Naches Claim Outing and Potluck:

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1 BEDROCK-NEWS THE OFFICICIAL QUARTERLY PUBLICATION OF THE BEDROCK PROSPECTORS CLUB October, November, December 2016 MONTHLY MEETING PLACE PUYALLUP MASONIC HALL 1005 West Pioneer Ave. HELD ON THE THIRD MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH 7:30 pm 9:30 pm Naches Claim Outing and Potluck: We had a real good turnout of club members at our cleanup and work party at Naches. On July 9 10 we gathered for our annual opening of the claim. Colleen Zimmerman did a super job setting up all the games and the kids had a ball in the hay scramble. We got two new signs mounted and it didn t take too long to pick up the trash. We all found some time to get a pan wet!

2 We had 79 club members and a few guests for the games and Saturday night potluck. chairs. The center even provided us with a nice lunch. Resources Coalition Liberty Miner s Rally & Boy Scout Jamboree: We had a busy schedule in late August (25 th 28 th ) with the Liberty rally and the Scouts Jamboree all on the same weekend. Richard Holcomb took the gold trailer to the Boy Scout event at JBLM. Richard and club members showed over 4500 scouts what gold panning is all about. It was a very tiring effort and we can only imagine how tired they got by day s end! The rest of us went to the Miner s Rally and participated in all the activities there. Besides the games, there were a lot of discussions and training opportunities. Judson Park Retirement Center Outing: On Aug. 11 we had five members participate (Jim Curtiss, Richard Holcomb, Charlotte Marriner, Dennis Petersen, and Colleen Zimmerman) in this outing in Des Moines. That was a pretty good turnout for a midweek event. The folks at the retirement community had a good time. We gave a minute presentation on gold mining in the state and then had of the residents learn about gold panning at either the trailer or at some tables we had setup for those folks in wheel Rumor has it that the president was out and about and wasn t seen much with all the meetings and impromptu glad handing that was going on. It s just a rumor he was there, but missing unless someone had food available! Blewett Pass Claims Outing: We substituted the planned outing for McCoy Creek (Sept. 8 9) for another trip and potluck to Blewett. We had a pretty good turnout out considering everyone getting used to school restarting and the weather starting to turn. We

3 had at least one morning up there with a midthirties temp. Some found gold others had a good time flipping rocks. We had about folks at the potluck. Gene Tucksen did a super job as host! USFS Discussions on WPMA Claims on the Sultan River: We had a meeting with Ranger Neal of the Mt. Baker USFS in Everett as an informal discussion prior to going forward with the Sultan River EA objection process. It was a good meeting with the leadership of Chuck Wilson (VP of WPMA), Sandy Will (member of WPMA), Richard Stephens (WPMA attorney), and Dennis Petersen. Overall, they admitted the study was not very good at communicating what they would like to do and they fully listened to and are incorporating the changes that we wanted into the EA. One of the roads on the South side of the canyon will be left in the care of WPMA (as it is now), another road on the north side will be worked on as they come down to remove the log bridge, but they will leave the road as an ATV trail that the miners can use once an access issue with the city of Everett is addressed. The last road is an access to WPMAs Windfall claim and it will not be destroyed. Chuck will be showing the USFS where the claim's trailhead is located. Chuck Wilson is going to meet with Neal at his office as they figured out how to ensure that miner's access to the claims via the roads are protected and part of the documents. USFS seems to be fine with miners maintaining the roads. The USFS Ranger (Neal) fully supports that idea of closer communication that would stem from a Sultan Mining District. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half. Overall, we were able to discuss what we wanted, what they had to do, and how we might compromise on the final decisions. Metal Detecting Chelan County Fairgrounds: We reserved the Chelan County fairgrounds again this year for a club member metal detecting hunt. We set this up following their annual fair and members get to keep whatever they find. Richard led the trip this year and we had six folks show up for the event. It may have been a small number this year, but they had a lot fun. Alonda Village Trailer Park John Gatton arranged for us and our gold trailer to visit the Alonda Village in Lacey on Tuesday (Sept. 20 th ). We had about 7 participants at our gold panning trailer that afternoon. Jim Curtiss and I had a good time showing folks how to pan.

