Rocky Mountain Prospectors &

Treasure Hunters Newsletter

The News
v. 19 n. 1 January 2015

Going for the Gold

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

Contents
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2
3
4
6
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9
10
11
13
14
16
18
19

Big Blue Diamond

About The News
2015 Event Planning Meeting
Find Of The YEAR Program
Clam Treasure
Buffalo Soldiers
Shipwreck Found
Calendar of Events
Calendars
Colorado Minerals
Family Treasure Hunters
Trading Post
2015 Schedule of Events
Contact List

Big Blue Diamond

South African miner finds 'exceptional'
29.6-carat blue diamond
January 21, 2014, 7:57 pm nbcnews.com
LONDON

29.6-carat blue diamond, one of the rarest

and most coveted in the world with a possible price tag of tens of millions of dollars,
has been discovered at a South African mine by
Petra Diamonds.
The miner said the "exceptional" acorn-sized diamond, small enough to fit into the palm of a hand,
was unearthed at the Cullinan mine near Pretoria.
The mine, owned by the firm since 2008, was also
where the Cullinan Diamond was found in 1905 described as the largest rough gem diamond ever
recovered and weighing 3,106 carats.
Other notable diamonds found in the mine include
a 25.5 carat Cullinan blue diamond, found in 2013
and sold for $16.9 million, and a diamond found in
2008, known as the Star of Josephine, which was
sold for $9.49 million.
Chief Executive Johan Dippenaar told Reuters the
(Continued on page 3)

2014
It is to be regretted that the rich and powerful too
often bend the acts of government to their selfish
purposes.
- Andrew Jackson

RMPTH Prospector of the Year

Brian Hoover
RMPTH Detectorist of the Year
Tom Warne

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.
See Paul Mayhak 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, January 2015

(Continued from page 1)

latest blue diamond discovery could outstrip recent

finds.
"By some margin ... this is probably the most significant stone we've ever, in terms of blue stones,
recovered," he said.
"The stones in the last year or so are selling well
above $2 million per carat. That's not my quote,
that's updates in the market," he said ahead of the
company's first-half trading statement.
Petra Diamonds is due to release figures on production and sales for the six months to December
31 on Thursday, but these will not take into account the find which occurred in January.
Analyst Cailey Barker at brokers Numis thought
the diamond could fetch between $15 million and
$20 million at auction.
Diamonds from both the Cullinan mine in South
Africa and the Williamson facilities in Tanzania,
both owned by Petra, have been displayed at London's Buckingham Palace and are regarded as
among the rarest and most valuable in the world.
The 1905 Cullinan Diamond has been cut into two
stones - the First Star of Africa and the Second
Star of Africa - and form part of Britain's Crown
Jewels held in the Tower of London.

Colorado Territory Newspapers

There is an interesting story relating to how the first
newspaper in Colorado came to be. In 1859 there was
a "Pikes Peak Gold Rush" which turned out to be a
false alarm. John L. Merrick came to Denver City with
the intention of starting a newspaper. Four days later
William Buyers came to town with the same intention.
Soon the pending competition became evident. Both
publishers worked frantically to put their newspaper
off the press first. Both were faced with many problems. One such problem to race was that the roof
leaked and the rain was pouring over their presses and
work area. Canvas was stretched over the presses to
help keep them dry and in working order. Excitement
was mounting among the townspeople. Bets were
placed on just which would be the first paper off the
press! Buyers produced the first copy of The Rocky
Mountain News on Saturday evening, April 23, 1859.
Just a mere 20 minutes later Merrick had the first
copy of The Rocky Mountain News on the street. Very
soon thereafter, Merrick sold his press and left to seek
his fortune in the gold fields.
The Discovery Channel
http://www.discovery.com

Dippenaar said the company would decide what to

do with the diamond in the next week.
Reuters

We will be holding a Planning Session for

2015 Programs and Events. The meeting will
be held at 6:00pm at the meeting room of
the Loveland Golden Corral on East
Eisenhower Boulevard.
Come to the meeting, enjoy a meal and share
your ideas for a fun and successful year of
prospecting, detecting and treasure hunting.

