The News: The Great Diamond Rush

Rocky Mountain Prospectors &
Treasure Hunters Newsletter
The News
v. 19, n. 11 November 2015
Going for the Gold
Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com
Contents
1
2
4
6
8
9
10
11
12
14
15
16
18
19
The Great Diamond Rush

About The News
Find Of The Month
Winterizing You Equipment
Gilpin County, Colorado
Prospector/Detectorist of the
Year
Calendar of Events
Calendars
The Mystery Of The San Pedro
Mountains Mummy
Annual Show & Tell
Annual Silent Auction
Trading Post
2015 Schedule of Events
Contact List
"Banking establishments are more dangerous

than standing armies."
- Thomas Jefferson
The Great Diamond

Rush
From The Fortunes of Africa: A 5000-Year History
of Wealth, Greed, and Endeavor by
Martin Meredith.
n 1871 a small, fifty-eight square mile stretch of Griqualand, Africa, was the most valuable pieces of real
estate in the world.
"As diamond fever spread throughout southern Africa

and beyond, the rush to the diamond fields of Griqualand turned into a frantic escapade that one Cape
Town newspaper likened to 'a dangerous madness'. In
their thousands, shopkeepers, tradesmen, clerks and
farmers set out in ox-wagons and mule carts, heading for
the desolate patch
of sun-baked
scrubland in Griqualand where
diamonds had
been discovered,
excited by the
prospect of sudden riches; some
travelled on foot,
walking from as
far away as Cape
Town, a journey of
600 miles across
the great thirst land of the Karoo. They were joined by a
horde of foreign adventurers: seasoned diggers from the
Australian goldfields; forty-niners from California; Cockney traders from the backstreets of London; Irish dissidents; German speculators; army officers on furlough;
ships deserters; rogue lawyers and quack doctors. ... "In
the early days, diggers using picks and shovels were able
to scrape up diamonds lying close to the surface. Some
made fortunes in a matter of days. Below an upper layer
(Continued on page 3)
About The News

he News is the official newsletter of the Rocky
Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters
Club (RMPTH): our mailing address is 278
Sierra Vista Drive, Fort Collins, CO. 80524.
Opinions expressed in The News are those of the

authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the
club or its members. Publication of information in
The News constitutes no guarantee of accuracy. Use
of any information found in this publication is at the
sole risk of the user. Neither RMPTH, nor its coordinators, nor The News, nor its editors or contributors
assume any liability for damages resulting from use
of information in this publication.
Submissions
Articles, letters and short items of interest on prospecting, detecting and treasure hunting topics are
welcome and encouraged. All items submitted for
publication are subject to editing. Submittals for publication may be made in writing or, preferably, in ASCII text format on IBM-compatible disk. If you have
questions about a submission, please contact the editor for information.
Advertising
Classified advertising for topic related items is free
for non-business ads. See the Trading Post section
for donation pricing of camera-ready display ads. Donations for ad makeup from sketches, etc., are available on request.
About RMPTH
RMPTH is an independent nonprofit hobbyist social
club, open to anyone interested in prospecting, detecting or treasure hunting. Its purpose is to provide an
educational and social forum of mutual benefit for
members. RMPTH holds a monthly meeting and conducts various field outings, as well as offers special
presentations and seminars. Active participants have
voting privileges. The monthly newsletter, The News,
is readily available on the Internet. Annual dues are
$25 payable in June. Applicants joining in any month
other than June pay partial dues of $2 per month for
months remaining prior to following June plus $1.
Copyright
Unless otherwise noted, other nonprofit groups
may reprint or quote from any articles appearing in
The News without prior permission, provided that
proper author and publication credits are given and
that a copy of the publication in which the article appears is sent at no cost to RMPTH at the above mailing address. Clubs wishing to exchange newsletters
with RMPTH are invited to send a copy of their newsletter together with an exchange request.
CLUB MEMBERS TAKE NOTE

Club Hats, Shirts, Jackets, & Patches are again available.
Ask for info at the club meetings to purchase your club items!
We will be running a 50/50 Drawing at each club meeting. At the end of each
meeting Tom will split the pot 50/50 and a lucky member will go home with more
money than they came with.!
The remaining 50% goes to the club treasury.
Page 2
The News, November 2015
(Continued from page 1)
of limestone, they found 'yellow ground' -- a yellowish,

decomposed breccia which proved to contain diamond
deposits even richer than those close to the surface. Beneath the yellow ground they came across 'blue ground' - a hard, compact
blue-colored
ground that at
first was believed
to contain no diamonds. To many
diggers it seemed
that 'the party was
over'. But then
they discovered
that that blue
ground was not
rock hard but friable, decomposing
rapidly once exposed to weather.
Moreover, it contained an even
higher density of
diamonds than
yellow ground.
"Within weeks, the
main mine sites
were transformed
into a sprawling mass of tents, wagons, mud heaps and
mining debris. The air was thick with fine dust stirred
up by the constant digging, sifting and sorting of dirt that
went on from morning until night. New arrivals were immediately struck by the stench and squalor of the settlements. The approach roads were lined with the carcasses of exhausted pack animals left to rot where they
had fallen. Open trenches served as public latrines, sited
at random amid the haphazard jumble of diggers' tents.
Flies swarmed everywhere. An acute shortage of water
meant that most diggers were rarely able to wash; the
nearest river for bathing was twenty miles away. In summer, the grey, cindery plains of Griqualand were like an
oven; in winter, the nights were bitterly cold. When the
rains came, 'camp 'camp fever' -- mainly dysentery -took hold, striking down diggers by the score. "Working
conditions were hazardous. At Colesberg Kopje, the diamond pipe on the De Beers' farm that later became
known as the 'Big Hole' of Kimberley, thousands of white
diggers and their black laborers were crammed into a
labyrinth of pits, endlessly filling buckets and sacks with
broken ground and hauling them up and down ladders
or on pulleys to the surface. The roadways above were
permanently choked with carts and mules taking 'stuff'
to sieves and sorting tables on the edge of the mine.
Every day, some tumbled down into the pits below. The
hazards became increasingly severe as the pits reached
eighty feet or more below ground-level without support:
roadways linking the pits to the "Moreover, for most diggers the rewards were meager. Some scraped away with
picks and shovels for weeks on end finding nothing of

