Hey there, greenhorn here. I’ve known about gold mining for years, and decided to do more in depth research over the last few months and realized even if I live in Houston, Texas I can still mine gold! So I’m really interested in buying equipment, getting out there, learning, mining, and basically spending a season out there in other states. Would a class like yours be open to me?

Hello
Absolutely our class would be available. Are you thinking on coming out to Southern California to our claim? If so please contact me and we will make sure you have all of your questions answered and you get the prospecting information you will need to find color!
I can be reached at

www.Placerpetesgoldcamp.com

or

Placerpetesoutings@outlook.com

I hope to hear from you very soon

Looks interesting. I got on the mailing list although I am already committed for those dates.

Kevin I'm just north of you in Montgomery. I you ever care to meet up drop me a line. My gmail is MDTAYLORLRIM

Great Mark.
Since most of our events are in the spring, fall and winter (the desert is hot in the summer of course) we hope to see you at an upcoming outing or class in the near future. We are planning our advanced prospecting course ( 3 days) for the near future, probably in early to mid May. Thanks for joining the mailing list. Good luck and may your pan always have color.

Steve, Thank you, ive looked more into it and have seen that its dry washing in the desert, as well as you need to pay for your spot daily?. Would be nice, but im planning on buying a gold hog highbanker and was wanting to start off with that and learning to run material with water. I will undoubtedly attend one of your courses, but id want to get my feet wet first in the waters prospecting. Then again its not too late for me to buy a dry wash plant lol. Im keeping my options open.

Mark, thats actually really great. I saw its a little over an hour from where i am here in Houston so id be happy to meet up. Im wanting to meet more prospectors here in Texas, maybe even do a trip here in Texas with fellow prospectors before i go all out and head to other state(s) for months. As i said im wanting to spend a season traveling the states mining for gold and hopefully pull in around 2 ounces a month. I know the goal is pretty high and a bit of a long shot, but ive also learned if you have a bit of knowledge, and perseverance, you can make it happen. (If anyone has a reality check hit me with it now lol) Anyways im getting off track, ill send you an email, we'll talk more on there brother.

Hi Kevin and Mark
Thanks for the interest in our Upcoming activity in the desert. I would like to encourage both of you to sign up for our mailing list again. It seems that there was an error in the web site regarding the email address. This has been fixed but unfortunately your email address was not sent to us to add you to our list. If you could please give it one more shot I will make sure you get onto our list. Thanks

www.placerpetesgoldcamp.com


As far a desert versus river prospecting well I really enjoy both however in California it's a bit difficult to do any water prospecting beyond shovel and sluice box unless you are 300 feet / yards? (Don't exactly remember) from the water source. So please make sure you are following the rules before starting out on an adventure you may not be able to fulfill.

Thanks again

What are the accomadation near by? I have a small camper and generally just try to stay on the claim.

Recently rejoined the GPAA
I’m interested in coming out to the Placer Pete claim with the wife & grandkids.
Couple of questions:
1) Is it cool to bring out my Lab puppy. I know seems like a stupid question being in the middle of nowhere but I don’t want to make the trip and piss off the claim owners.
2) is the somewhere nearby to park my motor home? My wife isn’t into roughing it & to be honest I’ve gotten softer in recent years.

Hi Jeff
Welcome. You are certainly welcomed to our event. There spots for motorhome/trailers on the claim. Dogs have been out to the claim as well but be advised there are desert critter out there as well. If you are new to the GPAA and to prospecting I did encourage you to attend our beginners class it does help alot to getting you on the gold. Please feel free to email me directly with your questions or even better yet give me a call. The web site
Www.placerpetesgoldcamp.com is also helpful in reaching me. Hope to see you at the claim.

Hello Mike
Campers are welcome on the claim however it is in the middle of the desert, easy to get to but it is a dry claim with no water or facilities. I hope this helps. Hope to see you at the claim.

Hi All
Our next Placer Pete Outing is coming up in May
May 19th - 23rd
Come on out to the claim and try your luck at prospecting any time during this week. There is of course no cost for this outing. Keep what you find. There is always color on Placer Pete's.
May 22-23
Pete's Beginner class
May 22 – 23, 2021
Learn the basics of desert prospecting from equipment set up to gold recovery desert style. Learn the basics of how to read the land and what to look for when looking for a place to dig. Learn how to determine the value of your prospect hole. Join us in the evening and get all of your questions answered! Of course keep all the gold you find! Reservations required, limited number of participants (about 6).