The 29.6-carat blue diamond,

The News, January 2015

If you cant meet this meeting we still need

your input. Please pass along any ideas you
have to any club board member.
Page 3

Find of the YEAR

Winners
December, 2014

Most Valuable Coin:

Mike Noll - 1914-D Lincoln Cent
Oldest Coin:
Tom Warne - 1834 Capped Bust
Half Dime
Largest Raw Gold:
Brian Hoover - Clear Creek Gold
Most Raw Gold:
Brian Hoover - Clear Creek Gold
Nugget
Best Bottle:
Tom Warne - Cumberland Sauce
Bottle
Best Jewelry:
Dave Landes - Antique Pocket
Watch
Most Unique Find (Excavated):
Mike Noll - Antique Lighter
Most Unique Find (Non-Excavated):
Tom Warne - Cavalry Crossed Sabers Pin
Rock, Gem, Mineral & Fossil:
Barb Schuldt - Quartz Crystals

Find of the YEAR

Dave Landes - Antique Pocket
Watch

AMERICA!
Designed by
geniuses,
Run by idiots.
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 sluice. These characteristics make the
highbanker a common modern day mining tool

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 News, January 2015

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

Refreshment Volunteers
January Rick Mattingly
February David Longmore
MarchGary Dahlgren
AprilBetsy Emond & Mike Noll
MayEd & Mai Edwards
JuneFred Sugden
JulyDick & Sharon French
AugustRay & Loralee Hettinger
SeptemberBard Schuldt
OctoberRay McGehee & Ann Nichols
NovemberGeorge & Peggy Stumpf

The News, January 2015

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

Clam Treasure
$15 clam meal turns into $3,000 treasure
The Associated Press By The Associated Press
on December 15, 2014 at 11:23 AM

Virginia Beach woman is happy as a clam after

finding a rare 4.5-carat lavender pearl in a littleneck purchased at the Great Machipongo
Clam Shack in Nassawadox.
"I bit down on it and I pulled it out and said, 'Look at
this,'" said Kathleen Morelli.
Billy Bowen of B&E Seafood in Willis Wharf, who has
been in the clam-growing business for a quarter century, said he has never found a pearl in a clam grown
through aquaculture like the one Morelli bit into.
The littleneck, grown in Hog Island Bay, likely was
between 1 1/2 and 2 years old, he said.
"In the natural clams you could find them in there,
about once a month you could find them. But in all
my experience, I have never seen one to come out of
an aquaculture clam it's very rare," Bowen said.
The pearl's large size, found in such a small clam,
makes it even more unusual.
"We've been buying from him for years. When he told
me that he has never seen one in an aquacultured
clam, I said, 'Gosh, that's fascinating,'" said Jean
Mariner of the Clam Shack.
Morelli was traveling to see her sister in Philadelphia
when she stopped at the restaurant and seafood market to pick up a couple of bags of clams.
"Every time anybody goes north or south, we always
stop at the Clam Shack," she said.
After she arrived, family members were enjoying a
feast including steamed clams when Morelli found the
pearl. She liked its look, but didn't realize how rare it
was.
"I put it in my change purse and brought it home to
show my husband," she said.
After returning home, she placed the purple orb in a
dish on the dining room table, among other bits and
pieces she's collected from nature.
"We've just enjoyed looking at it," she said.
When her husband, Joe Morelli, started researching,
he discovered just how unusual his wife's find was.
"From what I've read, one in 5,000 clams will grow a
Page 6

pearl; when you're talking about anything of decent

size" it's much more unusual. A pearl of this size and
type is more like a one-in-a-million-clam find, he said.
Pearls are not really Kathleen's style of jewelry, so
they likely will sell the gem, which could retail for
$3,000 or more, he said.
"Which is not bad for a $15 bag of clams," he said.
This story was written by Carol Vaughn of Eastern
Shore News.