value. Hundreds of claims were abandoned every month
when diggers ran out of money to pay the required license fee.
Just as every day
brought wagonloads of new
arrivals brimming
with hope and expectation, so in the
other direction
destitute men in
ragged clothes
trudged dejectedly
away from 'the
Fields', unable to
afford the fare
back to their
homes. Everything
depended on luck.
"Nevertheless, the
output of diamonds continued
to soar. By the end
of 1871, a small
stretch of Griqualand, covering
in all no more than
fifty-eight square miles of scrubland, had become one of
the most valuable pieces of real estate in the world. It
was also the place that marked the beginning of an industrial revolution in Africa.
Thanks to Delanceyplace.com
Page 3
Find of the Month

Winners
October, 2015
Most Valuable Coin:

Mike Noll - 1914-D Buffalo
Nickel
Oldest Coin:
Tom Warne - 1891 Indianhead
Cent
Largest Raw Gold: No Entry
Most Raw Gold: No Entry
Best Bottle:
Paul Mayhak - Antique Round
Bottom Bottle
Best Jewelry:
Ray Hettinger Antique Pendant
Most Unique Find (Excavated):
Tom Warne Sailor & Anchor
on Silver
Most Unique Find (NonExcavated):
Barb Schuldt Calf Nose Ring
Rock, Gem, Mineral & Fossil:
Anne Nichols - Tiger Eye
Gold Glossary
Highbanker - A highbanker is a sluice box with mobility.
Instead of being put right in the creek like a sluice, the
highbanker uses a water pump to transport the water into
higher and sometimes richer placer reserves. In addition
to the ability to go just about anywhere, the highbanker
also is able to run more material in less time than the
TREASURE HUNTERS
CODE OF ETHICS
I WILL respect private property and do no treasure

hunting without the owner's permission.
I WILL fill all excavations.
I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural
resources, wildlife, and private property.
I WILL use thoughtfulness, consideration, and courtesy
at all times.
I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only.
I WILL leave gates as found.
I WILL remove and properly dispose of any trash that I
find.
I WILL NOT litter.
I WILL NOT destroy property, buildings, or what is left
of ghost towns and deserted structures.
I WILL NOT tamper with signs, structural facilities, or
equipment.
Page 4
The Latest Darwin

Awards Are Out
he annual honor is given to the persons who did

the gene pool the biggest service by killing themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way. Last
year's winner was the fellow who was killed by a Coke machine which toppled over on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out. Read on...And remember that
each and every one of these is TRUE.
And the nominees were:
Mineral Specimen Identification

As part of their community outreach, Metropolitan State
College of Denver, Dep. of Earth & Atmospheric
Science, Professional Services Division offers FREE
MINERAL SPECIMEN IDENTIFICATION. Participants
will aid in the education of future Geoscientists!
Details and specimen submittal forms with instructions
can be downloaded
from:
SPECIAL OFFER FREE MINERAL SPECIMEN
http://college.earthscienceeducation.net/MINPET/
MINID.pdf
Semifinalist #1
A young Canadian man, searching for a way of getting
drunk cheaply, because he had no money with which to
buy alcohol, mixed gasoline with milk. Not surprisingly,
this concoction made him ill, and he vomited into the fireplace in his house. The resulting explosion and fire
burned his house down, killing both him and his sister.
Semifinalist #2
Three Brazilian men were flying in a light aircraft at low
altitude when another plane approached. It a appears that
they decided to moon the occupants of the other plane, but
lost control of their own aircraft and crashed They were
all found dead in the wreckage with their pants around
their ankles.
Semifinalist #3
A 22-year-old Reston , VA , man was found dead after he
tried to use octopus straps to bungee jump off a 70-foot
railroad trestle. Fairfax County police said Eric Barcia, a
fast food worker, taped a bunch of these straps together,
wrapped an end around one foot, anchored the other end
to the trestle at Lake Accotink Park , jumped and hit the
pavement. Warren Carmichael, a police spokesman, said
investigators think Barcia was alone because his car was
found nearby. 'The length of the cord that he had assembled was greater than the distance between the trestle and
the ground,' Carmichael said. Police say the apparent
cause of death was 'Major trauma.'
Refreshment Volunteers
NovemberGeorge & Peggy Stumpf
Property Wanted
For Detector Hunt
RMPTH is looking for private property on which to hold
an organized club detector hunt. Obviously, it would be
most ideal if this property is known to have seen some
past historical activity. If you have such property or
know of someone who does, please contact Rick
Mattingly to plan a club field outing event.
Page 5
Winterizing Your
Equipment
inter will soon be upon us, and its time to prepare your equipment for the winter ahead, look
for damaged parts, and think about modifica-
tions.
GOLD PANS - Wash them off, do not leave them to sit all
winter caked with dirt. The dirt will pull moisture from
the pan overtime causing the pan to become hard, brittle, and eventfully crack. Next summer, when you get out
your gold pan, take a piece of 60 grit sand paper, and
sand the bottom of the pan in a circular motion. The
fresh scratches will grab the flour gold.
SLUICE BOXES - This applies to the sluice box that you
throw down in the river, and sluice boxes that are on
high-bankers, and dredges.
Open it up, check all the riffles for damage, and repair
as needed.
If you have the standard blue ribbed carpet, usually covered with expanded metal, carefully take out the carpet.
it should be dry by now, hold it over a wheel barrow box,
or plastic, and beat the hell out of it. You wouldn't believe all the fine facial powder gold that will come out.
The gripping power of the water previously held it in
place. Now that it is dry the gold will come out with no
need to burn the carpet.
Now is also a good time to think about replacing it with
miners moss, 3M Nomad carpeting. The miners moss
will capture the finest gold and it washes out every time
with incredible ease. It holds more material than the
standard ribbed carpet and you will not need the expanded metal anymore. Miners Moss cost about twenty
bucks for a piece to fit a large sluice box. It is worth the
money the first time you use it.
The winter is a good time to look your equipment over
and decide what modifications to make on your dredge
or high-banker. As you have figured out by now, when
you buy one of these pieces of equipment, they are ready
to run, but they are the bare minimum. So you need to
modify, or improve them. You have been using it all
summer, you know what is wrong, or what could be improved. So pull out your machine, set it up and look.
Bring your pen and paper.
HIGH BANKERS - What about that grizzly that has every
other wire wielded, sometimes not at all. on the bottom
edge. I recommend welding them all. It keeps the bigger
rocks from clogging up the sluice and it rarely jams up
the grizzly. Look and write down all the things you need
to do to it to make it work better.
Page 6
Check your hoses. Intake on the pump - is it dry rotting,

