Gold Fever !!!           

 Tomah Wisconsin GPAA Chapter – October, 2014

Welcome

Welcome to the 2014 GOLD FEVER Newsletter.  Another year, another gold prospecting opportunity.  If you have not tried to find gold, you need to give it a try.  Let us know if you need help to get started, there are many people with experience that the help you.

The Tomah, Wisconsin GPAA Chapter newsletter is your newsletter, please let me know what you would like to see in it, we hope to bring you more information in the coming year.   I hope you enjoy the information and articles included in this newsletter.   You can receive this Newsletter by mail, by either attended a meeting, or sent a book of stamps for postage.  

We are also always looking for speakers, we need to help out our great president (Mike Fait).  He has been putting the programs together with very little help.  If you have taken a trip or just have a story about somewhere, we would like to hear about it.  You do NOT need to be an expert speaker; everyone likes to hear about what other members are doing.

Do not forget the Newsletter and pictures can always be found at:

 www.huntforgems.com/gpaatomahwi/

President’s Message

What a surprise to see Richard Hanson again, he was the president before I took over. He has been traveling with the GPAA Gold Expos for several years. He is now a dealer for the gold cube. If you are interested in one give him a call a (608)498-2237 for a price and/or demonstration. He will be traveling to various gold shows in the northeastern part of the US.

    I went to the environmental committee meeting in Marathon County last month. They are the only county I know of in Wisconsin who have outlawed panning in the steams on county property. The committee put off making any decision on whether to allow panning or not until the October meeting. I don't know if I can make that one as I am getting short on vacation days this year. I don't even know when the next meeting is yet! Most of the board seemed to listen to us, but one member is dead set against it and no matter what we said he had something to say against it. The board had a biologist there to report to and he seems to back up the one member that is against us. He told the committee that it was illegal to prospect on any state owned land which he knew to be false. You cannot pan in state parks or scenic waterways but you can pan in state forest, he didn't mention that until I talked to him outside where the others couldn't hear him.

  I went to the Wausau outing in Clack County and found gold in two different creeks over the weekend. I am going to the fall Parish outing later this week. It will be over by the time you read this. Dennis Lauberstien is having a metal detecting dig on his property. There is also gold in two of the area creeks.

  October is elections month I hope we have volunteers for all the offices.

                                                                                      See you in the creeks Mike Fait

Tomah Wisconsin GPAA Chapter Minutes September, 2014

Old Business:                                                                                                                                                              

The September meeting was held at the Town Hall at the Town of Lagrange, 22731 Flint Ave. on Route #21 west of Tomah Wisconsin on September 20th, 34 members and guests attended the September meeting.

Mike Fait and Richard Hanson were the guest speakers.  Mike brought some of the black sand he collected on Lake Superior, to demonstrate how to pan the black sand.  Richard Hanson demonstrated his Gold Cube that he is now a dealer for.  This is something that everyone do not get a chance to see and learn about the process.  That is because if you do not go to the GPAA Gold Shows, more than likely you have not seen this tool before.  Thank you very much for the demonstration.

Also at the meeting Mike Fait brought many pictures with Capt. Bob Minshall in them, and Diane North had a slide presentation of the many faces of Capt. Bob.

 New Business:

 October’s meeting will be on the 3rd Saturday of October on the 18th at 1:00 pm at the Town Hall at the Town of Lagrange, 22731 Flint Ave. on Route #21 west of Tomah Wisconsin.   Please bring a dish to pass for lunch.   

At the October’s meeting the 2015 elections will be held.     

Raffles: 

Donations to the raffle were from:  Dave Bender, Mike Fait, Robert Wysocky, Richard Powel, Val Thompson, Diane Kollins, Mike Flint, Gary Morrison, Richard Niemyski, Jack Jasinski & Diane North, hope I didn't miss anyone.

Raffles: 

 50/50 raffle winner – John Schwingle

Gold raffle winners: John Schwingle and Richard Niemyski

 Gold Price on 9/23/14 was $1,222.90                Silver Price on 9/23/14 was $17.78

 Respectfully submitted by Diane North – Newsletter Editor

MAY THERE BE GOLD IN EVERY PAN !!!!       0511-1001-1705-4846_Old_Prospector_Panning_for_Gold_clipart_image

What is Black Sand?

