Arizona Gold Placers and Placering by Eldred D. Wilson

Published by the Arizona Bureau of Mines in 1933, Bulletin 135 Arizona Gold Placers and Placering by Eldred D. Wilson remains a valuable and classic source of information for the modern day placer miner. It also provides the reader a peek into Arizona history and the placer mining boom of the 1930's. Geared toward the prospective placer miner of this time period it provides all the relevant information to the robust men of that time who might embark upon such an adventure as well as pointed warnings about the financial risks involved.

G.M. Butler mentions in his preface that experienced placer miners are making less than $1 a day while inexperienced persons are averaging less than .25 cents a day. He warns "...Of course these statements mean that a few are doing fairly well, a larger number are earning expenses, and the majority are not recovering enough gold to buy food. Rumors that good wages can be made in this way, therefore, should be heavily discounted. A person not in robust health or one who has not sufficient funds to finance his entire trip runs a splendid chance of starving to death if he tackles placer mining in Arizona." As always, history repeats itself as evidenced by the numerous inquiries on todays internet gold forums by greehorns from back east who want to live the dream and make a living gold mining. It was as tough back then as it is today, even with modern roads, modern equipment and modern research methods. Still, the book provides a good beginning for the hopeful hobby prospector and stands as a good overview of the major placer districts of the state and serves as a primer to basic placer mining methods that are still in use today.

Sectioned into seven parts, Part I, gives a detailed look at several of the major placer districts spread about the state.

Arranged by county, Wilson provides extensive information on the following areas: Gila City or Dome placers; Laguna placers; Muggins placers; Castle Dome placers; Kofa or S.H. Placers; Tank Mountains placers; Trigo placers; La Paz placers; La Cholla placers; Oro fino placers; Middle Camp placers; Plomosa placers; Harquahala placers; Lynx Creek Placers; Weaver and Rich Hill placers; Copper Basin placers; Big Bug placers; Hassayampa placers; Minnehaha placers; Groom Creek placers; Placerita placers; Model placers; Black Canyon placers; Granite Creek placers; Eureka placers; Humbug placers; Greaterville placers; Quijotoa placers; Las Guijas or Arivaca placers; Old Baldy placers; Papago or Aguaijito placers; Baboquivari placers; Armargosa placers; Alder Canyon placers; Vulture placers; San Domingo placers; Dos Cabezas placers; Teviston placers; Huachuca placers; Gleeson placers; Bisbee Gold Gulch placers; Pearce placers; Clifton-Morenci placers; Canada del Oro or Old Hat placers; Oro Blanco placers; Patagonia or Mowry placers; Harshaw placers; Tyndall placers; Nogales placers; Palmetto placers; Dripping Spring placers; Barbarossa placers; Globe-Miami placers; Gila River placers; Gold Basin placers; King Tut placers; Chemehuevis placers; Lewis Placers; Silver Creek placers; Colorado River placers and a section on Coconino, Apache and Navajo counties.

For many of the placers, Wilson details the history and production, geology, recent operations and sometimes the character of the gold, all derived from his extensive field work and reports of individuals met in the field. Tidbits of information from these men can even be useful today. For example, in his synopsis of the Gleeson placers an oral communication with a Mr. G. C. Bond produced the following quote: "...some of the gold occurs erratically distributed through the soil and gravel, but most of it is at the base of the soil. The gold occurs as particles which range in size from small specks up to nuggets worth $7.00 each." Considering that the valuation of gold in the book is at $20 per ounce, there you have it. 1/2 ounce nuggets in the Gleeson placers. At least at one time. Of course with any book of this sort, further research is necessary as property and land status is bound to have changed. If anything, it provides a historical look into the placer districts of Arizona in a very personal way.

In Part II, mining engineer George R. Fansett details the methods of small scale gold placering. Begining with the identification of placer gold and physical properties of gold he takes the reader through amalgamation and various methods of recovery and separation. Panning, rocking, Sluicing, winnowing, dry panning and dry washing are covered. An appendix to this section details selling gold and includes tables and conversion data.

Part III by mining engineer, Charles H. Johnson of the U. S. Bureau of Mines is a check list of equipment for the placer miner covering prospecting tools, camping equipment, Cooking equipment and first aid supplies.

In Part IV, Professor of Nutrition Margaret Cammack Smith asks "Do you know that how you feel depends largely upon what you eat everyday?" and reminds us that "...a diet of beans and bacon, soda biscuits and such foods does not make continued good health possible." She goes on to explain in a detailed and campy way what diet will lend itself to the good heath and fitness of the 1930's placer miner. It's fun to imagine yourself as an out of work Kentuckian trying to decide how to carry all the foods she suggests for your placer mining expedition. Fun reading!

Part V talks about the field treatment of sunstroke and heat prostration

Part VI details the various poisonous creatures that the miner might encounter in the desert. Entomologist C. T. Vorhies more or less debunks our fears for most of these denziens, assuring us that "...The claws of the remaining legs (of the centipede) are not poisonous and are not capable of leaving a fiery trail, notwithstanding the many stories to that effect." He does however provide useful details to the unfortunates who will be victimized by rattlesnake bite.

Part VII is a basic primer regarding the laws and regulations relating to the location, filing and retention of gold placer claims in Arizona by G. M. Butler, Director of the Arizona Bureau of Mines. It's an interesting and useful read although totally dated in regards to filing claims on Indian reservations, State land and Patenting.

All in all, Arizona Gold Placers and Placering is an excellent book which should be on the shelves of all Arizona Placer miners both as a quick reference to the placer areas in the state as well as an enjoyable trip into the 1930's gold boom of Arizona. Enjoy!