is it cracking? Pressure hose, the blue lay-flat hose,
wears out fast. If it needs replacing, replace it with gray
lay-flat. It's a few cents more, but you get two, three, four
times the life. Did you have enough lay-flat hose? 200 to
300 feet is a good length to have. Cut into 50 foot
lengths. Anything over 50' is too hard to roll and manage. Do you still have the old lug-n-pin type connectors?
You might want to think about cam-lock, quick release
connectors. They can knock a half hour off your setup
and take-down times.
You should have quite a list now. This will make a good
winter project and when spring comes you will be ready
to roar!
DREDGES - Check those hoses as above. If your suction
hose has a crack in it, it will be breaking through soon.
Duck tape will make for a quick repair, but replacement
time is here. 15' is a good length. Do you have a swivel
nozzle? Do you have a crevice suction tip? How about a
quick release on the power jet, or on the pressure hose.
What about replacing all those cheap screw driver hose
clamps with real hose clamps that take a wrench to
tighten down. Wield a tee handle on the hose clamp for
the dredge box/power jet connection. Eagle Hardware
has lots of parts and pieces and small 1/2" boat plug
works great in the pontoons to help drain them. So
there's a few ideas, you should come up with more.
THE ENGINE - The most important thing to winterize!
This is what its all about. Without that engine, your
through. I have seen people come out and go home because of an engine that they did not maintain properly.
Some of you are not so mechanically inclined. If this is
the case, take your engine to Golden Small Engine 25th
& Kipling, 237-5680 and have them winterize it for you.
The good prospector will let his engine run out of gas the
last time he goes out and leave it that way. Now the gas
tank, hoses, and carburetor are all clear. If you didn't do
that, you can pull the hose from the gas tank and drain
the gas. Reattach the hose. Take your garden hose and
run water through the pump. Start the engine. It will run
only a short time, and the garden hose will cool the seals
in the pump. Gas will start to break down after 3
months of above-ground storage, so do not leave gas in
your engine over the winter! Drain the pump of water.
Drain the oil and fill it with a straight 30 weight good
grade oil. Pull your spark plug and replace it with a new
one. Be sure to gap the new plug. Pour 1/2 ounce oil for
a 3.5 hp, 3/4 ounce oil for a 5 hp, and 1 ounce for a 8 hp
engine through the spark plug hole. Wait a minute, then
pull the cord two times. That will coat the piston head
and cylinder with oil. Put in the new plug. Take off the
air cleaner. If it is a paper cartridge, replace it. If it is the
oiled foam type, take it to the sink, and wash it by hand
with a good liquid soap in warm water. Ring it out and
let thoroughly dry overnight. You can pour the same oil
Even duct
tape can't fix
stupid .........
but it can
muffle the
sound!
through the foam filter that you put in the engine. Wrap
the foam with paper towel and squeeze out the excess
oil. Then put it back on your engine. You've just done a
major tune up on your engine, and you've winterized it
too. Store it in a dry place. Next year, fill it up with a
good, mid-grade gas, 87 octane. Change that oil every 25
hours and you'll have a good running engine all summer
long!
METAL DETECTORS - Many coin detectorist can go
out all winter long because the snow comes and melts.
The gold detectorist usually has to go to the high country and that is snowed in. So pull those batteries out of
your detector. Even ni-cads leak. Take out those batteries and put new ones in next year. Hows your coil
cover? If its ready to wear through, replace it. Only this
time, put some silicone on the top crack. This will keep
dirt and black-sands from working in between the coil
and the coil cover.
I hope this helps, please take care of your equipment,
and yourself. Steve and Diana Cychosz.
Gold Prospectors of the Rockies
The Gold Nugget newsletter
Volume 2 Number 11 November/December 1997
Door Prize Donors For

