his family, Henry got involved in 2004 after he retired to do something besides hunting and fishing. “It’s just a recreational thing. It’s good exercise and you meet some real nice people,” he said, adding that he belongs to five prospector clubs so he can find available claims fast without having to spend time researching. Henry and his wife spend four days a month traveling to claims in Alaska, Arizona and Montana, among other western states. “She doesn’t like to play in the dirt, but she goes along just for the outing and the camaraderie, the scenery and the quietness,” said Henry, who has kept all his gold - the biggest nugget from Alaska weighing 1 ounce. “Being the first person that’s ever laid eyes on it is exciting. It gives a sense of accomplishment - it’s kind of a little gift,” he said. One larger-than-average-sized “gift” was an 8-ounce nugget that once passed through the doors of Libby jeweler Gary Hall. “It’s fun and can be profitable if you’re in the right place,” he said. “But unfortunately most people usually get about $10 worth with two weeks of effort and think they got a fortune. You have to know what you’re doing and look for a spot.” Hall started out as a jeweler in Helena with a reputation of being fair in judging the quality and price of the gold before he started Hall’s Jewelry in Libby. He even did a little prospecting of his own starting in the 1990s, reading through Montana geological surveys county by county. “I was the world’s most incompetent prospector. I could find anything in the world except what they said was there,” Hall said, noting along with copper, silver and gold, Montana has every type of gemstone, including diamond, ruby, sapphire and opal deposits. “There is a lot of research that goes into geologic formations and old documents where you can search out places that have been known producers in the past, and there’s still some out there because they didn’t get it all,” Hall said. Hall said that because of greener policies, Montana’s resources aren’t being utilized. “Very few people that aren’t involved in it don’t know about it,” he said. “It’s like oil - they don’t want to drill for oil, so they pretend there isn’t any. You can’t cut a tree and you can’t mine. “But recreational panning is fun,” he added. One man who teaches prospecting classes is Scott Kirschenmann of Libby, whose next class is with a group of Provider Pals this weekend. “I’ve taught quite a few people up at the panning area (Libby Creek). It’s fun and it gets me outside,” he said. For information about classes or NWMGP, call 406-756-3711.
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The Western News
P O Box 1377 / Libby, MT 59923 / 406-293-4124