May 21 – 23, 2021
Placer Pete's Advanced Class
Our first advanced mining class of the year. Will cover advanced topics like reading the land, how to sample, determine your dig spot, how to file a claim, how to do prospecting research, equipment tuning, how to know what your take home gold value really is. This is a 3 day class. Day 1 is sessions on filing a claim, research, tools, study of the land, what to look for in the land, what are layers and why are they important, learn the different land topography. Day 2 is class selection of a spot, prospecting holes, study of the claim, how to set up your dig site, how deep should I dig and other activities. Prospect holes will be developed and sampling taken. Then you chose your spot for you full day dig. Discover other valuable strategies for preparing for and executing a desert mining trip. An overview of metal detecting will also be presented. Day 3 is a 1 full day of prospecting on your own (with aid from the instructors). Of course you keep all the gold you find.
All classes require a RSVP since space is limited. If you just want to come out and find some of the Placer Pete Gold, great - see you out there.
You can RSVP through our web site
www.placerpetesgoldcamp.com

Our Octoberfest outing in October (20th – 25TH ) is coming AND WE HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU OUT AT THE CLAIM! This the second time the event is being held. Please come on out and find some Placer Pete Gold and share a story or two! We sure would like to know if you will be coming out so we can prepare for your visit! If you plan on visiting us this year please drop us a quick note and tell us you will be coming to the event. A simple response is all we ask. Also if you are still planning to attend on of our classes please let us know that as well! We hope your summer is golden and again we look forward to renewing our prospecting experience with all of our Friends of Placer Pete. Please feel free to pass this along to anyone you feel would be interested.

Thanks and hope to hear from you soon.
Steve and Phil

Hi Friends of Placer Pete.
Just got back from the claim and despite the very hot weather limiting our dig time and increasing our relaxation time we did pretty well. Our payout was one gram for 10 hours of digging over 3 days. The claim is certainly paying good Karma to those who venture out to the clam in the summer time!
Hey - don't forget the upcoming the upcoming Octoberfest outing at the claim! We hope to see you there.

With more folks attending than ever before the Placer Pete outing was very well received. A great group of people worked with us to find some of the precious gold on the property. Everyone working with either the claim owners and other experienced friends of Placer Pete did well in their hunt for gold. The claim gave, once again, about $8 to $15 per yard. The campfires and Saturday party were well attended. Some of the participants did decide to venture out on their own and may not have done as well. Some unfortunately decided to dig in holes that are being reclaimed and their success was not as bountiful as the rest of the folks. That is the nature of the beast I suppose. We even had a first-time metal detector find her first piece of gold! That was great to hear. All in all, we had a wonderful time with the folks at the outing and we look forward to seeing them again at our next outing in early spring next year. Have a great day.

Hi all, Placer Pete still has gold from "fly Poop' to 14.5 g nuggets! From Dry washing to metal detecting Pete loves giving up the gold. We are having our next Placer Pete outing on March 24th 2022 - March 27th 2022. We hope for great weather and loads of gold and fun. If you are interested let us know. See additional data on the web site at www.Placerpetesgoldcamp.com . Happy hunting

Short update
Beginners class is sold out

Our March Placer Pete outing was our most attended by far. We had multiple Clubs in attendance and more than 10 new to prospecting! As usual the folks who Drywashed faired better than those who metal detected, but all in all gold was still to be found at Placer Pete. With multiple folks attending we had prospectors all over the claim. We even had on prospector decide that it was time for the family to get their own claim. Our best wishes to them. The Saturday Pot Luck dinner was spectacular with great food and attendance. Pete's gold was in the fine to picker category . No reports of nuggets found this time around. The weather was wonderful with only a bit of a breeze disrupting us in the evening hours. Typical desert weather for March. All in all, this outing was a huge success.

Just for your information Phil and I will be out that the Claim the last week in June 2022 for a bit of prospecting and hopefully some mining to boot. Come on out and say Hi if you are in the neighborhood!

Hey Steve,

First off, thanks for your generosity regarding the claim. I am new to the gpaa but have visited Pete a couple times now since becoming a member. I live very local to the claim and would love to come out and say hello. Are you guys going to be out there the weekend of the 25-26 by any chance?