October
Search High and Low

By Pat Hughes
Cigar Box - Rick Mattingly

Front Range Maps - Ed & Mia Ed
wards
Buffalo Nickel - Mike Noll
Whites DFX Bag - Tom Warne
Whites DFX Coil Cover - Tom
Warne
Devils Tower Medallion - Tom
Warne
14 Gold Pan - RMPTH Stores
Gold Snifter Bottle - RMPTH
Stores
Hand Warmer - RMPTH Stores
Mercury Dime - RMPTH Stores
When looking for a treasure that may have

been hidden or lost long ago, remember
that the Earth is constantly in flux geologically.
All rivers and lakes will become fields and
all grassy areas will become water. It is
why one can find sea fossils on the highest
mountains and why a chest that was buried in the ground may be underwater today. Even though the location in all the
documentation of a treasure may state it is
hidden in the ground, it may be worthwhile to search under that lake.
www.LostTreasure.com Newsletter
10-20-2015
Page 7
Gilpin County, Colorado

Central City District
entral City was the site of the first lode gold

discovery in Colorado, made by John H. Gregory in May of 1859. The town was named for
its central location among the early mining camps,
including Black Hawk, Mountain City and Nevadaville.
In 1860, a stamp mill that had the name "Black
Hawk" prominently painted on it was hauled into the
Gregory diggings to process ore being mined there.
The mill was made by the Black Hawk Co. in Illinois
who had taken the name from
the famous Sauk war chief. The
name was soon applied to the
new camp. Nevadaville was first
named Nevada the a post office
was established there in 1861.
In 1869, the government
changed the name to Bald Mountain, but local residents continued to use the old name Nevada,
and commonly the two names
would be combined -Nevada
Bald Mountain - when referring
to this area of the district.
self. He was impressed and exclaimed he would

spread the news around the world in his newspaper.
Among the famous people to visit Central City was
Ulysses S. Grant, who visited twice. His first trip,
when a general, was on a stage driven by "hot-rod"
Billy Opdyke who knew the road like the back of his
hand and drove it at breakneck speed; pushing, not
only the physical limits of the stage coach and his
team, but the fortitude of his passengers as well. He
had already scared the wits out of the likes of Horace
Greeley and Mark Twain, and Grant was no exception. He told Senator Teller he had better build a railroad into Central City to save wear and tear on the
visitors. The railroad was finished when Grant made his
next visit as President. For this
momentous visit, the city fathers sent to Caribou for some
silver bricks to line the entrance of the Teller House so
Grant could walk on pure silver
after alighting from the train.
Henry Teller and Jerome Chaffee were two of Colorado's first
senators. Both made their
wealth in Central City and both
had counties named for them.
Central City was primarily a

Rollinsville was named after
gold district. Total gold producJohn Quincy Adams Rollins who
tion was about 4.5 million
Central City 1860
arrived in the gold fields in 1860
ounces, which amounted to
from New Hampshire. He was a
about 85% of the $100 million
bold, pushy, organizing and civilizing frontiersman
total in metal values taken from the district through
who soon amassed an empire of mining and farming
1990. About 10% of the wealth produced was in silver
property which became the nucleus of the town bearand the remaining 5% comprised copper, lead, zinc
ing his name.
and uranium.
The town of Russell and Russell Gulch were named
for Georgia prospector William Green Russell who,
Gold was produced from a number of sources, inwith brothers J. Oliver and Levi, found gold on the
cluding pyritic gold veins and breccia pipes, polymetSouth Platte River in 1858 and later that summer
allic veins, gold-silver telluride veins and from placer
panned very small amounts of gold from Clear Creek
deposits.
and at Russell Gulch, on which Central City is now
located. His discovery, although barely even modest,
In the early days, rich surface diggings exploited oxiprobably influenced Gregory's interest in the area. In
dized, pyritic gold veins (gossons) outcropping in
1863, Russell left Colorado in the fight for the ConfedGregory Gulch. Panning or sluicing surface gosson
eracy.
produced remarkable yields in the pioneering days of
the district. (Benson; Eberhart; Davis & Streufert,
After Gregory's discovery, the ensuing rush attracted
others).
many notables to the district, including Horace
Greeley, who came west to see many of the new mining districts for himself. Local miners salted a worthFred Holabird
less claim with gold dust and had Greeley pan it him-
Before You Buy That Metal Detector Handbook Check:

http://www.mdhtalk.org/articles/before-you-buy-hb/before-you-buy-handbook.pdf
Page 8
I already
want a nap
tomorrow!
PROSPECTOR/
DETECTORIST OF THE
YEAR
We will be voting for the Prospector of
the Year and the Detectorist of the Year
for 2015 at the November Club Meeting. Please give some thought to your
selection and be prepared to honor
your choice of worthy members to add
to the plaque.
Page 9
Calendar of Events
November Meeting
Wednesday, November 5. We will meet at the Pulliam
Building in downtown Loveland at 6:00PM. Refer to
the adjoining map for directions.
Meeting Agenda
6:00 - 7:00 Social Hour & Finds Program
7:00 - 7:30 Business, Announcements & Find of
the Month Program
7:30 - 7:45 Break
7:45 - 9:00 "Annual Show & Tell By RMPTH
members. Also, Annual Silent Auction. Bring your
club-related display items for Show & Tell and bring
your sale items for the Silent Auction.
Visit RMPTH On The Internet At

http://rmpth.com
RMPTH DUES
RMPTH is an unincorporated Social Club with
no income generated. All
expenses are covered by
$25 annual dues. Members are requested to
consider minor donations
at each monthly meeting
to cover refreshments.
MAP TO THE MEETING PLACE