Buffalo Soldiers
From a presentation to the Eureka! Treasure Hunters
Club
Friday, March 14, 2003
by Lieutenant Mitch Bart
10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, Inc.

n June 28, 1866, an Act of Congress authorized the creation of several regiments of Black
cavalry troops (the 9th and 10th) and four
infantry regiments (24th, 25th, 38th, 39th, 40th, and
41st, later to be combined into the 24th and 25th infantry regiments). While the term Buffalo Soldier
was originally bestowed on the men of the 10th Cavalry Regiment, it was eventually given to all of the
Black regiments.
These troops went on to play a major role in the history of the West, as the "Buffalo Soldiers."
Orders were given to station the Black troops west of
the Mississippi to the western war arena, where they
would join the army's fight against the Indians, bank
robbers, and other types of outlaws . The Plains Indians began to call the Black cavalrymen "Buffalo Soldiers," partly because of their dark hair and skin
color, but mostly because, like the mighty buffalo, the
Black soldiers fought ferociously to the end. The
troopers accepted the title and wore it proudly because to be associated with the fighting spirit of the
Indian's sacred buffalo was a measure of respect. The
motto of the 10th Cavalry is "Ready and Forward."
The 9th, headquartered in Greenville, Louisiana, and
the 10th, formed on September 21st, 1866, by Colonel Benjamin Grierson, headquartered at Leavenworth, Kansas. The two cavalry units were destined to
(Continued on page 7)
The News, January 2015

(Continued from page 6)

become the most decorated of all U.S. Military Regiments during the Indian Wars period.
Thirteen Congressional Medals of Honor were presented to Buffalo Soldiers during the western campaigns.
For more than 20 years, the 9th and 10th Cavalry
Regiments served on the frontier from Montana to
Texas, along the Rio Grande in New Mexico, Arizona,
Colorado, and the Dakotas. They built forts; constructed roads; strung telegraph lines; protected railroad crews; escorted stages and trains; protected settlers and cattle drives; controlled mobs; pursued
outlaws, cattle thieves, and even Mexican revolutionaries along the border; mapped uncharted wilderness
areas; pinpointed water holes; and fought Comanche,
Ute, Kiowa, Shoshone, Cheyenne, Bannock, Kickapoo,
Sioux, Apache, and Blackfoot warriors (the Crow
fought on the side of the army). On one occasion, a
unit of 30 Buffalo Soldiers lost only three men when
they were attacked by 300 Cheyenne Indians. The Indians couldn't understand why the Blacks, who had
been slaves, would fight for their country. It was because they wanted to prove themselves. Dangers such
as cholera and rabid wolves, however, sometimes
took more lives than Indian warfare.
The Buffalo Soldiers had the lowest desertion rate in
the army, though their army posts were often in the
worst country in the west yet official reports, show
these soldiers were frequently subjected to the harshest of discipline, racist officers, poor food, poor
equipment, and poor shelter. Buffalo Soldiers, starting with the trooper, received $13.00 a month in
wages, plus food, clothing, and shelter, as compensation for their military service. In the field, they had to
live on Uncle Sam's beans, black coffee, saltless hardtack biscuits, jerky, whatever wild game they could
obtain, and infrequently, salt pork. They received cast
-off Civil War Sharps rifles, ill-fitting McClellan saddles, tack, sabres, revolvers, and spurs. Army cavalry
had always been given the finest of horses, but not the
Buffalo Soldiers.
Although they received the crippled and sickly horses
left from the Civil War, they quickly learned that
sometimes your horse could be the difference between
life and death and cared for their gentle horses better
than they cared for themselves. In 1866, Cathay Williams, a Black woman who wanted to make her own
living and not be dependent of relations or friends,
hid her female identity and joined the army as William Cathay. The army surgeon might have examimed
Cathay superficially, or not at all, and the new army
recruit was declared "fit for duty." Private William CaThe News, January 2015

