I have great memories of this area! I got my first 2 nuggets metal detecting (with my GP3000 I bought off of Chris Gholson’s dad) around the Stanton area (at that time the area belonged to Ellie’s claims - the 24k Gold Prospecting Club. Since then she’s sold the claims) I got some nice pickers and gold from the creek as well! There’ s something I love about this area! It’s beautiful and the LDMA has it’s club here and its sister club, the GPAA has claims here also (You have to join a club to prospect this area as it’s all claimed up). Also, you can dry wash, metal detect, sluice, re-circulate, etc here! Below you’ll see the photos of my trips to this area! It took me about a year before I found my first two nuggets! This is not uncommon - even well known nugget shooters took some time before they found their first nugs! Chris Gholson said that it took him about a year before he found his first nugget - persistence is the key - you can’t be lazy!

For a short period I joined a club that owned some claims in the Middle Camp area, I only went one time and I didn’t find anything, but I have plans on going back after renewing my club membership (it’s only $20 bucks) A lot of gold was found here and I want to see if I can find some next time. I also want to go to the famous; Lynx Creek, San Domingo Wash, Lake Havasu area, The Bradshaw Mountain area, some of the AZ GPAA Claims and other areas in the future - I can hardly wait, just not enough time man!!!

WEAVER (RICH HILL) DISTRICT

Yavapai County, Arizona

In 1863, a gold prospecting party led by mountain man Pauline Weaver pushed deep into Arizona Territory. Trackers from the party were trailing a runaway burro when, on a dry hill top (now known as Rich Hill), some “spud-sized” objects in the dirt attracted their attention by reflecting sunlight. A closer look revealed that the flashy objects were exactly what they had set out to find- huge nuggets of gold! (They call this area on the top of the hill, the ‘potato patch’ because of the potato sized nuggets found here! Once word got out, the stampede started! Stanton, just north of Wickenburg (and at the base of Rich Hill), was rescued from obscurity in 1978 when LDMA purchased 65 acres of deeded, patented land for recreational use. Over the years, several historic buildings, including the Stanton Hotel, have been restored. Recently an additional 60 acres were purchased which includes the rest of the historic ghost town and a major portion of the main wash that drains the famous Rich Hill! Members now enjoy camping and prospecting, telephone, showers, water and electrical hook-ups, along with 70 new full hook-ups. There is a full time care taker on the premises.

As stated above, the Rich Hill placers were discovered by a party of prospectors led by Captain Pauline Weaver in 1863 or 1864 (one account reports 1862 as the year of discovery) about the same time as the discovery of the Lynx Creek placers. According to many reports, a Mexican in the party found loose gold on the top of Rich Hill while looking £or a stray animal. Immense excitement and intense mining activity followed the discovery. Within 3 months, 108,000 dollars in gold ranging in size from a pinhead to large nuggets worth hundreds of dollars was recovered, and within 5 years, $500,000 in placer gold was recovered. By 1883, about 1 million dollars in placer gold was recovered.

The placers have been worked extensively since the discovery, but because of the nature of the gravels, few large-scale operations have been attempted. Most of the mining has been done by drywashers, pans, rockers, and sluices, although some miners used power shovels and dry-separation plants.