Small Scale Miners in Olympia:

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1 BEDROCK-NEWS THE OFFICICIAL QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE BEDROCK PROSPECTORS CLUB April, May, June 2017 MONTHLY MEETING PLACE PUYALLUP MASONIC HALL 1005 West Pioneer Ave. HELD ON THE THIRD MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH 7:30 pm 9:30 pm Small Scale Miners in Olympia: We spent the better part of the day giving testimony and showing our support for those that talked in opposition at the hearing for HB 1077 and HB 1106 in Olympia on Jan. 17 th. We defeated these two bills, but need to keep our eyes open for future challenges. Well Done Everybody!! Originally, HB 5228 was about adding additional words around the definition of a hydraulic project. The old definition didn t specify where a hydraulic project was defined, but left it unclear so that it could include any work that that will use, divert, obstruct, or change the natural flow or bed of any of the salt or freshwaters of the state. The new definition specifies that a hydraulic project s work is at or below the ordinary high water line. (See the last paragraph about the substitute bill SSB5228.) WDFW has been pushing to expand their jurisdiction to areas above the ordinary high water line. WDFW had introduced a bill HB 1428 that would have greatly expanded their jurisdiction through redefining hydraulic project location, HPA fees, allowed tribal to carry out habitat improvement plans on other than tribal lands, fined HPA users that do not use the electronic system, etc. This bill did not make it out of the system. Once HB5228 hit the senate floor and into committee, there was an attempt to re introduce the defeated HB1428 by appending it to the HB5228 bill. The final result is a new bill SSB5228 that requires the legislature to review and define HPA program jurisdiction. This will be the first time in a long time that the legislature will be reviewing the current HPA program. The small scale mining community is not the only entities crying foul about the current system. Monroe Gold Show: The Monroe Gold Show was a big success for the club and Colleen Zimmerman (Miner Mom). The club signed up 13 new members at the show, renewed 26 memberships, and broke the winter time hum drums with a weekend long visit with old friends. We also sold 10 suction screens to a local vendor.

2 Miner Mom had a big grin plastered on her face as she had nearly all of her miner sons there plus a member and his wife of the Todd Hoffman gang as her guest. Randy (AKA Mr. Fixit) and Katie Hubler visited the show, signed autographs and must have posed with fans for hundreds of pictures. They signed pictures, sweatshirts, tee shirts, shook hands and visited with lots of folks throughout both days! Blewett Mining District: The Blewett Mining District was reformed during the Monroe Gold Show. We had about attendees at the meeting and voted to reform the district. We elected A President (Bruce Pedlar), Vice President (Mike Dunican), and Secretary (Debbie Lueder). The next meeting will be at The Cashmere Gold Show. The new Bylaws are still a work in progress, but Dennis Petersen is working with the district to help get them finalized. Puyallup GPAA Gold Show: The GPAA Gold Show was on March and Bedrock had a booth. We had one raffle for a gold nugget and talked with lots of folks about our April show. The show also had Mike Pung (Gold Cube manufacturer and inventor) along with Dave Urick (Spin It Off manufacturer and inventor). Both of them were busy with attendees except for when they stopped long enough for this picture. One of our members getting the SCOOP

3 Andy Herndon Speaker: We had Andy Herndon, Potato Patch Mine, at our March club meeting and got ourselves introduced to drift and open pit placer mining. He did a super job describing his operation, some of the pitfalls, and relating his mining experience with the members. He also brought along o few of his friends for everyone to see! It was a fun and interesting meeting and we are looking forward to more of the same! Au Grabber meeting the young ones! There were lots of old and new faces wandering around. You just never knew for sure who you d run into next. We had a big crowd around our booth all weekend and everyone had a lot of fun. Saddle Mountain Rock Trip: We had about 20 people on our Saddle Mountain petrified wood trip. We had beautiful weather on site, but the trip from the west side was pretty lousy with rain and snow. Everyone got petrified wood some pieces were bigger than others. Jim got another new hat?

4 Here s another of Vic Pisoni s stories about a local Blewett mining legend: A.W. PURDY'S MOONSHINE OPERATION, 1919 A.W. Purdy, an Irish immigrant miner, was first noted mining in Washington State in He had the Big Elephant group of six claims up Falls Creek in northern Chelan County. In 1919, A.W. Purdy was a Blewett resident miner who owned and operated a prospective gold mine in the area. But, he was arrested August 22 by Revenue Officer H. D. Merritt and Deputy Sheriff Lou Nordyke for being in possession of an illicit liquor making still. The federal liquor Prohibition Act began November 3, 1914, in Washington State. Purdy said he was following a white quartz vein throughout the mining season, but gold was insufficient to support his needs it didn't pan out. Within his claim boundary was a rich abundance of spring and creek water. So being the experienced adult beverage consumer that he was (as were his friends and their friends and their friends' friends), Purdy sensed the need for a close source of the illegal elixir to accommodate him and all of the friends' needs. He got the things he needed and started cooking up a batch of red eye for what the lawmen saw as beyond the realm of reasonable medicinal use. Purdy was arraigned before US Court Commissioner R. S. Ludington and cited with a $1,000 bond for his appearance with the US Grand Jury at Spokane, Washington. His case was dealt with in less severe terms than if it had been committed during the all consuming Prohibition that eventually spread throughout the country. After Purdy settled the moonshine matter with the court, he abandoned his claim. Unknown to him, the creek that ran through his claim held a gold rich placer deposit that was discovered two years after he left the country. But mainly He was lookin' fer gold, as Purdy's story was told, but his prospect didn't pan out. So what should he do? He's got holes in his shoes, from which his toes could stick out. Says he, "I'll just drink me some liquor cause tis good fer me ticker:' "Common sense;' any hard drinker would say. But he was about to run out. This caused him to spout a plan, to save the day.