thay of the 38th U.S. Infantry, ensured her place in

history as the only documented female Buffalo Soldier. During a bout of sickness, she was finally examined by a doctor, found out to be a woman, and was
discharged in 1868. She settled in Trinidad, Colorado, and ran an orphanage. She died at the age of
82, the only documented Black woman who served in
the U.S. army prior to the 1948 law that officially allowed women to join.
Henry Ossian Flipper was West Point's first Black
graduate (May 25, 1873) and America's first Black
officer. He was stationed
at Fort Elliott, Texas in
1879. Flipper was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and was assigned
to frontier duty with the
all-Black 10th U.S. Cavalry at Fort Sill, Oklahoma (Indian Territory).
In 1880, Lt. Flipper was
transferred to Fort Davis
with his company where
he became the post quartermaster and the acting
"commissary of subsistence," which meant that
he was in charge of housHenry Ossian Flipper
ing, supplies, and equipment for the fort. On
Sundays, Lt. Flipper and Mollie Dwyer, a white
woman from town, joined other officers and their ladies chasing coyotes and jackrabbits on the plains.
Almost immediately after one Colonel Shafter took
over command of the fort, he stripped Lieutenant
Flipper of his quartermaster duties. Shafter then
asked Flipper to move the commissary funds from
the quartermaster's safe to Flipper's quarters. The
chief commissary of the Department of Texas contacted Shafter, asking why July's money had not been
deposited as usual in the bank in San Antonio. Later
that evening, Shafter accused the army's only Black
officer of embezzling government funds and arrested
him. A court-martial, convened on September 17,
1881, in the Fort Davis chapel, lasted until December,
when the court found Flipper not guilty of embezzlement but guilty "of conduct unbecoming an officer and
gentleman," and sentenced him to be "dismissed from
the service of the United States." It was a harsh sentence, particularly in view of two prior cases involving
white officers who were found guilty of embezzlement
in which neither officer was dismissed nor dishonored. Flipper was dishonorably discharged on June
30, 1882. On February 19, 1999, President William
(Continued on page 8)
Page 7

(Continued from page 7)

Clinton awarded a pardon to Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper. The valor and exemplary service of the Buffalo
Soldiers did not end on the Western Frontier. They
went on to serve with Teddy Roosevelt and his "Rough
Riders" as they stormed up San Juan Hill (contrary to
political publicity of the time which had them
"prodded" up the hill). The Buffalo Soldiers served
with distinction under Harry Truman. Some went on
to become famous, such as John J. "Black Jack" Pershing who served with the Tenth Cavalry as a young
lieutenant. Because Lt. Pershing fought with the 10th
Cavalry and respected his men, he was given the nickname Black Jack (the nickname was meant to be a
slur to Lt. Pershing but he accepted it with pride).
They also fought and died in the First and Second
World Wars and the Koren Conflict.
The all-Black, and everproud 9th and 10th Calvary
Regiments were integrated
in 1952, eighty-six years
after being commissioned.
Many of the members of the
10th Cavalry Regiment settled in the Denver, Colorado, area. It was the end of
an era and the end of an
important saga of American
History.
On July 25, 1992, a bronze statue of mounted 9th
and 10th Cavalry troopers was unveiled at Fort
Leavenworth, Kansas. The purpose of the latter-day
10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, Inc., of which Mitch
Bart is a member, is to educate the public, especially
youngsters, about the true history of these worthy soldiers and their sacrifices and heroism and to show
that the United States is the best country in the world.

so do the members of the group. Their uniforms are

of heavyweight wool and they wear high-topped cavalry boots. The officers, for example, wear eagle-head
with winged-strap spurs, black "slouch" hats, white
gloves, sky blue trousers with yellow striping, dark
blue coats, and all other accoutrements that would
have been worn during the campaigns.
The group is composed entirely of ex-military personnel.
Most are combat veterans and most are retirees. Mr.
Bart, for instance, was a master sergeant. Some members were extras in the film "Buffalo Soldiers" starring
Danny Glover. Mr. Bart hopes to have his website
( http://www.10thuscav.org ) on the World Wide Web
around June of 2003.
The Eureka! Treasure Hunters Club
president, Jeff Lubbert, presented Mr.
Bart with a certificate of appreciation
at the end of his
presentation.
For further information about the Black troops in the
early West, read Buffalo Soldiers by William H.
Leckie, University of Oklahoma Press. This article
was compiled and edited by Dick Oakes.
From Soundoff, newsletter of the Eureka! Treasure
Hunters Club, April 2003