Jordan

Hi Jordan
Phil and I will be there this upcoming weekend. We will be there late Saturday and through the following Wednesday. Please stop by and say hi!

Hi Jordan
Phil and I will be there this upcoming weekend. We will be there late Saturday and through the following Wednesday. Please stop by and say hi!

Hi Jordan
Phil and I will be there this upcoming weekend. We will be there late Saturday and through the following Wednesday. Please stop by and say hi!

Hi Jordan
Phil and I will be there this upcoming weekend. We will be there late Saturday and through the following Wednesday. Please stop by and say hi!

Hi everyone, It was great to see everyone at the Pomona Gold Show. Now that the show is over we have a big announcement regarding our upcoming Oktoberfest at the claim. This year's Oktoberfest will feature Kevin Hoagland and other GPAA folks. They will be coming out to conduct classes for all skill levels during the outing. Keven says He "may have at that time [Placer Pete's Oktoberfest] something special to share with everyone there, not a promise but it is a goal ..." The outing is again free to those who attend. Classes from metal detecting and Drywashing to Fine gold recovery and prospecting will be offered. You will also get a chance to "Walk the Claim" with the Claim owners. Always a great way to get the low down on the claim itself. To attend we request that you sign up through the www.Placerpetesgoldcamp.com web site and let us know you are coming. There is plenty of camping area and the roads to the claim is wide and and a bit bumpy but very navigable with a two wheel drive car or a large RV or trailer. The event will be held on October 7 - 9 at the Placer Pete Claim. Classes start at 10:30 Friday and continue through Sunday. Of course, you are are welcomed to just go out on your own and find some Placer Pete gold for yourself. Don't forget the Saturday Night Oktoberfest Pot Luck. We hope you can make it. Steve and Phil

I have been asked questions regarding the upcoming Oktoberfest outing at the Placer Pete Claim October 7th - 10th. Most seemed interested in what classes will be offered. Although a finalized list has not been completed at this time here is a good look at what we are currently planning:

Walk the claim with the owner
Introduction to Drywashing
Metal Detecting (Hosted by Kevin Hoagland)
Fine Gold Recovery
Prospect from home
How to sample
Basics on how to file a claim
(Others being considered)

There will also be a Saturday Potluck and Campfire

Come on out and enjoy the fun - use our website to sign up! There is no cost.

Thank you to all who have signed up for the event. It really helps us with our planning. The calendar of events for the 3 days is still being developed but I am able to offer this update. The GPAA’s Kevin Hoagland is the author of a bi-monthly article in the Gold Prospectors magazine named Where’s the Gold. We have asked Kevin to use Placer Pete as an area to conduct a Where’s the Gold session and he has agreed. You too can now be directly involved in a Where’s the Gold segment hosted by Kevin Hoagland on the Placer Pete’s Claim. All you need to do is to just show up for the Oktoberfest event and join Kevin on his hunt for gold on the Placer Pete Claim! We haven’t finalized the schedule yet. I will get that to all of the folks coming within the next few weeks. Please remember to sign up for the event through the web site, www.placerpetesgoldcamp.com to receive your invitation. Come on out and join Kevin in a Where’s the Gold adventure.
Hope to see you at the claim.
Steve and Phil

Will there be access to any water out there or should I bring my drum full? Can we camp any where or is there a designated spot to camp I have signed up for the Octoberfest at the web site you provided I hope I did it right

I am coming out to October fest signed up on phone not sure it went through this will be my first event im going to.not sure what equipment I need to will need to bring.

Hi Steven
I will check to make aure you are on our list for the upcoming Oktoberfest at the Placer Pete claim. First of all there is no water available at the claim. We are in the desert and it is a dry claim. You can camp anywhere you wish but it is recommended that in order to get to know other prospectors that camping in the general area as others will be beneficial. As far as equipment goes the best thing to do is to give me a call at 714-658-7972. I'll be glad to answer your questions. Hope to see you at the claim.
Steve

Hi I’m wayne eggleston I would like to put your Octoberfest event along with Victor Baker. Thanks

