Bashor 2 Mining Claim
The Bashor 2 mining claim consists of one (1) unpatented lode claim covering 20.66 acres on federal land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The claims cover a former producing gold-silver mine located in the Ellsworth / Little Harquahala Mining District in La Paz County, Arizona.
The claim has two (2) shafts, one adit, and several prospect pits, ore dumps and tailings. There is road access directly to the claim accessed from Exit 53 on Interstate 10.
This area has produced some spectacular discoveries – including the famous ‘Glory Hole’ mine that had ore that assayed at 52% gold. The Harquahala / Little Harquahala District produced over 129,000 ounces of gold.
Location and Access: From Phoenix, Arizona take I-10W for 89.9 miles. Take Exit 53 towards Hovatter Rd., turn left on Harqualhala Rd / Hovatter Rd. – drive 1.65 miles south directly to the claim.
GPS Coordinates: Lat: 33.586123°Long: -113.624815° (Central Shaft Road Access).
Mining and Exploration Potential: The Bashor 2 mining claim has potential for a high grade gold mine, polymetallic veins, or turquoise and copper gem minerals.
The veins are in quartz with copper oxide minerals and ex-sulphides present (dark reddish stained veinlets).
The workings are a good place to start to prospect and sample the veins. As mentioned above – the Ellsworth / Harquahala Districts are famous for high grade gold outcrops.
The veins are in fissures, faults and contacts. Especially where the sedimentary rocks meet the quartz monzonite intrusives.
The claim itself is in middle of a quartz monzonite intrusive probably of Laramide Age. This intrusive is closely associated with the gold and metal deposits.
The claim also has potential for placer gold and the washes should be prospected. I have gotten nuggets out of many of the washes in this District. If you found some color in the washes – it might make sense to try dry-washing.
Little Harquahala Mining District. The Little Harquahala Mountains are south of Salome and part of three mountain ranges that are closely related: the Granite Wash Mountains, the Harquahala Mountains, and the Little Harquahala Mountains. All three ranges have Precambrian sediments and metamorphic rocks intruded by Laramide (younger) granites.
The Harquahala District was first prospected in the 1880’s. The first big discovery was the Bonanza Mine and the nearby Golden Eagle. It is estimated that these two mines produced around 129,000 ounces of gold.
A British company purchased the Bonanza and Golden Eagle for $1,250,000 in 1893. They produced another 50,000 ounces of gold but did not make a profit equal to their initial investment.
The Socorro Mine, in the southern Harquahala Mountains, produced about 20,000 ounces in the early part of the 20th Century. Recently, there have been multiple drilling programs on the project.
Mineralization is rich, pockety shoots of gold with minor silver in a gangue of iron oxides, shattered quartz, calcite and gypsum in the oxidized zone(s), above about 300 feet of depth, in shear zones and shattered quartzite in strongly folded and faulted Paleozoic sedimentary beds intruded by Laramide quartz monzonite. In depth, gold values mainly in auriferous pyrite with with some copper and lead sulfide mineralization, in fracture veins in underlying crushed and fractured quartz monzonite. Veins often flat dipping with larger and richer deposits in the shattered quartzite.
Some exploration was conducted in the 1980’s mostly centered on the Yuma Mine. There was also a gem quality azurite and malachite mine located in the District.
Regional Geology: The Bashor 2 Mining Claim is located within the Basin and Range physiographic province. The Basin and Range province covers the southern and western part of Arizona and consists of narrow NE trending mountain ranges between flat, arid valleys and basins.
Local Geology: the Little Harquahala Mountains are a broken collection of peaks and hills at the junction of the Granite Wash Mountains to the north and the Harquahala’s to the east. The Little Harquahala’s have a central mass of Mesozoic schist and intrusive Laramide age granites to the southeast (on our claims). There are also Precambrian sediments and metamorphic rocks surrounding these intrusives.
The veins are in quarzt and heavilty altered limestones. Most of the veins have some copper oxides and this can grade to gem quality chrysocolla or turquoise.
Available Reports:
Bancroft, H. (1911), Reconnaissance of the ore deposits in northern Yuma County, Arizona, USGS Bull. 451: 105-109.
Hausel, Dan, ‘Gold in Arizona’, Gem Hunter Publications, 2019.
Keith, Stanton B. (1978) State of Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology, Geological Survey Branch Bull. 192, Index of Mining Properties in Yuma County, Arizona: 152 (Table 4).
Thompson, J.R., ‘Mineral Resources of the Harquahala Mountains Wilderness Study Area, La Paz and Maricopa Counties, Arizona’, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1701, 1988.
Wilson, E.D., Cunningham, J.B., and Butler, G.M. (1934), Arizona Lode Gold Mines and Gold Mining (revised 1967), Arizona Bureau of Mines Bull. 137: 128-131.
FAQ
Why Arizona?
Arizona is consistently ranked as one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world for being mining-friendly and continuing to produce major discoveries. Arizona is the largest metal mining state in the U.S. and home to many world class copper mines including Morenci, Bagdad, Sierrita, Ray, and Resolution. Arizona also has numerous gold mines and some of the biggest silver-lead-zinc discoveries (Taylor Mine). Arizona is world famous for turquoise and other semi-precious stones and lapidary materials – often found near copper mining areas. Arizona is 38% owned by the federal government and most of this land is available for claim staking. This means some of the best mining ground in the world is open to small prospectors – a very unique situation. There are many mining companies active in Arizona and therefore, multiple potential buyers for any discovery you make. Canadian based junior exploration companies are particularly active in Arizona.
Why Buy a Claim?
Buying a claim is a great way to get started in mining and prospecting. Buying a claim that is professionally staked reduces your upfront work and the risk of making a mistake on your paperwork or in the field. Our claims are in areas with historical mining activity and most have numerous pits, shafts, and adits to explore. Finding these claims takes lots of research that is already done for you. The best place to find gold is where people have already found it!
Why Us?
I have been working in exploration in the southwestern United States and Alaska for 22 years. I have co-founded four junior mining companies and managed numerous drilling and exploration projects. I have worked with large and small mining companies and know what types of projects they are looking for that can be advanced by small prospectors. I have also worked on small hardrock production projects. I usually try to find claims that have known high grade veins that can be produced and that also have some exploration upside. We stand by our claims and fix any problems that come up. We can also help you with your annual filings. All our claims have a BLM serial number and can be found on the U.S. BLM MLRS website database. We hire the same professional claim staking companies that the large mining companies hire and all the claims have professionally drafted and accurate maps.
How is ownership of the claim transferred?
Ownership of mining claims is transferred with a Quit Claim Deed which we prepare. We pay all claim transfer fees and file the claim transfer paperwork with the BLM and La Paz County. The BLM takes about 2-3 weeks to process the claim transfer (Quit Claim) and register the claim in your name. The La Paz County Recorder usually takes 2-3 days to return the recorded Quitclaim Deed. Once the transfer is complete we will send you all the original documents including the file stamped Quitclaim Deed, the original location notices and claim maps.
How Much are the Annual Claim Fees?
The BLM charges a $200 per claim annual maintenance fee which is due on September 1st each year. The annual fees can be paid online through the BLM’s Mineral and Land Records System. La Paz County requires that a Notice of Intent to Hold form is filed the first year by Nov 1st along with payment of the recording fee of $30.
If you own less than 10 mining claims you can qualify for a waiver of the annual maintenance fee by filing a Small Miner’s Waiver. However, the Small Miner’s Waiver requires that you perform $100 in labor or improvements on the claim each year.
Claim fees are due next by September 1, 2025.
International Buyers
International buyers must either have dual US citizenship and US address or have a US entity or company to own the claim.