The group holds re-enactment battles and have even

"fought" a group of Indians in four re-enactment battles. They have "Drill and Ceremony" that includes a
sabre drill in which melons atop posts are sliced in
half at full gallop. Riders also try to snag three brass
rings from horseback with their sabres.
Because the Buffalo Soldiers wore the same uniforms
as the rest of the U.S. Army of the same time period,

Before You Buy That Metal Detector Handbook Check:

http://www.mdhtalk.org/articles/before-you-buy-hb/before-you-buy-handbook.pdf
Page 8

The News, January 2015

Shipwreck Found
Divers Locate Missing Shipwreck In
Great Lakes
By: Kara Gilmour
NewsOxi.com
December 29, 2014

shipwreck found in the Great Lakes is suspected to be Le Griffon, which is considered to

be the holy grail of wrecks lost in the Great
Lakes. The ship sunk in 1679 and has been missing
for more than 300 years, according to The Inquisiter.
But divers Kevin Dykstra and Frederick Monroe say
they believe they found the Griffon, and Dykstra said
he was four feet away from it.
We were literally in the water for a couple of hours
when we got a hit on the sonar

NOTICE
If you have an ad in the
online or newsletter
Trading Post please check
to see if it is still needed.
Let Rick Mattingly know
if it should be removed
please. Thanks!

When I was down there, I turned around and I was

literally four feet from this shipwreck and I never saw
it on my way down, so my return trip was quite fast.
The Griffon is only one of 2,000 shipwrecks in Lake
Michigan, but none have been more sought after this
gem. It was a French ship built by the explorer Le
Salle. The Griffin disappeared in northern Lake
Michigan during a storm on its maiden voyage after
leaving Green Bay, Wisconsin. Kevin Dykstra says
they have viewed the photos taken of the sunken vessel.
It really wasnt until we got back to a computer and
viewed the photos that I realized I very well could
have been photographing the Griffin Theres no
cables, no cabin and no smokestacks It almost
looked like the empty hull of a large canoe, and there
were no mechanical devices of any kind in the debris.
While the Le Griffon shipwreck may have been found,
Dykstra and Monroe set out on a diving expedition
three years ago. The divers say that if they had seen
the same image on their sonar, they wouldnt have
given it a second thought to dive down and investigate
it because it was so small, according to The Blaze.
Through extensive research, and consultations with
experts, Dykstra and Monroe have concluded that
they, in fact, found the Griffin.
We researched online to find a 17th-century French
(Continued on page 17)

The News, January 2015

Page 9

Calendar of Events
January Meeting
Wednesday, January 7. 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 "Cheyenne War: Indian Raids on the
Roads to Denver, 1864-1869 By Dr. Jeff Broom.

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

The News, January 2015

January 2015
Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

10

15

16

17

23

24

30

31

New Years Day

7
RMPTH Finds Program
& Social 6:00P
RMPTH Meeting 7:00P

11

12

13

14

RMPTH Board Meeting

6:00P

18

19

20

21

22
RMPTH 2015 Event
Planning Session 6:00P

25

26

27

28

29

February 2015
Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

12

13

RMPTH Finds Program

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

10

11

RMPTH Board Meeting

6:00P

15

16

14
Valentines Day

17

18

19

20

21

24

25

26

27

28

Presidents Day

22
The News, January 2015

23

Page 11

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.

