The Delores claims listed in the GPAA manual I have tried 4 times now, and I am not getting even a flake, and I am not that new to prospecting, I have been prospecting for about 6 years now. But that being said I have seen two claims on the Delores that are constantly active and I have been told that is all BLM Claim and the people should not be there because the BLM is doing a Project there. But you can see people High Banking the River as well as some people up on the hillside working a dry washer, and I have seen as many as 10 cars there at a time.

That location is located just a few miles upstream (Which is South) of the Southern Delores Lowest Claim in the GPAA manual. If you cross over the Delores River on the East Side of the River you have gone too far. I need to get with the BLM and ask about that spot, because people in my Chapter have told me that spot is BLM land but currently off limits but every time I go down there that particular spot is active.

Now that being said let me explain the Delores River claims a little bit. The biggest problem you are going to have to deal with is the red clay, and it is literally 5ft deep, but there is an area on the Northern Claim where the BLM has carved out a culvert exposing a layer of rock beneath the clay which might be a very nice place to test some materials. There is also a layer in the hill side all around the area where millions of years ago rock, sand, and whatever else was washed together and formed a natural cement and then millions of years of rock formed on top of it. I think if anything is likely to have settled out this is probably the layer that is producing, it's just my opinion.

But you can also drive a few miles further South towards Uravan and find the giant hard rock Uranium Mining operations as well as several active mines where they are digging into the hillside. So the Geology changes on you from Hard granite as you are driving towards Gateway, then becomes red rock where the GPAA claims are, and then goes back to Hard Rock again further South.

I have heard a lot of people talk about the garnets they have found and I do have a couple the size of a BB, but I have yet to find any Gold on those claims. Once the ground gets a little bit dryer I am going to go down there one more time and test some materials from a cut and then from the cemented gravel layer. I also need to call the BLM and ask if that claim I see so many people working is open again.

Ben...if it is BLM land and it has not been officially designated as a special use or some other official designation, and there are no signs on the property to readily inform users of the land that there are special restrictions.....Why not use it until told otherwise? As that is the current MO of our top government in todays world. No one will likely arrest anyone without a warning first. No sense to stir a hornets nest. Just my thoughts.

After I left this post I went back out to my dried bag of Delores Concentrates and under the sun placed the black dirt and the fines on a black pan and took it out in the sun to see if I was missing anything and this picture is what I and my wife found while playing in the sun against a black drop, the garnets really reflected well. Even though small and mix colored, there were a lot of small ones that will be very pretty in a glass pendant. I also did find one fine splinter of gold so I can officially say I have seen gold in the Delores. One thing I have noticed about Colorado Gold is the red color from copper and the really fine stuff looks like a small splinter that got stuck in your finger.

I can't stand our current Government, but I do believe in asking ahead of time before starting any project. You would not believe the amount of garbage we have cleaned up on just the Delores claims listed in the book. Mostly they are probably not prospectors, but I want to keep using the land and preserving it and not have it restricted from our use, therefore I always call the BLM ahead of time and tell them my plans, it's just the way to avoid trouble. Even when I lived in Utah we would go out spotlighting for Coyotes and Jack Rabbits and always call the local Sherriff to alert them of our activities before hand.

On the Northern Claim in the Lower Delores section you will see Parks and Wildlife surveying Falcons, because they nest on the top there, but just down below you will find garbage out the wazoo from idiots pulling up into the big rocks and throwing a party all night.

If you have never been to the Delores come check it out, it is unique.

Yes that sounds like a really nice place. Too bad these losers got to go out there and enjoy the place and not clean up after themselves, that could also reflect poorly on the guys already there working the land. I think it is necessary to contact whoever as the need may occur. I know all too well how the gov. works and the less information they have the better. As long as you or me or whoever has a legal right to be wherever on BLM or Nat Forest land and not breaking a law...I would never tell them what I am doing, as they like to use it against you. Granted not all are like that, but if you happen to have to deal with an overzealous gov employee who dislikes miners or prospectors, then he can purposely make a person's day miserable. Since they deal pretty much in a black and white manner, when push comes shove, they will go by the rules in a way that will benefit them. And I expect them to do likewise and post that information so people in the vicinity are aware.

i actually went there yesterday. i am new to prospecting but not that new. alway learning. i sampled in the creek next to the road and up on the hill. no luck. i think that place would be with a metal detector. found a lot of quartz ore with rusting on them. so maybe there is quartz vein or veins way up the hill. there is alot of rusting stains all over the hillside. very hard to dig in because of the hard rock.

Any time someone goes into this type of situation take pictures and take them to the USF office and see that the BLM get the same pictures .Until we start defending ourself we will get the blame .And do see to it that the Sheiffs deparntment get the same pictures.