Exciting News
The Prospectors Club of Southern California (PCSC) has agreed to join the upcoming Octoberfest Event. On Saturday October 8th at 3:30 pm they will be conducting a Coin and Nugget Hunt. These are always fun and the metal detectorists can hunt in a seeded area for goodies. There may be a nominal donation requested to offset the hunt cost, see the PCSC folks at the event for more details. Just another great reason to join our placer Pete’s Octoberfest.
Make sure you have registered for the event at www.placerpetesgoldcamp.com
See you at the Claim
Steve / Phil

Steve my friend gene bitters phone #7028098984 no email thanks

Hi everyone
We are getting close to the upcoming Placer Pete's Outing on October7th - 10th. Just wanted to pass along that if you have signed up for the event by September 6th you should have received a copy of the agenda and confirmation that we have you registered for the event. If not, well, we need your help. Some folks have asked to join the event but their email is not responding, or they didn't put their name in the signup form or haven't responded to direct emails from us with questions regarding their registration. If you believe you should be registered and some error has occurred between us please resend your your sign up request and we will get to you right away with your event agenda. Thanks for your help
Steve.

Just a reminder
Last day to register for the Oktoberfest is September 25th
See you there
Steve

Oktoberfest at the Placer Pete Claim was a huge success.
We had over 50 folks attend and we all had a great time. We had the GPAA (Kevin Hoagland), several members from the Prospectors Club of California, some very accomplished prospectors and many new folks to the hobby in attendance. The Oktoberfest themed potluck was a huge success as was the "In your face Blueberry beer" brewed by Phil and I. Look forward to next year. Our next outing should be in March for .... wait for it ....... St Patrick's day!
Hope you all find color in your pan
Steve

March 2023 Placer Pete Outing Announced March 24th - March 26th
Our March Outing will be a hands on, work with experienced miners 3 day event. Claim owners, experienced miners and Kevin Hoagland from the GPAA will work directly with you to help you with your equipment setup, locate your "Golden Spot", make sure everything is operating efficiently and tuned to the desert environment. We will work with your while you are detecting or drywashing. Heck we will even help you shovel if needed. There is even time for both. Special coin hunting event sponsored by the PCSC will be held as well as a Saturday night Potluck, Campfire with giveaways. Also, announcing for the first time, a special a "Find the treasure at the end of the Rainbow" team event requiring all your prospecting skills and a great treasure for the first team to find the Pot of Gold.
Keep all the gold you find

Register at the www.placerpetesgoldcamp.com
Web site

Hope to see you all out there
Steve

Thanks Steve!
I Joined the email list to insure I receive more info and updates. Affordability is my only concern as a COLA has been assured, but not yet received. It would be my new Tacoma “Amazing Grace’s” first mining trip!
I’m not yet as good as I will be, but I know my limitations. Rebuilding again! I assisted at an Italian Bar common dig and enjoy the ability to educate within my experience level, and willing to do any job in support of the experience as a volunteer too.
We can talk further later rather than typing a resume!
Scott 🤠👍🇺🇸

ETA, Only a “Greenhorn” on the board and friends know me as “Candy Ass” 😉

Hi Scott
Looking forward to chatting with you about the event. I hope it works into your schedule. You can reach me at 714-658-7972 if you have time to chat
Steve

Greetings Steve and Phil. Hope you are all doing well and sure miss seeing you guys out on the claim and watching you use new inventions to make gold recovery easier. It was a privilege when you asked me to go over your tailings and excited when you found your first nugget with the Gold Monster. I also miss the early morning hours prospecting, the Kit Fox that stole my headphones, and watching the sun coming up. I read about your Octoberfest and it looked like lots of fun and a great success. Really enjoyed the GPAA outing, "Where's the Gold?" on Placer Pete. This was my favorite "go to" claim and found 370 nuggets on your claim, from pinhead to 1/4 ounce, and yes there were days getting skunked. So, there is gold there. Following your adventures from AZ, near Congress and Stanton. Thanks. Dan

Greetings Steve and Phil. Hope you are all doing well and sure miss seeing you guys out on the claim and watching you use new inventions to make gold recovery easier. It was a privilege when you asked me to go over your tailings and excited when you found your first nugget with the Gold Monster. I also miss the early morning hours prospecting, the Kit Fox that stole my headphones, and watching the sun coming up. I read about your Octoberfest and it looked like lots of fun and a great success. Really enjoyed the GPAA outing, "Where's the Gold?" on Placer Pete. This was my favorite "go to" claim and found 370 nuggets on your claim, from pinhead to 1/4 ounce, and yes there were days getting skunked. So, there is gold there. Following your adventures from AZ, near Congress and Stanton. Thanks. Dan