Page 12

The News, January 2015

Colorado Minerals
Minerals Produced In Colorado and Their Uses

ost folks don't spend much time thinking

about where their food comes from or what
went into the manufacture of their houses,
homes and computers, just to name a few examples.
Yet the National Mining Association states that the
average American consumes about 40,000 pounds of
minerals each year. Many of these minerals are produced right here in Colorado and are used in everything from stainless steel sinks and cement sidewalks
to cars and computers. These are some of the minerals produced in Colorado and their uses::
Coal - is a very complex and diverse energy source. It
is a combustible material formed from the remains of
trees, ferns, and other plants that existed and died
during the time of the dinosaurs. There are four basic
varieties: lignite, bituminous, subbituminous, and
anthracite. Most of the reserves in Colorado are of the
subbituminous and bituminous variety, and are used
for generating electricity. Coal is the most widely
used, inexpensive source of electricity. It is used to
supply approximately 72% of Colorado's electricity
needs.
Gold - is used in dentistry and medicine; in jewelry
and arts; in medallions and coins; in ingots as a store
of value; for scientific and electronic instruments; for
computers; as an electrolyte in the electroplating industry. Leading producers are South Africa, U.S.,
Australia, Brazil, Canada, China and CIS. The major
gold producer in Colorado is the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company's (CC & V) Cresson Mine
approximately 1 hour west of Colorado Springs in the
historic Cripple Creek Mining District.
Gypsum - is processed and used in a prefabricated
wallboard or an industrial or building plaster. It is
also used in cement manufacture, agriculture and
other uses. American Gypsum Company's Eagle Gypsum Mine in Gypsum, Colorado, produced approximately 620,000 tons of gypsum ore in 2004.
Limestone & Marble - Limestone is a rock consisting
mainly of calcium carbonate, often composed of the
organic remains of sea animals, such as mollusks,
corals, etc., and is used as building stone, a source of
lime, etc. When crystallized by heat and pressure it
becomes marble. Colorado marble was used in the
construction of our national monuments, including
the Tomb of the Unknowns and the Lincoln Memorial.
The News, January 2015

Molybdenum - is used in alloy steels (47% of all uses)

to make automotive parts, construction equipment,
gas transmission pipes, stainless steels (21%); tool
steels (9%); cast irons (7%); super alloys (7%); and
chemicals and lubricants (8%). As a pure metal, molybdenum is used because of its high melting temperatures (4,730 degrees F), as filament supports in
light bulbs, metalworking dies and furnace parts.
Colorado molybdenum is used in the construction of
automobile safety airbags and as an agent for removing sulfur from crude oil.
Nahcolite (Sodium Bicarbonate) - The Green Mineral. Nacholite is used in baking soda, toothpaste and
food industries. It is Colorado's "green" mineral, used
in industrial applications to protect the environment.
It is also used in glass container manufacture; in fiberglass and specialty glass; in liquid detergents; in
medicine; and as a food additive, just to name a few
uses. Colorado is home to the only pure sodium bicarbonate (nahcolite) deposits in the United States.
Silver - is used in photography, chemistry, jewelry; in
electronics because of its very high conductivity; as
currency, usually as an alloy; in lining vats and other
equipment for chemical reaction vessels, water distillation, etc.; as a catalyst in the manufacture of ethylene; in mirrors; silver plating; table cutlery; dental,
medical and scientific equipment; bearing metal; magnet windings; brazing alloys, and solder. Mined in 56
countries, silver's largest reserves are in the U.S.,
Canada, Mexico, Peru and CIS.
Titanium - is a metal used mostly in jet engines, airframes, and space and missile applications. Colorado
is home to the largest titanium resource in the United
States, the White Earth Project near Gunnison, Colorado.
Uranium - is used in the production of clean, emission free nuclear energy, which accounts for 20% of
the electricity generated in the U.S.
Source: Facts about Minerals, National Mining Association

Page 13

Family Treasure
Hunters
Orlando Fla. (Reuters)

"It's priceless, unique, one of a kind," said Brent

Brisben, operations manager for 1715 Fleet
Queens Jewels, which owns rights to the wreckage, located in 15-foot (4.5-meter) deep Atlantic
Ocean waters.

Schmitt, who lives near Orlando, last year discovered about $300,000 worth of gold coins and
chains from the same wreckage, Brisben said.
Schmitt's parents have hunted for sunken treasure as a hobby for a decade.

