Stanton Arizona: December 2005 GPAA Outing

Stanton Arizona Lost Dutchman Mining Association Gold Prospectors Association of America group outing—a firsthand account of gold prospecting at the legendary Rich Hill.

The Journey

After 3 hours of creeping along in traffic and finally crossing the Hoover Dam, I was experiencing firsthand the power of the Las Vegas experience. The Christmas holiday crowd was flocking back to Phoenix, creating a huge traffic jam on the narrow two-lane highway. Just a quick 200 more miles on down to the LDMA claim in Stanton.

A Town with History

Located 4 miles east of the little town of Congress in the Bradshaw Mountains, at the base of "Rich Hill," Stanton is a resurrected ghost town. It was the home of Charlie Stanton, a notorious bad guy who pushed his luck too far one day.

Charlie was a strong-arm kind of thug who used intimidation and brutality to get his way. He had orchestrated payroll robberies on the Vulture Mine and stagecoaches, using the lawless enclave of Stanton as his getaway.

He set his sights on a pretty señorita in a nearby town and was immediately rebuffed. He kept up his badgering of the young lady and her family until they could take it no more. The young lady's brother was put into the position of having to defend his sister's honor, and so he shot ole' Charlie dead. He lit out for the Mexican border hoping not to be caught and hung, only to be intercepted by an Arizona Ranger who, much to his surprise, told him that he should come back because he was sure an appropriate reward could be put together!

The Outing

The turnout for the 2005 group outing was huge—I was #127 when I got there, and several rigs came in later that evening, as well as a few more the next morning. It said in the literature that I could check in as early as noon, and I didn't get there until about 4pm. By that time, it was off to the "overflow" camping. No electric or water, but they did have an outhouse for each of the overflow lots, and they were graded out nice and level.

The next morning promptly at 8am, we had a little "orientation" meeting covering all the basics of what our schedule of events was going to be and a little safety talk. Then the folks that had signed up for the morning shift on the common dig headed off to work. I took the opportunity to explore the sights of the city.

Facilities and Vendors

They have a nice bathroom and shower facility next door to the "Opera House" and just across the street from the office and dining hall. At the end of the main street, there were vendors set up with every kind of prospecting tool known to man! Well... almost. If it wasn't there, then it could be found at the "mini mall" around back of the office. More vendors with about anything you could think of.

The Common Dig

Finally, 12:30 rolled around and off to the common dig area down by the creek. Antelope Creek runs through the deeded 120-acre LDMA claim and had enough water flow to run the 3 highbankers. The rest of the paydirt material was worked with 3 drywashers.

The afternoon crew consisted of about 30 or so folks, many of which were out prospecting for the first time. The concentrates are gathered up from both shifts and panned out by the "expert staff."

Campground Camaraderie

After a long day shoveling and exploring around the desert, it was back to the camp for a much-needed cup of coffee and a sandwich. The camaraderie of the campground was a real treasure to behold. Folks getting along, making new friends, sharing tips, tricks, and wild miner stories. Lots of fun had by all watching the Arizona skies as the sun went down and the stars came out.

The Treasure Hunt

The next morning, the work schedule was divided up to 2 hours for each shift so we could all participate in the "treasure hunt." About everybody that had a metal detector headed out to find the treasure that had been hidden. There were 2 1940's vintage 50-cent pieces hidden in the desert, and about 50 or so folks looking for them.

One thing I know for sure is that lots of stuff got found. I think they call them "artifacts"... one man's trash is truly another man's treasure!

Potluck and Entertainment

Somehow the day slipped by and it was time for the potluck dinner to be followed by singing around the bonfire. They held the "blue ticket" drawing—when we checked in, we all got a blue ticket and a name badge with our number on it. The prizes were numerous and very cool; I got a new snuffer bottle, tweezers, and glass vial in a GPAA pouch.

Boo Coo played the mandolin and sang songs and teased folks in the crowd. Perry Massey was there along with lots of folks from the main office in California. It was nice to put a face with the names. Really friendly folks and helpful to a fault!

The Gold Split

The next morning saw a beautiful sunrise and the auction before the much-anticipated gold split. Several of the vendors and folks in the campground donated items to be auctioned off as a benefit to the Stanton Chapter of the LDMA for hosting the get-together. Everything from plastic gold pans and scoops to brand-new metal detectors, paintings and afghans, goodies galore. Very successful auction and really tons of fun!

Then the gold split—the line was long and the luck of the draw would determine the piece of gold you would get. Everyone got a nice bag of the black sand concentrate that seems to have quite a bit of gold dust in it. I drew lucky number 22 and imagine my surprise to find one of these wonderful nuggets!

Back homeward bound after a wonderful time, driving through the Joshua Tree State Forest and into the sunset.