T-2 UPPER THOMPSON CREEK CLAIMS

LOCATION

RIVER:Thompson Creek

COUNTY:Siskiyou County

STATE:California

Can be reached by following the center split in the Forest Service #18N01 road (the split is 1.6 miles up the road from Hwy. 96). Follow the road 4 miles further until you see a large gravel pile on the right. There are New 49'er claim directional signs posted here on the left side of the road. You can reach the lower end of T-2 by following a primitive road (as covered in my write up about T-1). The lower boundary of T-2 adjoins the private property located along the creek at the lower end of the road. Watch for the appropriate boundary signs. The mid-point of T-2 can normally be reached by continuing straight on the road past the gravel pile. However, winter storms have caused the road to slide out several above, which prevents further passage at this time. There is a very primitive road which extends down to the Woods Mine, which is located at the upper end of the T-2 claims. This primitive road which can be found approximately 9 miles north on the Slater Butte road #19N01, from where it meets hwy. 96 on Cade Mountain, approximately 3 miles east of Happy Camp. The Slater Butte road is a good road which heads over the mountains into Oregon. You can also reach the Slater Butte road by taking the left split in 18N01, 1.6 miles up from Hwy. 96 The Woods Mine access road is not easy to drive. I suggest you look before driving in. Small 4WD vehicles are best. Directions, also, are not easy. I suggest you use a Forest Service map and ask for help with directions from the New 49'er office, or from the Happy Camp Ranger Station. The Woods Mine is an old hard rock mine, and is not part of the 49'er mining property. The 49'ers do have the claims along the creek, just below the mine.

The upper section of Thompson Creek, in and around the Woods Mine area, has a good history of providing gold deposits. Old time Happy Camp residents still talk today about making their livings and supporting their families from placer mining in this area during the Great Depression. Because of the difficult access, there has been very little, if any, dredging and prospecting on the upper T-2 claims. The lower t-2 claims have had limited activity, with members saying the gold they recovered was in the form of large flakes and slab like shaped nuggets.