5 Says he.. again, ''I've enough more than me will, to build me a still and liquor up all of me friends. It beats pushin' dirt 'til me poor back is hurt. I'll try bootleggin' and see how it ends:' Then rev'nuers showed up, put Purdy in cuffs, nice ones that fit him just right. The revs sampled the juice, which set their minds loose as they staggered into the night. But... the law got its man, as only they can... No, not due to their skill because... Purdy also got drunk, passed out in the trunk of the state car parked at the still. New Bylaws Packet: The new bylaws packet has the recent changes that the club voted into the bylaws (see Article II Section 1). The change was from the first meeting in August to August First. We also added the new Bedrock Placer Claim to the claims maps and added a new section on equipment cleaning to the Prospecting & Mining On Bedrock Prospector s Claims. The cleaning methods aren t too difficult and it addresses any WDFW issues with moving equipment from location to location. We will add data to the maps later about the two new load claims, after we decide what we re going to do with them this spring.

6 April /1 4/2 Thurston County Gold, Gem, & Treasure Show: This is a Bedrock Prospectors sponsored event with Toys for Tots, Resource Coalition, and local clubs (rock hound, metal detectors, prospecting clubs). It ll be at the Thurston County fairgrounds from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Camping will be available. 4/4 Board Meeting 4/8 Breakfast at Johnnies (in Fife at 9 AM) 4/9 Metal Detecting outing with Jim Curtiss. Park on the west side to be announced. 4/15 Salmon Creek Rock Hounding trip for Carnelian and Coprolite. This is another fun trip and is led by Jim Curtiss. 4/17 General Meeting 4/21 4/22 4/23 4/28 4/30 Idyllwild School (8 12AM). Gold trailer approx. 400 kids (Contact Lonnie Neal) Need 6 people to show panning Cashmere Gold Show. Bedrock has a booth at this show for membership drive and a raffle. Need members to participate and help man the booth. Camping should be available. Upper First Creek Rock Hounding trip for agates and Ellensburg Blue. This trip is led by Jim Curtiss and is a good dry run for future outings. May /2 Board Meeting 5/6 5/7 Cape Disappointment Beach Mining 5/12 5/14 Fun trip to Blewett for mining and rock hounding. First Creek for agate nodules and another location for Ellensburg Blue. This trip is led by Jim Curtiss 5/15 General Meeting 5/20 5/27 5/28 Outing with Gold Trailer to Sportsman s Warehouse in Puyallup, WA (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) Blewett Claims Cleanup. This is an annual event and our first planned club trip up to our Blewett claims. Claims cleanup will start at 9AM and there ll be a potluck dinner on Saturday night (6PM at Scotty creek campground). We re usually done with cleanup by noon and spend the rest of the time playing in the dirt!

7 June /3 6/6 Board Meeting Hanson Creek Rock Hounding trip for terminated crystals and amethyst. Jim Curtiss is leading this super trip is led 6/10 Bedrock Prospector s Rendezvous 6/13 East Olympia Elementary School (6AM 5PM?) This is an all day affair introducing students to gold panning and how it relates to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). School will provide lunch. (Contact Jane Rizika jane.rizika@tumwater.k12.wa.us) 6/17 6/18 Blewett claim prospecting & Rock Hounding trip to Red Top 6/19 General Meeting MORE PICS FROM THE SADDLE MT TRIP!

