Todd Pickens Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 I got to go out and do some exploring today and this is what I found. Looks like someone was here before me. The sad part is that I cant detect around it. Still it was an awsome find. The location is Llano County Texas. Looks like a contact zone on a fault. Lots of quartz stringers running everywhere with a blueish,grey marble on top of the hill. I dont know what the pictagraphs garding the mine mean, but I aint going in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vini Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 LOL HEH HEH AH GO IN Naw I wouldn't either maybe its not a mine might just be a hole in the wall with treasure hiden guess we'll never know ? any indications it was mined? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Pickens Posted November 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 Hey Vini,There are several little mines in the area and an old spanish smelter. I did go in about 6 ft. just to see what I could see. It turned to the right and opened up a good bit. There is a vain of quarts on the left side of the opening and another on the cealing. There is no sign of tailing piles because it is right on the edge of a small river. I have panned gold out of the river just a little down stream from the mine. I probably would have gone in just a little farther if it wasnt so close to rattler denning season. I hope to get permission to go back and take some samples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 That sounds like a good trip Todd.... Thats some good o`l history there...good post man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridge Runner Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 Hi Todd I had lots of spanish markings books but I've turn this house upside down and I can't find them.If and when I do I'll get them to you.The arrow pointing up is pointing in the direction of treasure are the way to it.Look along the ridge line and look for rocks that have been stack and lean one way like a pointer.Lots of times these were trail markers for them to find their way back home.You have to remember they didn't have GPS and taking a trip you had to have a way to come back and the spanish had people to mark the trail and that was their main job.Take Care!Chuck Anders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Pickens Posted November 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 Greetings Chuck,I have been to 4 spanish diggings all within about a mile of this one. The spanish smelter is about 2 miles away on top of the highest hill in the area. There are also about 9 mines on that hill. Its all private property, no chance of getting back up there to check them out. In 1999 the Texas geological society mapped one of the mines and founds some artifacts. Some of these mines are just little tunnels like this one and some have extensive diggings going straight down 100 ft with several drifts. They had to have been finding something to be doing all this digging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridge Runner Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 Todd I think the spanish were more after silver than gold but I'm sure they take anything they could get their hands on.In the history book that was written on LLano you can find a picture of Heath's gold mine.The pictures shows two guys working with two horses using a scraper in like strip mining.I've never been to it but talk to the guy that the land belong to. I could never find out what gold they did find.If you go north of town pass the air strip and turn off to the left the first part is paved but after that it's dirt road and you can see the ribbins of quartz that run across the road and all over the fields on both sides. Do you have the book that shows the mineral belt above LLano that goes from Baby Head over to the west?I know the Little LLano river and I think it's Walnut creek but not sure without looking at the map both come from the mineral belt and run into the LLano river.If you don't have the book email me and I'll get it to you.The black sand is so much it's hard to run a dredge in it. Chuck AndersPS It's not walnut creek but it's pecan creek.I knew it was one of the nut family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd Pickens Posted November 8, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2008 Chuck,I dont have the book you mentioned, but I would like to see it. I have dredged most of the creeks in the area, and I have property on the Llano River.Most of what we find is flower gold 50 to 100 mesh, but occasionally you will find some bigger flakes and some small nuggets. One of the spanish mine that I went to was on a dome of quarts that covered about 40 acres. The spanish had cut trenches 30 ft deep and 200 ft long through the mountain. There were bolders of white quarts as big as a truck. You can see that mine from google earth it is exactly 9 mile SE of Llano in an old comunity called Gainsville. Your right about the black sand we got so much we bag it up and ship it to Nome Alaska for them to put out on the beaches I have been to about 20 Spanish mines in the area, and I used to have good videos and pics of them, but they all burned up with my house in 06. Here lately I have been trying to get back to some of those mines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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