LUCKY RABBIT PLACER GOLD MINING CLAIM
The Lucky Rabbit claim consists of one (1) unpatented placer mining claim, covering 20 acres, on federal land managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The claim covers historical placer workings in the Rabbit Hole District in Pershing County, Nevada.
The Lucky Rabbit claim is located on a tributary to Rabbithole Creek near Rabbithole Springs. This area was one of the most active placer mining districts in Nevada during the 1930’s.
Several excellent reports are written on the placers of the Rabbit Hole District. Values of up to $5 per yard were sampled when gold was at $35 per ounce. This would equate to .14 ounces per yard. Pockets as rich as 2.5 ounces per yard were also mentioned.
Directions: From Winnemucca, Nevada drive south on I-80 33 miles. Take Exit 145 and go west on Frontage Road. Take Old Idaho Stage road which turns into Lake Road and continue straight for 18 miles. Turn right on Pioneer Road and continue for 17 miles to Rabbithole Springs. Take a left (south) at Rabbithole Springs Road and drive 1.15 miles to the claim. The claim is located along a tributary on the west side of Rabbithole Springs canyon.
GPS Coordinates: Lat: 40.744006°, Long: -118.741949° (Main Wash)
Mining and Exploration Potential: The Rabbit Hole District has been extensively sampled with gravels running 2-12 feet deep (average depth 4 feet) with average grades between .03 to .06 gold ounces per yard.
The pay gravels lie on a false clay bedrock. There were attempts to sink exploratory shafts (before drilling was common) to test the gold values on the true bedrock – but they ran into water problems (too much).
The main area of exploration and mining was to the north of the claim near Barrel Springs. However, several of the tributaries as well as Rabbithole Creek were also mined.
The USGS Mineral Resource Data System has a historical location on the center of our claim noting a former operating placer mine.
The gulch / stream bed runs the full length of the claim and could be tested for placer gold.
Vanderburg (Placer Mining in Nevada, p 148) mentions that the tributary gulches often have the best values at the heads and along the slopes.
There are some excellent reports on the District including several private evaluations of the placer deposits. Kennecott Mining evaluated these deposits and there are over a hundred samples with gold values in their reports. I have all of these reports available for the winning bidder.
The Rabbit Hole District is in the creeks and canyons on the west slope of the Kamma Mountains, 57 miles west of Winnemucca, Nevada.
The Rabbit Hole District was first discovered in 1900 but no real work was done until 1916. E.J. Quirk, a local prospector recovered about 30 ounces of gold by panning and hauling water from Rosebud Canyon.
Another group, the Wogan Brothers, took out 150 ounces in the same time period.
After a heavy rainfall, Mr. Quirk recovered several small nuggets from ‘Coarse Gold Canyon’.
No accurate production figures are available for the District since the production was from individuals and small groups.
However, this was one of the most active placer areas in Nevada during the 1930’s. During the summer of 1935 over 150 men were working in the District.
Most of the gold was ‘nuggety’ and coarse. There are rich pockets present that can run as high as 2.5 ounces per yard.
Many of the historical operators used primitive ‘power’ dry washers run by Maytag washing machine engines. Reports mention that these operators were successful and were making 50 ounces per six months for a one-man operation.
There have been several evaluations of the placer deposits for large scale operations. One report mentions that there was estimated to be 1 billion yards of pay gravels averaging $1-2 per yard (when gold was $35 per ounce).
The Rabbit Hole District is near several of the largest gold mines in Nevada and several junior mining companies have been active exploring nearby.
Regional Geology: The Lucky Rabbit mining claim is located within the Basin and Range physiographic province. The Basin and Range province covers most of Nevada and consists of narrow NE trending mountain ranges between flat, arid valleys and basins.
Local Geology: The Rabbit Hole District is on the west flank of the Kamma Mountains, which are a thick complex of Tertiary rhyolitic rocks overlying Jurassic metasediments.
The main placer deposits are in a giant alluvial fan extending out from Rosebud Peak. Other alluvial fans in the area also contain gold.
The alluvial fans are dissected with gullies – where most of the placer mining was concentrated.
As previously mentioned, there is a false bedrock of clay within a few feet of the surface where most of the gold deposits are found.
However, elsewhere in the District – the gold deposits may be deeper.
Available Reports:
Becham, L.S., Private Report on Rabbit Hole Placer Deposits, Kennecott Copper Corporation, 1949.
Carroll & Bradberry, Rabbit Hole District (Barrel Springs), Private Memo Report to Western Pacific Railroad, 1964.
Fitzpatrick, H.R., Operations Report on Rabbit Hole Placer Mine, Private Report for Galigner Co., 1961.
Johnson, M., Geology and Mineral Deposits of Pershing County, Nevada, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Bulletin 89, 1977.
Lincoln, Francis Church, ‘Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada’, Originally Published 1923, Republished by Nevada Publications, 1982.
Murdaugh, W.B., Preliminary Survey of Barrel Springs Placer Deposit, Pershing County, Nevada, Pacific Exploration, 1979.
Vanderburg, W.O., ‘Placer Mining in Nevada’, Bulletin 27, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, 1936.
FAQ
Why Nevada?
Nevada is consistently ranked as one of the top mining jurisdictions in the world for being mining-friendly and continuing to produce major discoveries. If Nevada was a country it would be the 5th largest gold producer in the world (after Australia, Canada, China, and Russia). Nevada is home to the Carlin Trend, the Cortez Trend, the Walker Lane Trend, the Getchell Trend and many other prolific gold producing regions. In addition to gold Nevada also has major mines producing silver, copper, lithium, iron ore, magnesium, gems and many other minerals. Nevada is 85% 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 Nevada and therefore, multiple potential buyers for any discovery you make. Canadian based junior exploration companies are particularly active in Nevada.
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 mineral exploration in the southwestern United States and Alaska for 21 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. 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 Pershing County. The BLM takes about 2-3 weeks to process the claim transfer (Quit Claim) and register the claim in your name. Once the transfer is complete we will send you all the original documents including the file stamped Quit Claim 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 BLM fees can be paid online through their claim management portal. Pershing 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 $12 plus $12 per claim.
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.
International Buyers
International buyers must either have dual US citizenship and US address or have a US entity or company to own the claim.