Florida family scavenging for sunken

treasure on a shipwreck has found the
missing piece of a 300-year-old gold filigree necklace sacred to Spanish priests, officials
said on Tuesday.
Eric Schmitt, a professional salvager, was scavenging with his parents when he found the crumpled, square-shaped ornament on a leisure trip to
hunt for artifacts in the wreckage of a convoy of
11 ships that sank in 1715 during a hurricane off
central Florida's east coast.
After the discovery last month, a team of Spanish
historians realized the piece fit together with another
artifact recovered 25 years ago. It formed an accessory called a pyx, worn on a chain around a
high priests neck to carry the communion host.
The dollar value is uncertain.

By law, the treasure will be placed into the custody of the U.S. District Court in South Florida,
Brisben said.
The state of Florida may take possession of up to
20 percent of the find. The rest will be split evenly
between Brisben's company and the Schmitt family.
(Editing by Letitia Stein and Sandra Maler)

A gold Pyx from the late 1600s is seen in an undated handout photo.

Page 14

The News, January 2015

GOLD RUSH SOURDOUGH STARTER & BISCUITS

SOURDOUGH STARTER
3 cups warm potato water
3 cups flour
1 package yeast
1 1/2 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Boil 2-3 large potatoes which have been diced and washed. Drain 3 cups
of water into a bowl. Dissolve the yeast in warm water. Blend in flour
sifted with sugar and salt. Cover and let stand in a warm area for several
days. When the starter is smelly and bubbly, store in refrigerator, covered.
Before using, remove from the refrigerator and put back into a warm place
to "work". It may help to get dough working again by adding a cup each of
flour and warm water. This starter should be used once a week or the
yeast may die. Always add an equal amount of flour and warm water after
using. NOTE: Never use a metal container for the starter.
SOURDOUGH BISCUITS
1/2 cup sourdough starter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
extra flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp melted butter
Remove starter from refrigerator several hours ahead of time and mix with
flour and water as indicated in starter recipe above. Just before baking,
mix salt, baking soda, butter and enough flour to form a firm dough.
Lightly knead and spread out to 1/2" thickness. Cut out biscuits with a
biscuit cutter. Put on baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake at
450 degrees for about 10 minutes. Serve. Makes 10-12 biscuits.
Ghostseekers
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/vikkigray/recipe.htm

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 970-613-8968
or rickmatt@q.com
The News, January 2015

Page 15

Trading Post
FOR SALE: Whites MXT. Lightly used. Price includes fabric carrying case. Asking $400.00. Call 303 747 2305 or
e-mail edmaiedwards@aol.com
WANTED: By NRA Card Holding Law Abiding Private
Citizen. Colt S&W Ruger Taurus .357 Wheel Gun/
Revolver for Home/Personal Defense. If you have a
Collectors Item, Please keep it. Im looking for a gun
to shoot/Not display. LMK what ya got. Thanks.
970.222.2323
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

The News, January 2015

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

(Continued from page 9)

Griffin, and the one we came up with, I over-layed on

top of the photo [I took of the Griffin carving on the
front of the ship] and it was really impressive So
its either a 100-to-1 odds that the front of the ship
looks exactly like a griffin, and I dont know how that
can happen by coincidence, and to know that the
wood carvers that built the Griffin carved the likeness
of a Griffin in the front of the ship, it kind of lends
itself towards that.
For Dykstra and Monroe, finding this ship wasnt in
their plans. In fact, both will tell you that this sunken
vessel got in the way of what they were really searching for that day. Le Griffon shipwreck may have been
found, they stumbled upon it as they were looking for
$2 million dollars in gold bullion that is somewhere
at the bottom of Lake Michigan. In the late 1800s,
there were box cars crossing the Great Lakes, and
some of those box cars were pushed off from car ferries that were hauling them to save the ferries in bad
storms.
Dykstra and Monroe say $2 million of Confederate
gold coins were being smuggled in one of those box
cars that was shoved off the side of the ferry. During
other dives in the area, Dykstra and Monroe have
seen broken box cars laying at the bottom of Lake
Michigan.
They both feel theyre getting closer to solving a bigger
mystery than the Griffin.
Dykstra and Monroe say that they waited three years
to go public with their discovery of the Griffin because
they wanted to contact as many experts as possible to
review their pictures and video, and do enough research to make sure.
As the Le Griffon shipwreck may have been found, it
comes with a prize. Le Griffon was constructed and
launched near Cayuga Creek on the Niagara River as a
seven-cannon, 45-ton barque. La Salle and Father
Louis Hennepin set out on the Le Griffons maiden
voyage on August 7, 1679 with a crew of 32, sailing
across Lake Erie, Lake Huron and Lake Michigan
through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored, notes USA Today. La Salle disembarked, and on September 18 sent the ship back toward Niagara. However, on its return trip from Green
Bay, Wisconsin, it vanished with all six crew members
and a load of furs.

