I know it is about time for me to update my blog with a new entry, so I am throwing this out for concidderation. How right are the history books we learned from?  I started to figure out how wrong they were about 30 years ago ...

here are a couple of my personal observations ...

Recently a map was presented to our local Museum, this map (dated somewhere in the early 1600s)is Spanish in origin. The interesting thing about it is that the 33rd longitude is marked as being the lay line for the cities of Cibola. This document confirms many things for me.

First; The Spanish were here much earlier than the history books document. Colorado history books for Western Colorado state that Fr. Escalante was the first Spanish into Western Colorado. He came looking for the "western passage" a trail that connects the west coast with the lower east coast.  It exists, just not where he looked. The expeditions looking for The "Seven Cities of Cibola" (Cities of Gold)Came through here almost 100 years prior to Escalante.  So at one time the Spanish were in and on this part of Colorado like ANTS.   (no wonder the indians had trouble with them so quickly, prior experience.)

Second; The Spanish came here with prior knowledge of a civilization that was here before time was counted on this continent. They thought it was the civilization that built Cibola, We who have actually found the evidence of this earlier group have come to believe other things.

Could this be the place called Ophir?The signs and monuments have a definite middle eastern look. Maybe they are phonecian, They sure look it.

Only time itself will tell. I only know that where ever we find these signs the Spanish were hot on the trail. They not only followed them but they modified many, destroyed others. the ones that escaped were the ones they seem to miss. The country is so prolific with these ancient monuments that they couldn't find them all. The ones that weren't destroyed are amazing to see. I will in the coming weeks post photos of some of these.   See if you don't agree. They have a definite middle eastern flavor.

Well, I have continued to add to the site!  You will now notice that there is a members Blog section.  Members of the site can now add their own blog entries.  This will be nice for those of you that want to share info with others without using the forum.  You will note that you have  a ton of options when you post your blog entries, such as adding tags, making your blog entry for the public or for members only etc!  If folks start to use this function, I will enable the ping settings so that when you submit your blog, the site will automatically notify several of the major update services out there to let them know that you have a new blog posted!  UPDATE:  Members Blog Area Removed Due To Non Use If anyone shows an interest in publishing their own blog, let me know and I will set it up for you.

We have several new members and I would like to simply say, welcome to our humble little corner of the web!  We are small but growing and doing the best we can to provide you with what you want on a site of this type!  If you are looking for something specific that you would like to see added to the site, some form of function or a forum topic or anything, just let me know and I will see if I can get it done for you!  There is a section in the forums that you can use to post your suggestions to me. (Click Here For Site Suggestions)

I have noticed quite a few new pictures in the Picture Gallery that you might enjoy, and of course feel free to post your pictures too!  If you have an article that you would like to submit and don't want to put it in a blog, use the Contact Page and select Barry and let me know.  I will let you know how to get it to me and I will get it posted right away.  If you would like to be a regular contributor I will be happy to discuss that as well and get you set up!

There have been several new web links added, and you, as a member can add your links too just look under the user menu on the right side of the page.  You can also add venues and events to the calendar on the page as a member.  If you have a meet, or a show or you want to invite folks up to your claim for a weekend, put it in the events calendar!

A very recent addition to the page is the Members FREE Ads section!  If you have some equipment for sale, go ahead and post it!

So, don't forget to join up, it's free, it's fun, and you just might learn something, or better yet, teach us a thing or two!

Learn How To Pan For Gold: You Can Learn – Its easy! by Reno Chris

Ever thought about learning to pan for gold? Its really not that hard to do – anyone with a little patience can learn it. Perhaps the oldest and most widely used gold concentration device is the gold pan - originally called a "gold dish" by the 49ers. Panning Kits Although pans are available in various shapes and sizes, the standard American gold pan is 12 to 18 inches in diameter at the top and 2 to 2 1/2, inches in depth, with the sides sloping at roughly 30 to 45 degrees. They can be purchased at prospecting stores, rock shops and even some hardware stores for round $8 to $12. Gold pans are constructed of metal or plastic and both are used in prospecting for gold, for cleaning gold-bearing concentrates, and rarely, for hand working of rich, isolated deposits. Plastic pans are recommended for most folks, because they have some significant advantages over the older steel types - including the fact that they are lighter, don't rust, nor do they conflict with the use of a magnet.
Panning Kits

Around the world miners use a wide variety of containers in place of the pan. In South America, prospectors have long used an open wooden bowl called a betea to process the gravels. In Mongolia, prospectors are currently using large plastic tubs. The exact shape of the gold pan device is not all that critical, its point is to allow the operator to shake the gravels so the gold settles downward, and then wash the lighter material off the top. Eventually after all the lighter materials have been removed, only the heavy concentrates will remain in pan, hopefully including gold. Panning Kits