From http://www.hookedongold.com/black_sand_what_is_it.htm

All throughout placer mining history, from the great Egyptians, to the Spanish in South America and the Forty Niners, gold prospectors have had a love hate relationship with black sand.  They look for it, and once they find it, do everything possible to remove it from the heavy metals they know are associated with it. Some black sands separate reasonably easily from the heavier metals, and some do not.

Anyone who has been a gold prospector or knows someone who is, also knows that black sand is the one thing placer prospectors are the most concerned with, other than heavy metals such as gold.

 

Placer mining depends on this relationship to separate lighter materials from heavier ones. Black sand is one of the materials that is heavier and in abundance, so a prospector for gold looks for the abundant black sand knowing that heavier metals will also run along with it in rivers and streams. 

 

Black sand has a specific gravity of from 5 to 11, or 5 to 11 times the weight of water, depending on what is in the black sand. Gold, on the other hand, has a specific gravity of around 19 and platinum around 21.  Specific gravity is the wet weight relationship of everything to water, with water being zero.

 

So we return to our original question, "Black Sand, What Is It?"   It contains many heavy materials including hematite, magnetite (which, by the way, can be magnetic, but gets its name from the area it was originally found in  called Magnesia, bordering the ancient district of Macedonia) iron, iron pyrite, and sheelite, to name the most common.

 

Finding black sand is usually essential in finding heavier minerals and gemstones when placer mining, which are not as readily seen as black sand.  So, the next time you see that line of black sand along the shore of a river, lake, stream or ocean, you have a better idea of what it is..... and also what might be found along with it. Then, maybe, you can spend time being frustrated, like the rest of us, with finding ways to separate black sand from the more valuable minerals and gemstones often associated with it.

 

 Officers – all officers were re-elected for 2014.

President – Michael Fait (mgfait@charter.net) 715-384-9265

Vice-President – Gary Morrison 715-316-2160

Secretary – Jeanne Morrison 715-316-2160

Newsletter Editor - Diane North (dbnorth@centurytel.net) 608-635-7031

Treasure – Gayle Fait (mgfait@charter.net) 715-384-9265

Outing Chairman – Richard Niemyjski (richnski@frontiernet.net) 608-637-3295

Claims Director – Richard Niemyjski (richnski@frontiernet.net) 608-637-3295

State Director – Mike Flint (mwink12@excite.com) 608-372-0694

Upcoming Events

Sept, 26 – 28, 2014 - Fall in Parrish (Dennis Laubenstein outing)

Oct 4th, 2014 - Wausau Prospector Meeting – Highway 29 & County Road X – 11:00 am

Oct 18, 2014 - Tomah Club Meeting at Town of LaGrange Town Hall – at 1:00 pm

Nov 15,2014 - Tomah Club Meeting at Town of LaGrange Town Hall – at 1:00 pm

Wisconsin Area Clubs

Greenbush Wisconsin GPAA Chapter – holds their meetings on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 3:00 pm in the Greenbush Town Hall, N644 Sugarbush Rd, Greenbush Wi. – Contact: Ron Smith 920-207-4092

Midstate Metal Detecting Club – meets every 3rd Wednesday at 7:00 pm at Shooters Bar and Restaurant at the intersection of Hwy 39 and 54, next to the Shell Station.  Contact: Steve Miller 715-572-1845

Wausau Prospectors – meets the 1st Saturday of the month at 11:00 am in the community room at Cedar Creek Mall next to I-39 just north of Gander Mountain.  Take I-39 exit 185.  Contact:  Kurt Bublitz 715-340-2831 or e-mail lizzy101@charter.net

Wisconsin Northwoods Adventures GPAA Chapter – holds their meetings on the 2nd Saturday of every month at 11:00 am, at Rice Lake Regional Airport located west of Cameron and west of hwy53 on 19th St., Rice Lake, Wi.  Contact: Mike Wiersma 715-833-7603