Hi Dan
Great to hear from you, I truly hope all is well in Az.
Our March outing is going well, it is already 90% filled. Sure wish you could join us. Stay well and good luck with your prospecting!
Steve

This event is now 90% filled. If you plan on attending you may want to register very soon
Steve

Oktoberfest 2023 is coming
This year's event is bigger than ever. We are offering many mining activities . This is our last event for 2023. Don't miss out. We are at over 40% capacilty already. Sign up at our web site:

www.placerpetesgoldcamp.com

Events scheduled to be provided

Kevin Hoagland
Special Guest Kevin Hoagland from the GPAA will work directly with you to help you with your equipment setup, locate your "Golden Spot", make sure everything is operating efficiently and tuned to the desert environment.

Garrett Field Demonstrations
Steve Moore and Bob Richardson from Garrett Mining will conduct Field Mining Demonstrations with the Axiom and Goldmaster 24k detectors.
Users can come and go during that period. Several gold targets will be planted so you can understand the tones and operation. Basic instructions on how to use these detectors will be offered, and then you go “hands on” to learn how to scan the test targets.

When the Garrett session is not in process, Garrett is offering a chance to test drive one of their detectors. Go find open land and detect away. Bring back what you find and enter it into the best find contest.

Kevin Bell
We really hate black sand at Placer Pete's. We do have a lot of it on the claim. It's annoying to remove our gold from this stuff. Kevin Bell (GPAA State Director) has your answer. He will be offering his course on fine gold recovery. This is one you don't want to miss if you are interested in recovering more gold!

Allan Guthmiller
Special guest and inventor Allan Guthmiller with the Gold Rattler will be there to demonstrate his desert wash plant.
We will be conducting a special Pete and Gold Rattler challenge on Saturday. Come and help us process 1 yard of Pete's material through the Gold Rattler and then process the header and tailings pile to see what we may have missed!

PCSC Coin Hunt
A Special coin hunting event sponsored by the PCSC will be held. Find the treasures with your metal detectors and win prizes. There is a minimal donation for the PCSC coin hunt.

Chris Undertakings
Social Influencer and Placer Pete's mining class graduate Chris Undertaking will be there to help with your mining adventure and you may even get into one of his You tube videos!

PCSC President Joe Chmiel
Prospectors Club of Southern California (PCSC) President and owner of advanced mining equipment Joe Chmiel
will be here on to help hone your metal detecting skills.

Mining Adventures
Various
Beginning Drywashing
Advanced Drywashing
Metal Detecting
Sampling
Mining Topography
Mining Research
Filing a claim
Land Value
Many More......

Famous Placer Pete's Oktoberfest Potluck
Join us on Saturday night for our German Themed Potluck (we provide the Brats and Kraut), you bring what you can and we'll have a great feast. Pete's is famous for our Potlucks and this one will be no different! Yes, we are brewing up a beer special for this event. Join us for our home brewed Oktoberfest beer sure to really make this potluck spectacular!

The Secret Miner
Meet your fellow prospectors with this Placer Pete event. Find out about the folks at the event and you maybe able to identify the Secret Miners. At the campfire we will reveal clues about the secret miners and if you know who they are you win!

Saturday Night Campfire
Weather permitting a good ol' campfire on Saturday night with the reveal of the secret miners and skits from Placer Pete himself!

Sunday Oktoberfest Team Treasure Hunt
For the first time a special "Oktoberfest Pub Crawl (non -alcoholic of course)" team event requiring all your prospecting skills to help your team find the buried treasure will be conducted. Build your team for this Sunday activity. This is sure to be even better than the May event.
This event will include a special Garrett Metal Detecting Station in which the Use of a Garrett GM24k (Available at the station) is required. Learn a new machine and help your way to the map with the treasure!

Mining Results
Remember - Keep all the gold you find. Make sure you get your finds weighed.
Donations to the Claim owners to help keep the claim open is greatly appreciated.

The Placer Pete's Oktoberfest is now over 50% full. Sign up soon. Don't miss out!