Pulliam Community Building
545 Cleveland Avenue, Loveland, Colorado
Directions:
The Pulliam Community Building is situated on the west side of Cleveland Avenue in Loveland,
Colorado. Park at the rear of the building (west side). Entry to the meeting room is from
the doorway on the south side of the building (not the main entrance on Cleveland Avenue!).
Page 10
November 2014
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
13
14
15
21
22
28
29
RMPTH Finds Program

& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P
Daylight Savings
10
11
12
RMPTH Board Meeting

6:00P
Veterans Day
16
17
18
19
23
24
25
26
20
27
Thanksgiving
30
December 2014
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
11
12
13
18
19
20
25
26
27
RMPTH Finds Program

& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P
10
RMPTH Board Meeting

6:00P
14
15
16
21
22
23
Winter Begins
28
17
24
Christmas Eve
29
30
Christmas Day
31
New Years Eve
Page 11
The Mystery Of The San

Pedro Mountains
Mummy
n June 1934, two gold prospectors, who had been

digging and blasting for gold within the San Pedro
Mountains in Wyoming, came across a small cavern buried deep
within the thick rock.
When the dust began
to settle, the prospectors made a startling
discovery the wellpreserved, but longforgotten, remains of
a tiny human.
The origins of this
little human were a
mystery. Local Native
American tribes were
known to tell stories
of legendary tiny
people, little spirits, or the Nimeriga. In some of these stories, the
small people had magical powers, or healing powers.
RMPTH Field Outing Statement

NOTE: The Coordinators and participants stay in touch
and continue to review and plan upcoming presentations
and outings for the year on a monthly basis. Our editor
Rick Mattingly needs timely event information for each
issue of The News. Please get information about any particular event to him by the 15th of the month to meet the
printing deadline for the next issue.
Planned trips, outings, activities, and meeting programs
are in the newsletter and on line at the clubs website.
Planning is a work in progress and additional outings and
activities are added and sometimes deleted on an ongoing basis. Events planned in the upcoming month are
emphasized to the attendees at the monthly meetings.
Contact the Presentations Coordinators or Editor if you
have any suggestions or ideas throughout the year for
fieldtrips, outings, and programs.
The best made plans may change at the last minute due
to the illness of the Trail Boss, weather, land access, vehicles breaking down, wrong meeting sites, etc. Please
be understanding of extenuating circumstances and contact the coordinator or Trail Boss of a specific event if
there is any question of an event being cancelled or
changed at the last minute.
In other stories, they were a vicious tribe who attacked the Native Americans with poisoned arrows.
The discovery of the mummified remains drew much
attention to the area, eliciting many questions, and
creating controversy. There were many who doubted
the veracity of the prospectors story, believing the
remains to be fabricated, and the story a hoax. Scientists flocked to the area, all with a deep desire to
determine the truth behind the tiny person, nicknamed Pedro.
With a sitting
height of six and
inches, and an
estimated standing height of fourteen inches, it
was clear that
these were no ordinary remains.
The scientists
conducted extensive testing on
Pedro. First, they
reviewed the outward physical
evidence.
Pedro was found in a sitting position, cross-legged, on
a small ledge within what appeared to be a manmade
cave. With bulging eyes and a flattened cranium,
Pedro was extremely well preserved so much so that
even his fingernails were visible. A gelatinous substance covered Pedros head, and it became clear
that liquids had been used to preserve the body. His
nose was flattened, he had a full set of teeth, and his
skin was brown and wrinkled, creating the appearance of an old man.
Photos and x-ray of the San Pedro Mummy. Image
source: Wikipedia
In the years following the discovery of Pedro, scientists conducted more invasive testing, utilizing x-rays
to try to unlock the mystery. Several anthropologists
initially concluded that the remains were those of an
infant, likely born prematurely, or who died shortly
after birth. This, however, is an area of disagreement,
as a second body of scientists believe the remains to
be those of an adult, possibly 16-65 years in age. It
has been said that x-rays revealed sharp teeth, and
the presence of food in the stomach that appeared to
be raw meat. The x-rays also suggested that Pedro
had suffered a violent death, showing broken bones, a
damaged spine, and damage to the skull.
Page 12
The discovery of the mummified remains led to significant speculation that the remains were a hoax. The
presence of the gelatinous substance on Pedros head
led some to believe that the remains were actually
those of a deceased infant, recovered from a medical
facility, or that
the prospectors
had created the
remains using a
crude form of
taxidermy. However, others
maintained the
remains were
evidence of a
Leprechaun-like
race, like those
mentioned in
the legends of
the local indigenous people, or
evidence of an
extra-terrestrial
being. It was
difficult for
many to fathom
that a human of
such tiny stature could possibly be an adult.
While modern testing could provide many more answers about the origins of Pedro, such testing is not
possible because the location of the remains has been
unknown for several years. It is said that the remains
were put on display during sideshows in the 1940s,
and were then purchased by a man named Ivan
Goodman. Upon Goodmans death in 1950, the remains passed to a man named Leonard Waller
(sometimes reported as Walder). The remains have
not been seen since.
With the remains nowhere to be found, the mysteries
Semifinalist #4
A man in Alabama died from rattlesnake bites. It seems
that he and a friend were playing a game of catch, using
the rattlesnake as a ball. The friend - no doubt a future
Darwin Awards candidate - was hospitalized.
Semifinalist #5
Employees in a medium-sized warehouse in west Texas
noticed the smell of a gas leak. Sensibly, management
evacuated the building extinguishing all potential sources
of Pedro linger to this day. Most scientists agree that