4 BILLIE BLAKE BLACK aka "Diamond Lil'' Scotty & Peshastin Creeks Placer miner By Vic Pisoni Billie Blake Black made her fortune in the early 1900s. By 1916 she was noted as San Francisco's "best dressed woman". She amassed one million dollars through her very successful San Francisco based photographic studio companies, but lost most of the money during the Great Depression. Billie Black Billie Black and her husband Dan were Blewett Mining District/Peshastin Creek, Scotty Creek, and Shaser Creek placer claims owners in the 1930s. They paid $51,000 for 16 gold placer mining claims and formed "Black's Gold Mining Company Inc." July 7, The claims were the Black Daniel, Black's Last Chance, Dynamite Dan, Black's Lucky Strike, Black Top, Black's Bonanza, Black's Villa, Dixie Lee No.2, Flying Saucer, Jack Pot, Shoe Button, Stardust, Treasure Chest, Yellow Jacket, Lucky Friday, and Blue Jay. They began spending their summers in a cabin on old (original) Blewett Pass where other cabins and the Top 0 the Hill Lodge were located. Billie's husband Dan was no longer mentioned after 1936 and thereafter her family tree has her perched on a widow's limb. This is about the time she moved into Blewett, a living ghost town that was diminishing in its structural foundations as each year passed. Unlike Blewett, Billie's glitzy persona hadn't lost any of its "bling'', because the remaining Blewett folks readily took to calling her "Diamond Lil". Billie Blake Black does not show in Blewett history interim years from 1936 to Yet the fact; remains that, at this time, she is acknowledged as a Blewett resident. The 16 placer claims were still in her possession. In my interview with Phyllis Barthel, who lived in Blewett and was 5 years old in 1944 when she and her family moved from Blewett to Auburn, Washington remembers Billie's name, but Billie was not pointed out to her.

5 Billie was still in possession of her 16 gold mining digs in Within that year, she was in the Blewett area to sell the 16 properties as stated from official documents, summarized in the following information. One deed and seller's assignment of real estate contract by grantor Billie Black in March 25, 1957 is within the Claim area that NAMA now possesses on Peshastin Creek, around the placer digs by either side of the mouth of King Creek. It was identified the boundaries of the purchase (verbatim): "That part of the placer claim known as Dixie Lee No. 2 located in Chelan County, Peshastin Mining District in T22, R17, Sections12 and 13 described as follows: Beginning at the center post, being 10 feet south of Log Cabin Spring, and extending 330 feet from said post, (being in the center of Peshastin Creek) southeasterly (this course crosses over Highway 97); and extends 330 feet from said Peshastin Creek southwesterly; the center end post at the north end being ten feet south of mouth of King Creek and extending from the center of Peshastin Creek 330 feet northeasterly (crossing over said Highway No. 97) and extending 330 feet northwesterly from the center of said Peshastin Creek (together with a two room log cabin on said placer claim). A quit claim deed from Billie Black to Leroy and Ethel Howard, June 10,1958 gave gold mining placer claim information noting the areas of these properties were the Flying Saucer, Jack Pot, Shoe Button, Stardust, Treasure Chest, Yellow Jacket, Lucky Friday, and Blue Jay. These eight placer locations were simply written as; "The following mining claims are located in the Peshastin Mining District, Section 24, Township 22, North, Range 17, East of W. M". Although there were many placer claims involved in Billie Black's mineral properties, there was not one report on gold that may or may not have been mined (?). September Beach Mining: A bunch of us made a weekend of it at Cape Disappointment to do a little beach mining. The weather was great and we had a great time. Fourteen of us had a potluck on Saturday night after a hard day of work in the sand. Glenn Simmons and Lee Poquette did a great job in the community sand pit keeping buckets of sand available and some of did quite well in the gold department (so we say!!). Who would have thought that we d have an 80 F Day in late September!

6 October /1 Gold Show Planning Meeting at Johnny s in Fife, WA at 11:00 AM 10/4 Board Meeting 10/8 Breakfast at Johnnies (in Fife at 9 AM) 10/15 Outing with Gold Trailer to Sportsman s Warehouse in Puyallup, WA (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM) 10/17 General Meeting: Nomination of Club Officers & Board November /1 Board Meeting 11/6 Gold Show Planning Meeting at Johnny s in Fife, WA at 11:00 AM 11/12 Breakfast at Johnnies (in Fife at 9 AM) 11/21 General Meeting: Election of Club Officers & Board December /6 Board Meeting 12/10 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! 12/17 Breakfast at Johnnies (in Fife at 9 AM) January /3 Board Meeting 1/7 Gold Show Planning Meeting at Johnny s in Fife, WA at 11:00 AM 1/14 Breakfast at Johnnies (in Fife at 9 AM) 1/16 General Meeting Nomination for club officers

7 BEDROCK PROSPECTORS OFFICERS AND BOARD 2016 President: Dennis Petersen Vice President: Richard Holcomb Secretary: Charlotte Marriner no address Vice Secretary: Vic Pisoni Treasure: Bill Willette Vice Treasure: Colleen Zimmerman Board Positions: 1: Mark Smith : Vic Pisoni : Ugene Tucksen : Ken Denny : Mike Lindsay : Gene Zimmerman Sgt. at Arms: OPEN 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.

8 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)