Invest • Montana Gold Claims • For Sale, Lease or Joint Venture
Montana Gold Claims: For Sale, Lease, or Joint Venture, the premier Grubstake Placer 120 acre n Mineral County's historic Cedar Creek Mining District District.
Contact Marlene Affled, montanagoldclaims.com - Call: 509-389-2606 - Email: marneaffled@mac.com
MLRS Serial No.
MT101853689
Legacy Serial No.
MTMMC 234446
Location
NW Quarter, PB 41, Township 15 North, Range 28 West
County & State
Mineral County, Montana
Acreage
120 Acres
Coordinates
Latitude 47.108° N, Longitude 115.228° W
Sale Price - $143,000.00
The Grubstake Gulch Placer (120 acres) controls 0.6–0.9 mi of gold-favorable side-gulch channel feeding the Oregon Creek/Cedar Creek placer system.
Steep local relief creates cascades/bedrock traps, while lower benches host older pay. The claim adjoins an actively mined patented parcel (owner-reported “substantial” production over 10 years), reinforcing the system’s current economics. District history (hydraulic & 1930's dredge work on adjacent Big Flat/Oregon Creek) demonstrates commercial-scale potential.
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Grub Stake Gulch Placer – Technical & Historical Report (Mineral County, MT)
Prepared for: Marlene Affeld
Oregon Gulch Exploration
Project: Oregon Gulch / Big Flat Placer Development (Cedar Creek District)
Claim: Grub Stake Gulch Placer – 120 acres
Legal: NW¼, Protracted Block 41, T15N R28W, Mineral County, Montana
1) Claim Overview
Type: Unpatented placer claim (120 ac).
District: Cedar Creek Historic Mining District (Oregon Gulch / Big Flat system).
Hydrologic setting: Side-gulch system draining toward Oregon Creek → Cedar Creek → Clark Fork River.
Adjoiner: Borders a ~22-acre patented claim that has been actively mined ~10 years; production reported as “substantial” (owner-reported; no public ledger available).
Nearby features: Grubstake Gulch is a mapped valley in Mineral County; regional references to “Grubstake Gulch” appear in public datasets and maps.
2) Access, Terrain & Elevation
Access: USFS road network (Superior RD, Lolo NF) with spur/2-track to the drainage; seasonally limited by snow and spring breakup.
Terrain: Narrow V-shaped side gulch opening to broader lower benches near Oregon Creek. Mixed conifer forest, stable benches for staging and test pits.
Elevation: Representative gulch floors in this belt run ~3,900–4,600 ft; ridge/aspect control creates steep local gradients with cascades and exposed bedrock—excellent natural gold traps.
Stream length within claim: Based on parcel span and typical gulch sinuosity in this block, expect ~0.6–0.9 mi of intermittent/perennial channel under claim control.
Geology & Deposit Model
Deposit type: Placer gold sourced from nearby Bitterroot Range lode veins (quartz-sulfide). Coarse gold re-concentrates in riffles, bedrock steps, inside bends, boulder shadows, and clay/hardpan contacts.
Host material: Angular to rounded gravels/cobbles over decomposed schist, quartzite, and local granitoids. Abundant black sands (magnetite/hematite) signal heavies.
District confirmation: Cedar Creek/Oregon Gulch system is a recognized placer field in USGS and state summaries of productive gold areas.
Historical Context (District-Level touchpoints)
1869–1890s: Cedar Creek rush; tributaries (including Oregon/nearby gulches) were productive in hand and small hydraulic work. District produced low six-figures of ounces equivalent by early 1900s (aggregate estimates).
Big Flat /Oregon Creek operations: Early 1900's Big Flat Mining Co. developed hydraulic plants and camp infrastructure on Oregon Creek; camp buildings are documented in archival photos and were reused in the 1930s.
Dredge era (1930s): Montana Dredge & Engineering Co. (Guy “Lee” Covington) reopened Big Flat, added road access and a gasoline dredge/dragline to work channel gravels to bedrock; shovel/dredge remains are photographed by USFS/Montana History Portal.
These district operations directly downstream/upstream of Grub Stake Gulch demonstrate the system’s capacity for commercial-scale placer—relevant to your claim’s potential.
5) Active Adjoiner (Patented 22 ac)
Status: Actively mined ~10 years; production substantial (owner/operator-reported).
Implication: Confirms a current, economic pay system contiguous to your claim boundary. Given similar geomorphology/aspect, pay trends may extend onto Grub Stake ground (to be validated by systematic sampling).
Hydrology & Snow/Water Window
Runoff regime: Snowmelt-dominated; freshet typically May–June, with flashy rises after convective storms.
Water availability: Perennial/seasonal flow sufficient for gravity recovery; plan for settling/recirc to meet turbidity rules.
Snow references (regional, operational planning):
Lolo Hot Springs (4055 ft) climate normals show heavy mid-winter snowfall (e.g., Jan ~32”, Feb ~17”, Mar ~13”), tapering by April.
Lolo Pass SNOTEL (5280 ft) typical peak SWE late Mar–early Apr; NRCS site 588 provides daily normals & updates for season timing.
Lookout Pass (regional ridge) averages ~400–450” snowfall annually—illustrates upper-ridge loading feeding spring flows.
Sampling & Work Plan (field-ready)
Phase 1 – Recon (hand/sluice):
Pan/sluice every 100–150 ft along thalweg, inside bends, bedrock steps; flag positives with GPS.
Phase 2 – Systematic (mechanized test):
Checkerboard test pits/trenches (20–30 ft spacing) across active floodplain + lower benches; log depth to bedrock, pay thickness, concentrate weight.
Auger where trenching is limited; target false bedrock (clay/hardpan).
Phase 3 – Pilot run:
Small mobile plant to chase pay axis longitudinally; track yards processed / recovery to set cut-off grade & scale decision.
QA/QC: Duplicate pans, blank runs, photo log with slate (ID/depth/ft-station), chain-of-custody on assays.
Compliance & Operating Notes
Surface: USFS – Lolo National Forest (Superior RD)
Minerals: BLM Missoula Field Office (unpatented)
Permits (typical):
BLM Notice (5 acre disturbance) or Plan of Operations (5 acres or more or sensitive work)
MT DEQ 318 Authorization (short-term turbidity)
SP-310 Stream Protection (Mineral County CD) for instream work
Season: May–Oct (road thaw → early snow), subject to SNOTEL-indicated meltout
Safety: Steep banks, legacy pits/tailings; wildlife (bear/elk) – standard USFS mitigations
Sources & References:
Montana History Portal – Big Flat Mining Co. (Oregon Creek): camp buildings (pre-1910, reused 1930s) and dredge shovel remains.
USGS MR-96 (productive placer/lode locations in MT) – district-level confirmation.
Regional snow/water planning: WRCC Lolo Hot Springs monthly snowfall normals; NRCS Lolo Pass SNOTEL site; Lookout Pass snowfall stats.
Mapping: Mapcarta/Wikidata locators for Grubstake Gulch.
Local/district history features: Mineral County press & summaries of Cedar Creek boom.