Prospecting Tips for the
Area of Arizona

The gold bearing districts in Arizona generally do not have a great amount of water, except in instances when it does rain. In order to make the job easier you will need to get ahold of a good strong dry washer so you are able to work the gravels given the fact that they are very coarse and angular. Most prospectors prefer to work in this area when it is not so hot and in the cooler seasons. Prospecting during the summer in this area is not suggested. The Castle Dome mine dumps are interesting places to go to as well given that you can also find other materials such as cerrusite, calcite, and vanadinite. The area that is around Quartzsite also has Apache tears, petrified wood, agates, onyx, obsidian, and quartz crystals.

Legends of treasures in Arizona
There is a legend that is told about a lost placer that has a curse in the Castle Dome Mountains. This story is told by the Yuma Indians of the Colorado River. It is said this began the day the first Spanish came to the visit the area. There were a band of young braves that had been sent out from the main camp and had been told to look for sheep in the mountains. They searched and searched without any success and realized that they had ended up in an area none of them recognized at all. The water supply they had was almost gone when they made the decision to stop hunting. Some of the braves were then chosen so they would go out and search for a water hole in the canyons that were running out of the range. Then one of the young men went back and said that they had run into a canyon but that they were not able to see the entrance except from one specific place. He said that inside the odd canyon, the walls had a strange color to them and was something he hadn’t ever seen in his life before. There was also a little stream and a pond. There were also tracks that showed that a good number of animals drank from the stream as well. As they got inside the canyon the boy said that some of the braves got scared because of the orange glow the canyon walls had to them as the sun settled on them. They became frightened thinking they would get killed and were also very thirsty and nervous. Once they were able to drink water and freshen up, the Indians then made some blinds to hide from the game. At night the Indians managed to kill some sheep and a deer and the next morning had all the game they were able to carry. They were washing up in the pond as well as dressing the meat and suddenly noticed that one of the edges of the pool that was close to the canyon wall had crevices that were packed with gold in them. They very quickly grabbed as much of the gold as they were able to given the fact that they were aware the Spanish were willing to trade for the gold. It started to get dark and aware of how quickly storms can start up the Indians they rushed to get out of the long narrow canyon, however they did not get out in time. Before they were able to get out of the canyon a flood of water came pouring from the sky and caused a flash flood that swept over them completely. There was only one Indian that managed to survive. This Indian was able to get back to the village and told the elders the events that had taken place. He had been able to rescue a little bag of gold nuggets to prove what he had said. Then, the medicine doctor told the tribe that the place where the nuggets had been found was an evil place and that anyone that went to the area would be haunted by the souls of the braves that had died there. The area of that canyon turned into a forbidden area for the Yumas after that event. Nobody is quite sure where the exact location of this canyon is located now though.