Pedros remains were those of an adult male human.
However, modern testing could have answered so
many additional questions like where he came from,
whether he suffered any diseases or congenital conditions, what the gelatinous substance was, and how his
remains come to be sealed within a thick layer of
rock. The answers to these
questions, and
many others, are
likely to remain
unanswered
unless the remains can be located and further
tested. Until then,
scientists and
enthusiasts can
only speculate
about who or
what he was.
Featured image:
Bob David holds
the Pedro Mountain mummy,
about 1950. Casper College Western History Center. Image source: Wyohistory
Sources:
Little People and the Pedro Mountain Mummy Legends of America
The Pedro Mountain Mummy Wyohistory
The Mysterious Pedro Mountain Mummy Atlas Obscura
The Lost Remains of the Pedro Mountain Mummy
Strange Remains
By M R Reese
From: Ancient Origins
of ignition; lights, power, etc.

After the building had been evacuated, two technicians
from the gas company were dispatched. Upon entering the
building, they found they had difficulty navigating in the
dark. To their frustration, none of the lights worked. Witnesses later described the sight of one of the technicians
reaching into his pocket and retrieving an object that resembled a cigarette lighter! Upon operation of the lighterlike object, the gas in the warehouse exploded, sending
pieces of it up to three miles away. Nothing was found of
the technicians, but the lighter was virtually untouched by
Page 13
RMPTH SHOW & TELL

At the November RMPTH Club Meeting we will hold the annual Show & Tell of member finds and collections.
This event will be held in round robin fashion where attendees will be free to move about to view displays at
their leisure and to socialize.
The rules for this event are simple. The displays are only limited as to being relative to the interests of the
club. They may be personal finds, such as gold, coins, military relics, bottles, etc. or collections similarly related.
We will attempt to confine exhibitors to no more than two per table.
Please be forewarned that persons presenting displays will be solely responsible for the protection and security
of their displays. The club will not be responsible for your items! With this in mind, it would be prudent for each
exhibitor to line up another person to assist. AttendeesThere will be a NO TOUCH rule in effect.
Get your displays ready and show the club what your interests are!
Hopefully, more
club oriented stuff
than pictured here!
Page 14
Silent Auction
he program for November will include a Silent Auction. This

will be a fun event which will allow you to sell some of your
items, buy some great items yourself and earn the club a little
money. Bidding slips will be available at the meeting.
Sellers: Fill out copies of the bid form provided at the meeting for
each of your auction items as soon as you arrive at the meeting.
Rules For Sellers
1. Bring what you like, but lets keep it reasonable, say 25 items per
seller. You may bring extras in case we need additional items to fill the
tables, but only put them out after everyone else has had a chance to
put theirs out. Good items to consider would be anything that pertains
to our hobby or members interests. The items can be new, used, or
finds. Please dont bring junk, you wont get any bids on it.
2. Fill out the bid slips completely and legibly with the item description, your name if you want to be paid, circle whether you want to donate 20% or 100% to the club and the starting minimum bid (Hint::
High starting bids =
few or no bidders.
Members Take Note
Start at the minimum
amount you can live
with getting).
3. Sellers will be
Please remember to bring your
paid on closing of the
auction at this meetsale items for the auction and
ing!
please share a donation with the
4. Any items that do
not sell must be taken
club from your auctioned items.
home with you that
evening. If you do not,
Also, remember to bring some
it will be considered a
donation for future
form of payment should you wish
door prizes or thrown
to bid on items in the auction as
out.
5. You may start setpayment is due at this meeting.
ting out your items at
6:00 pm.
Rules For Buyers
1. Mark your name and bid clearly on the bid slips. You may cancel a
bid anytime up to the time the table is closed by completely crossing
out your name and bid. Please bring a pen or pencil with you.
2. Tables will close in a random manner every 15 minutes. You will
not know which ones are closing in advance, so if you want an item,
bid on it early.
3. Minimum bid raise will be $0.25
4. Payment is due TO THE SELLER at the end of the auction by
cash or check. Buyers will take your items home with you that evening. Note: The SELLER will be responsible for paying the 20% club
share to the TREASURER at this meeting! It will take a while to check
everyone out, so let us know if you need to leave early and we will
check you out first.
HAVE FUN!
Gold Glossary
Hydraulic Mining- Hydraulic mining used
water that was diverted into ditches and
wooden flumes at high elevations, and
gravity did the rest. Channeled through
heavy iron pipes, the water exploded from
a nozzle far below with a force of 5000
pounds. When that awesome stream of
water was focused and directed, the mountains were literally blasted away.
Gold Facts
Symbol: AU
Atomic Number: 79
Atomic Weight: 196.967
Melting Point: 1063 (1945 F)
Specific Gravity: 19.2
MOHs Scale of Hardness:
2.5 - 3
Karat
24K = 100% Pure Gold
18K = 75% Pure Gold
14K = 58% Pure Gold
10K = 42% Pure Gold
Troy Weights
1 grain = 0.0648 grams
24 grains = 1 penny
weight (DWT) = 1.552 grams
20 DWT = 1 ounce =
480 grains = 31.10 grams
YOUR
ADVERTISEMENT
COULD BE HERE!
Call Rick Mattingly
at 970-669-1205
or rickmatt@q.com
Page 15
Trading Post
FOR SALE: Jewelers propane/oxygen torch, many cabochons, beads and tools. Contact Ann at
(970) 6667-3705.
FOR SALE: A "MUST HAVE" T-Shirt for every Prospector
and Treasure Hunter. Quality 100% cotton tees. See and
order from:
http://BestBlackandGold.com.
FOR SALE: Minelab SD2200 Gold Nugget Metal Detector:
10-1/2" Mono Super Coil, 10-1/2" SD Series Super Coil, two
batteries w/wall & car charger, headphones, backpack,
waist battery pack, signal enhancer, extra lower stem, instruction booklet & video, carry case. Ready to go for the
gold. New Price: $1625. Contact Paul at (970) 482-7846.
FOR SALE: 5HP pump motor, Gold King 3" Hi-banker with
dredge attachment w/adjustable stand, Gold Grabber Hibanker, 125 feet hose, Rock net and steel cable, misc. fittings and valves & large metal bucket. Prefer to sell all together for $1,350 but negotiable. Call Eric Stickland at
(303) 833-6848 or
estick@live.com.
WANTED: Used lapidary equipment. Call Kathie 970-2211623
WANTED: Federal or state duck stamps; mint or used. Contact John Hart at (307) 778-3993.
NOTE:
Purchase arrangements are between the buyer and
seller only and involves no financial benefit to RMPTH.
About Trading Post