8 July /1 Naches claim opens for dredging without an HPA (open until 8/15). 7/3 Board Meeting 7/8 7/9 7/8 7/9 7/15 7/17 Naches Claim/Quartz Creek Rock Hounding trip for thunder eggs. Another great trip led by Jim Curtiss Natches club outing for claim cleanup and fun. Claim cleanup starts at 9AM and the Saturday night potluck is at 6PM. McCoy Creek Rock Hounding trip for pyrite led by Jim Curtiss. (May even find some time for a little prospecting?) Depends on road conditions. 7/16 McCoy Creek open for dredging without an HPA (open until 2/28/2017) 7/17 General Meeting August /1 Blewett claims open for dredging without an HPA (open until 2/28/2017) 8/1 Board Meeting 8/6 Redtop Mountain rock hounding trip for thunder eggs and geodes. Contact Jim Curtiss for trip info. 8/5 8/6 Blewett club outing for claim cleanup and fun 8/15 Naches claim closes to open season dredging. 8/21 General Meeting 8/19 8/20 8/25 8/27 Snoqualmie Railroad Days: This is a huge event for the club. We were asked to participate in this event and we will have the gold trailer, gold cube, miller table, and highbanker set up to show and demonstrate. Liberty Miners Rally (Resources Coalition): Super event lasts the whole weekend. Big night metal detector hunt, lots of activities, raffles, etc. Free dry camping spaces available. September /5 Board Meeting 9/9 9/10 Blewett claims club outing for mining and training on low water techniques talk to Jim. 9/16 Chelan Fairgrounds Metal Detector Hunt: This should be better than expected considering all the stuff we found last year and we only scratched the surface. 9/18 General Meeting 9/23 9/24 Cape Disappointment Beach Outing.

9 October /3 Board Meeting 10/ Gold Show Planning Meeting at Johnny s in Fife, WA at 11:00 AM 10/14 Breakfast at Johnnies (in Fife at 9 AM) 10/16 General Meeting: Nomination of Club Officers & Board 10/21 Outing with Gold Trailer to Sportsman s Warehouse in Puyallup, WA (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) November / Gold Show Planning Meeting at Johnny s in Fife, WA at 11:00 AM 11/7 Board Meeting 11/11 Breakfast at Johnnies (in Fife at 9 AM) 11/20 General Meeting: Election of Club Officers & Board December /5 Board Meeting 12/9 Christmas Party and Potluck (Fife Community Center): This club event is our last blow out before the end of the year. There ll be door prizes, silent auction, and all kinds of other activities. The potluck is to die for (don t wear a belt and bring an extra large plate). The club provides the turkey and ham and the rest is up to us! 12/25 MERRY CHRISTMAS January /1 HAPPY NEW YEARS 1/2 Board Meeting 1/6 Gold Show Planning Meeting at Johnny s in Fife, WA at 11:00 AM 1/13 Breakfast at Johnnies (in Fife at 9 AM) 1/15 General Meeting

10 BEDROCK PROSPECTORS OFFICERS AND BOARD 2016 President: Dennis Petersen Vice President: Richard Holcomb Secretary: Charlotte Marriner no address Vice Secretary: Vic Pisoni Treasure: Mike Lindsay Vice Treasure: Colleen Zimmerman Board Positions: 1: Shawn Doyle : Robbie Carrey : Ugene Tucksen : Lew Kittle Ken Denney : Rich Dusatko : Gene Zimmerman Sgt. at Arms: Sharon Rikansrud Claims Chairman: Jim Curtiss Membership Chairman: Colleen Zimmerman Membership Drawing: Teresa Doll Web Master: Ron Larson Memo from the Membership Chairman: A renewal application is included in this newsletter and is required when you send in your 2017 dues. Dues are due on Jan 1st, 2017 and past due on April 1st, Beat the rush and send them in early! Please be sure to update address, phone and . If you joined Bedrock Prospectors Club after Aug 1st, 2016 then you are good for 2017 so no need to pay again. Check your membership card. If it has 2017 on it, you are good! Other ways to pay your dues: At any of our meetings Outings if pre arranged Events and gold shows. We take credit and debit cards, checks and of course, cash. You don t want to miss out on what may prove to be a very spectacular year for the club.

11 DON T FORGET THE MINER S RENDEZVOUS IN JUNE!!!

12 Today s Date: (mm /d / yyyy) Name: Address: BEDROCK PROSPECTORS CLUB P.O. Box 425 Puyallup WA MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM/RENEWAL FORM Spouses Name: City: State: Zip Code: E mail address: Please Circle your choice: Home Phone: Membership Type: New Membership or Renewal I want to receive my newsletter as: or HARDCOPY (in the mail) JOIN for: $35.00 Single or Family or Renewal $35.00 MEMBERSHIP AGREEMENT As a member of the Bedrock Prospectors Club Inc., (I/We) hereby agree to abide by the rules and bylaws of the Bedrock Prospectors Club. (I/We) acknowledge that small scale prospecting may involve inherent dangers and (I/We) hereby release the Bedrock Prospectors Club, its Officers, and claim holders from any and all actions, causes of actions, claims, damages, or Injuries that may occur on any and all claims controlled by the Bedrock Prospectors Club.(I/We) further agree to hold the Bedrock Prospectors Club, its Officers, Members and Claim Holders harmless: from the results of any accidents or incidences that may occur while ( I ) or ( We are ) on said lands controlled by Bedrock Prospectors Club Inc., or at Bedrock Prospectors Club Sponsored Outings. Signature Signature Date Date (MUST be signed by Spouse for Family Membership) Make checks or money orders payable to: Bedrock Prospectors Club Inc. Mail to: Bedrock Prospectors Club, P.O. Box 425 Puyallup WA If you any questions please contact Dennis Petersen (253) or Richard Holcomb (253)