January 2000 (Vol. 69, No. 5) $3.75
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The Bawl Mill
• Australians know how to do a fundraiser
• She shared a toothbrush but...
• This IRS employee will share her winnings—with the IRS!...
• A diamond is forever (almost)... -
Over the Divide
David N. Skillings, Jr -
Our Readers Say
• "Well, that's what we've been told, isn't it?" -
Letter from the Editor to our Readers and Advertisers
Well, as they say, "there's a time for everything and everything has it's time"—or something like that! -
Administration Considers Bypassing Congress
With Congress showing little willingness to act, the Clinton administration is weighing whether to designate a dozen scenic and historic sites in the West as federal monuments to assure their protection. -
First Woman to Draw Mining Pension
For generations, men willing to endure physical labor have been able to make a decent living working as miners on the Marquette Iron Range. But it has been only in the last 25 years that the open-pit facilities have given women the opportunity to roll up their sleeves and dig into hard labor. -
Small Mine Selective Blasting
Drill holes in a mineralized vein often penetrate hidden layers of poor ore which, after blasting, end up diluting the production quality. Disseminated gold ores carrying two ounces per ton may be identical in appearance to adjacent vein material... -
Mohave Mountain Placers, Arizona
There are literally hundreds of dry placer deposits in the Sonoran and Mohave Deserts of western Arizona. Many of these placer gold deposits are not described in any published books, bulletins, or reports, though placer gold enthusiasts know where... -
Legislative and Regulatory Update
• Inter-department letter, Forest Supervisor to Regional Forester seeks assistance in segregating a significant area of the San Bernardino National Forest from mineral entry.
• Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA) stopped in Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
• Forest Service meetings on Roadless Initiative have ended and the comment period closed December 20, but we have been advised that the public will have another opportunity for input.
• On November 8, the BLM held a hearing in Placerville, California, regarding withdrawal of 3,368.85 acres of public land along the South Fork of the American River. -
High Court to Reconsider Wilderness Water Rights
The Idaho Supreme Court agreed on November 30 to reconsider its controversial split decision to award the federal government the rights to all unappropriated Salmon River water flowing through three central Idaho wilderness areas. -
Sixteen to One Takes on MSHA
Letter from Sixteen to One President Mike Miller to Congressman Wally Herger (Chico) requesting a Congressional investigation into the activities of the Mine Safety and Health Administration -
Picks & Pans: Gold Mining on Joie Osgood Ranch
Butte County, California—On January 29, 1978, Peter and I received permission from Joie Osgood to pan and look for gold on her property. The 3800 acre property was located about four miles northeast of Honcut, Butte County, California. -
Gold
Excerpted from the U.S. Geological Survey's 1998 Annual Review by Earle B. Amey, Gold Commodity Specialist. -
Company Notes
• U.S. Gold Corporation
• AZCO Mining Co.
• Canyon Resources Corporation
• Placer Dome, Inc.
• Vista Gold Corp.
• Grupo Mexico -
Millie's Tailings
"Gold does strange things to people." -
Placer PGMs in Alaska
The state of Alaska is huge, over twice the size of Texas, with most of the population in just a few towns. The northern third of the state is north of the Arctic Circle, and vast regions are only sparsely populated. -
Mogollon—New Mexico's Remote Gold Camp
Silver Creek, in New Mexico's Catron County, is a narrow defile in the Mogollon Mountains. Known to be the home of fierce Apache bands, gold and silver veins were waiting there for an adventurous, if not foolish, prospector. -
ICMJ 9th Annual Photo Contest Results
See the top 10 winners! -
The Other Minerals of Mt. Diablo
Although it is now known that Mount Diablo, located in Contra Costa County in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, was the site of the largest coal mining operation in the state during the last half of the 19th century... this majestic focal point... also was the source of other minerals. -
Melman on Gold & Silver
Well, this is it, the dawning of the new Millennium. By the time you receive this issue, we will be on the threshold of a new year, decade, century and thousand years. The last people to enjoy such a time were those who lived in the year 999—but there was a staggering difference. At that time... -
Looking Back
Excerpts from CMJ, our original title, published 50 years ago this month.