The News runs classified ads in Trading Post
for three consecutive issues. Trading Post ads
for topic related items up to 10 lines (or 70
words) long are free. To place an ad in Trading
Post contact Rick Mattingly at (970) 613-8968
evenings
or e-mail at: rickmatt@q.com
Commercial Advertising
Specifications
(Monthly Donation Rate)
Full Page (8 1/2" X 7")
Half Page (3 1/4" X 7")
One Third Page (3" X 4")
Business Card (2 3/4" X 1 1/2")
$30
$20
$15
$ 5
Ads must be received by the 15th of the

preceding month. Contact Rick Mattingly for information on this service at
(970) 613-6968 evenings or e-mail at:
rickmatt@q.com.
All mistakes and

misspellings were
intentionally made so
that you could have the
pleasure of finding them.
Colorado School of Mines

Geology Museum
Golden, Colorado
Contact us: 303-273-3815 or
geomuseum@mines.edu
Identification of specimens is performed
between 10 a.m. and noon, Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
Page 16
WEEKEND & SMALL-SCALE

MINERS CODE OF ETHICS
I WILL respect other prospectors claims and not work
those claims without the owners permission
I WILL have on-site all necessary permits and licenses
I WILL build fires in designated or safe places only, and
in accordance with current State and Federal guidelines
I WILL be careful with fuels and motor oils and be cognizant of their potential destructive effect on the environment
I WILL remove and properly dispose of all trash and
debris that I find - I will not litter
I WILL be thoughtful, considerate and courteous to
those around me at all time
I WILL appreciate and protect our heritage of natural
resources, wildlife, fisheries and private property, and
respect all laws or ordinances governing prospecting
and mining
I WILL NOT remove stream bank material, destroy
natural vegetation or woody debris dams, nor discharge
excess silt into the waterways
I WILL NOT refuel motorized equipment in the stream
I WILL NOT allow oil from motorized
equipment to drip onto the ground or into the water
I WILL NOT prospect in areas closed to prospecting
and mining
the explosion. The technician suspected of causing the

blast had never been thought of as ''bright'' by his peers.
Now, the Winner of This Year's Darwin Award (awarded,
as always, posthumously):
The Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded in the side of a cliff rising above the
road at the apex of a curve. The wreckage resembled the
site of an airplane crash, but it was a car. The type of car
was unidentifiable at the scene. Police investigators finally
pieced together the mystery. An amateur rocket scientist
had somehow gotten hold of a J A T O unit (Jet Assisted
Take Off, actually a solid fuel rocket) that is used to give
heavy military transport planes an extra 'push' for taking
off from short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala
out into the desert and found a long, straight stretch of
road. He attached the J A T O unit to the car, jumped in,
got up some speed and fired off the J A T O!
The facts as best as could be determined are that the operator of the 1967 Impala hit the J A T O ignition at a distance of approximately 3.0 miles from the crash site. This
was established by the scorched and melted asphalt at that
location.
The J A T O, if operating properly, would have reached
maximum thrust within 5 seconds, causing the Chevy to
reach speeds well in excess of 350 mph and continuing at
full power for an additional 20 -25 seconds.
The driver, and soon to be pilot, would have experienced
G-forces usually reserved for dog fighting F -14 jocks under full afterburners, causing him to become irrelevant for
the remainder of the event.
However, the automobile remained on the straight highway
for about 2.5 miles (15-20 seconds) before the driver applied and completely melted the brakes, blowing the tires
and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface, then
becoming airborne for an additional 1.4 miles and impacting the cliff face at a height of 125 feet leaving a blackened
crater 3 feet deep in the rock.
Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable. However, small fragments of bone, teeth and hair were extracted from the crater, and fingernail and bone shards
were removed from a piece of debris believed to be a portion of the steering wheel.
Epilogue: It has been calculated that this moron attained a
ground speed of approximately 420-mph, though much of
his voyage was not actually on the ground.
You couldn't make this stuff up, could you?
AND PEOPLE JUST LIKE THIS ARE ALL AROUND US,
OBVIOUSLY STILL BREEDING AND VOTING ......
Offer Your Assistance To Any