Offer Your Assistance To Any

Of Our Program Coordinators
The News, January 2015

Page 17

Rocky Mountain Prospectors and Treasure Hunters Club

2015 Schedule of Events
Month

Meeting Program

Trip/Activity

January

Battery Facts
By Batteries Plus

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

February

Found Explosives Safety

By Rick Mattingly

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

March

Gold Wheel Recovery

By Darrel Koleber

Colorado School of Mines Museum Tour

Internet Research Clinic - Rick Mattingly

April

Crack, Crevasse Prospecting

By Bryon Morgan

Prospecting & Detecting Clinic at Lions Park Advertised and Open to the Public
Phoenix Mine Tour Idaho Springs

May

Geophysics and Excavation of Alonzo

Allen Cabin Site Near Allenspark
By Heidi Short

Clear Creek Gold Outing

Lets Go Gold Panning On The Arkansas Event GPOC

June

Metal Detecting
By Rick Mattingly & Paul Mayhak

July

Wyoming Prospecting
By Wayne SutherlandWSGS

Eldora Ski Resort Detector Outing - Robert Crain

Clear Creek Gold Outing - Darrel Koleber

August

The Great Diamond Hoax

By Rick Mattingly

Off-Road Detector Outing

Vics Gold Panning Outing

September

Bottle Hunting
By Rick Mattingly

Annual Coin & Prize Hunt

Fort Laramie Wyoming Tour
Denver Colorado Gem & Mineral Show

October

Emergency Planning
By Light House Ready

Grassland Detector Outing

November

Annual Show & Tell &

Silent Auction

No Trip/Activity Scheduled

December

Annual Find of the Year Awards &

Christmas Party

Flatirons Mineral Club & Model Train Show

P
e
l
u
d
e
h
Sc

g
n
i
d
en

Clear Creek Gold Outing

Diamond Hunt Outing
State Annual Gold Panning Championships

Good Hunting in 2015!

Page 18

The News, January 2015

Rocky Mountain
Prospectors & Treasure Hunters
Contact List
RMPTH Coordinators

Home

E-Mail

President

Bud Yoder

Interim Vice President

Shane Manenti

1-970-590-9183

manentiwe2@msn.com

Treasurer

Dick & Sharon French

1-970-482-2110

dickyf99@centurylink.net

Secretary

Rick Mattingly

1-970-613-8968

rickmatt@q.com

Rick Mattingly

1-970-613-8968

rickmatt@q.com

Rick Mattingly

1-970-613-8968

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

1-970-613-8968

rickmatt@q.com

Club Historian

Volunteer Needed

Club Meeting Greeter

Barbara Schuldt

1-970-407-1336

Club Librarian

Joe Johnston

1-303-696-6950

Club Photo Librarian

Volunteer Needed

Meeting Setup

Jim Friedricks

1-970-590-9183

Door Prize

Paul Mayhak
Johnny Berndsen

1-970-482-7846
1-970-667-1006

pjmcolo@q.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

bydu812@yahoo.com

The News Staff

Editor-in-Chief
Internet Web Site
Web Master
Volunteers/Coordinators

cjoej1@peoplepc.com

General Information Contact: Rick Mattingly at 1-970-613-8968

Visit RMPTH on the Internet at: http://rmpth.com

Lets Go For The Gold !

The News, January 2015

Page 19

The News
Rocky Mountain Prospectors &
Treasure Hunters Club
278 Sierra Vista Drive
Fort Collins, CO. 80524

JANUARY, 2015 ISSUE