The Extraction of Free Gold

This book is available in both print and digital format. Please select your desired format below.       Excerpt from 'A Guide to Treasure in Colorado'

The extraction of free gold, or at least the attempt at its extraction, is not new. Men down through the centuries have tried to take the bits and pieces of precious, shining metal from their hiding places. The search for gold, indeed, has often proven to be a more difficult task than even searching after the proverbial needle in a haystack. Yard after yard of placer material may hide only a few tiny flakes of gold, minute specks in a gigantic mass of surrounding material. Man discovered gold and developed a love for it many long years ago. It is the first metal mentioned in the Bible. Early man probably picked up shining nuggets along streambeds, admired them, and kept them even before they discovered and used copper. The golden fleece of Jason is not merely legend. Ancient gold-seekers in what is now Turkey found that a sheep's fleece made an excellent gold entrapment when placed under water in a gold bearing stream. The fibrous wool trapped particles of gold. Indoor-outdoor carpeting just works a lot better, but the ancients had no way of knowing that fact.