Of Our Program Coordinators
Page 17
Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club

2015 Schedule of Events
Month
Meeting Program
Trip/Activity
January
Cheyenne War: Indian Raids on the

Roads to Denver, 1864-1869
By Jeff Broome
No Trip/Activity Scheduled
February
Cache Hunting
By Rick Mattingly
March
Setting Up A Gold Sluice Box

By RMPTH Members
April
Metal Detecting
By Tom Warne & Rick Mattingly
Local Detector Hunt

Map, Compass & GPS Clinic
May
Gold Nugget Shooting With Detector

By Rick Mattingly
Prospecting & Detecting Clinic at Lions Park

Denver GPAA Show
Lets Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas Event GPOC
June
Gold Dredging
By RMPTH Members
Clear Creek Gold Outing

State Annual Gold Panning Championships
July
Map Reading for Prospectors

by Wayne Sutherland WSGS
August
Surface Finds
by Tom Warne
Vics Gold PanningBlackhawk
September
Map & Internet Research

By Rick Mattingly
Local Detector Hunt
October
Gold, Silver & Gem Recovery

by David Emslie
Local Detector Hunt
November
Annual Show & Tell &

Silent Auction
December
Annual Find of the Year Awards &

Christmas Party
Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show
Good Hunting in 2015!

Page 18
Rocky Mountain
Prospectors & Treasure Hunters
Contact List
RMPTH Coordinators
Home
E-Mail
President
Tom Warne
1-970-635-0773
goldigger48@msn.com
Interim Vice President
Tim Coatman
1-970-353-1919
old37chev@aol.com
Treasurer
Dick & Sharon French
1-970-482-2110
dickyf99@centurylink.net
Secretary
Rick Mattingly
1-970-669-1205
rickmatt@q.com
Rick Mattingly
1-970-669-1205
rickmatt@q.com
Rick Mattingly
1-970-669-1205
rickmatt@q.com
Finds Program
Dave Landes
Betsy Emond
Joe Johnston
1-720-985-4186
1-970-218-0290
1-303-696-6950
midnightoil45@aol.com
bemond@fcgov.com
cjoej1@peoplepc.com
Presentations
Rick Mattingly
1-970-669-1205
rickmatt@q.com
Club Historian
Steve McNeill
1-970-556-0755
pawfullo@yahoo.com
Club Meeting Greeter
Barbara Schuldt
1-970-407-1336
Club Librarian
Joe Johnston
1-303-696-6950
cjoej1@peoplepc.com
Club Photo Librarian
Tom Warne
1-970-635-0773
goldigger48@msn.com
Meeting Setup
Jim Friedricks
1-970-590-9183
Door Prize
Tim Coatman
1-970-353-1919
old37chev@aol.com
Zinc Penny Project
Tom Marschall
1-970-396-0133
tmarschall47@gmail.com
50/50 Drawing
Woody Hogdon
1-970-667-5010
ftcolwoody@juno.com
Coin Raffle
Woody Hogdon
1-970-667-5010
ftcolwoody@juno.com
The News Staff

Editor-in-Chief
Internet Web Site
Web Master
Volunteers/Coordinators
General Information Contact: Rick Mattingly at 1-970-669-1205 or rickmatt@q.com
Visit RMPTH on the Internet at: http://rmpth.com
Lets Go For The Gold !

Page 19
The News
Rocky Mountain Prospectors &
Treasure Hunters Club
278 Sierra Vista Drive
Fort Collins, CO. 80524
NOVEMBER, 2015 ISSUE

The News: The Great Diamond Rush

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The News: The Great Diamond Rush

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Rocky Mountain Prospectors &

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

Going for the Gold

Visit RMPTH On The Internet At http://rmpth.com

The Great Diamond Rush

"Banking establishments are more dangerous

The Great Diamond

"As diamond fever spread throughout southern Africa

About The News

Opinions expressed in The News are those of the

CLUB MEMBERS TAKE NOTE

The News, November 2015

(Continued from page 1)

of limestone, they found 'yellow ground' -- a yellowish,

picks and shovels for weeks on end finding nothing of

Find of the Month

Most Valuable Coin:

I WILL respect private property and do no treasure

The News, November 2015

The Latest Darwin

he annual honor is given to the persons who did

Mineral Specimen Identification

Check your hoses. Intake on the pump - is it dry rotting,

(Continued from page 6)

Door Prize Donors For

Search High and Low

Cigar Box - Rick Mattingly

The News, November 2015

When looking for a treasure that may have

Gilpin County, Colorado

entral City was the site of the first lode gold

self. He was impressed and exclaimed he would

Central City was primarily a

Before You Buy That Metal Detector Handbook Check:

The News, November 2015

The News, November 2015

Visit RMPTH On The Internet At

MAP TO THE MEETING PLACE

The News, November 2015

RMPTH Finds Program

RMPTH Board Meeting

RMPTH Finds Program

RMPTH Board Meeting

The News, November 2015

The Mystery Of The San

n June 1934, two gold prospectors, who had been

RMPTH Field Outing Statement

The News, November 2015

(Continued from page 12)

(Continued from page 5)

of Pedro linger to this day. Most scientists agree that

of ignition; lights, power, etc.

RMPTH SHOW & TELL

The News, November 2015

he program for November will include a Silent Auction. This

The News, November 2015

About Trading Post

Ads must be received by the 15th of the