A mining claim is an affordable way to enjoy the beauty of the land combined with the adventure of panning for gold.

Owning a mining claim is having access to a lifetime of great family fun and recreation, in a very beautiful, natural setting.

We feel we are selling more than the gold and minerals on beautiful land.

You would be acquiring an experience that will give you a good feel for what the old time prospectors must have felt during the days of the original California Gold Rush.

The East Fork of the Carson River is a well known trout fishing area. Hot springs along the river also make this a special trip for river runners, kayakers and rafters, especially during spring run-off. Other recreational opportunities include hunting and four-wheel driving outside the Wilderness areas. Historic sites and areas of natural and geologic beauty abound in the river canyon, which is especially colorful in the fall of the year when the Cottonwood, Willow and Aspen turn brilliant yellow and orange.

Free campsites are just down the road at the Hwy 4/Wolf Creek Road intersection.

There is a road turnout at the claim to park and prospect.

Over 695 feet of the East Fork Carson River runs thru the claim, with easy access from the claim road to the river.

Located in a forested valley surrounded by mountains.

The river has some nice bends making for good gold catching areas.

See below the Buying Process, my owner financing options to choose from, and how to purchase my claim.

See with the top listing pictures maps and satellite views.

BUYING PROCESS:

To purchase my claim, the process would be, I would need your name(s) and address, which payment option you choose, where I would scan and email you a signed contract.

Total price of $3500, that can be paid in one full payment where your ownership is then transferred after receiving payment,

or $3500, paying $1750 first month, and $1750 2nd month,

or $3500, paying $1500 first month, $1000 2nd month, and $1000 3rd month,

or $3500, paying $700 per month for 5 months,

or $3500, paying $500 per month for 7 months,

or $4000, paying $400 per month for 10 months.

A $199 deed processing fee is paid with final monthly payment.

After receiving your final payment, your ownership of the 21.06 acre claim will be legally recorded with the California Bureau of Land Management and Alpine County. The quit claim deed is the correct document to be recorded for a mining claim, as stated by the BLM. This is not a sharing with others of your 21.06 acre claim.

I am a retired teacher and got into prospecting as a hobby with my family.

I am 75 and my wife 73, and we have gained the experience to select the best areas to locate claims.

Claim buyer will also receive a new, free, Gold Panning Kit:

One 14 inch Gold Trap pan; One 10.5 inch Gravity Trap pan, One combination sifter/classifier with 7/16 of an inch exit holes, One Gold Guzzler snuffer bottle, One Tweezers/ Magnifying Glass combo tool, One booklet titled "How to Find Gold", and Two plastic bottles.

For any building like a shed, you need to file a Plan of Operation with the BLM for approval. For anything to live in, you would need to file a Plan of Operation with the BLM for approval, and to be considered, you would need to have developed a full-time mining operation.

For the possibility of constructing any building you or others could live in, you need to file a Plan of Operation with the BLM for approval, showing you have developed a full-time operation performing diligent mining.

You do not need a plan, permission nor a permit to camp and prospect.

You do not need to be a full time prospector to file a Plan for a shed type structure.

With an approved BLM Plan of Operation, a building can be built on the land: any building that benefits and improves the claim.

As stated by the BLM, this can be the "construction of a building, road, fence, or enclosure necessary for mining."

Current usage, is what the BLM calls, Casual Use: panning, shovel, rock hammer, metal detector, creek powered sluice box, where no permission nor permit is needed to camp and prospect.

You can prospect as little or as much as you like.

Now that we have located the claim, you never have to declare to the BLM any gold or gems you find.

There are certain rock types that are good indicators for gold prospecting potential, one of them being granite, and the granite rocks in this river are another great sign for gold being present.

A few years ago in this same area, we ran into another prospector upriver from our claim. He told us he really enjoys prospecting this River, and he most always finds gold that is both coarse and rounded which is always a plus on a placer claim. He showed us some little pickers indicating bigger gold will be deeper down. He said he finds this area to be productive for finding gold.

The area has many mining claims owned by experienced prospectors being another good sign for gold on our claim that we discovered panning and using a creek powered sluice box in the river.

2 free campsites are near our claim: Wolf Creek Meadows and Centerville Flat campgrounds, that have campsites and toilets.

Centerville Flat Campground is on Hwy 4 six miles south of Markleeville. 5900 Elevation. Undeveloped sites with stream water, vault toilets and firepits. Horse camping & fishing. RV & Trailer OK. No Reservations. No Fee.

Wolf Creek Meadows Campground is on Wolf Creek Road twelve miles south of Markleeville. 6700 Elevation. Undeveloped sites with stream water, vault toilets and firepits. Horse camping, fishing and hiking. RV & Trailer OK. No Reservations. No Fee.

Mining Claims as an investment: if you purchase a claim from us, at no charge, I would help you if you ever decided to sell in the future.

Mining Claims are a great investment, as claims go up in value over time, just as land does. T

his is one of the areas of the original California Gold Rush.

This is a 21.06 acre unpatented, gold mining placer claim, the Carson River #5, with the beautiful East Fork Carson River running through the claim, and is in Alpine County, California, in the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the Toiyabe National Forest. The claim is legally registered with the Bureau of Land Management out of Sacramento and Alpine County. You own the mineral rights, not sharing with others, on the 21.06 acres, and use your 21.06 acres, recreationally for camping: tent, camper, or RV, and prospecting: an awesome, beautiful area.

On trips to the claim, we gathered in and around the river, approx. 1/8 of an ounce of gold, being worth about $250. As the BLM does not specify the amount of gold to be found to locate a claim other than gold needs to be discovered, we use this amount for a 21.06 acre claim as a projection of good gold potential. Someone with more time may find more.

Gold prices are over $4000/ounce. Though we could never guarantee what you will find, we did locate this claim in an historically rich area for gold prospecting.

Gold prices have gone up over $500 an ounce in just this past year.

We also found some nice gem specimens of tourmaline, jade, garnets, and jasper.

You are allowed to post No Trespassing for Prospecting signs in and around the claim.

A mining claim owner may limit or restrict public recreational use of/or public access across claims or portions of claims that are actively used for prospecting, mining, or processing operations where public recreational use of a claim would endanger or materially interfere with legitimate mining pursuits.

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21.06 acres: = 695 ft. x 1320 ft.

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Alpine County California, the least populated of 58 counties in California, is located south of Lake Tahoe and north of Yosemite along the crest of the central Sierra Nevada. The California Alps as Alpine County is fondly referred to, contains 700 square miles of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Alpine County offers all year alpine recreation, two destination ski resorts, and a variety of lodging and dining facilities.

In the nearby town of Markleeville, you will find a general store, gas station, bar & grill, hotels and much more. Don't forget to bring those fly rods or fishing poles as the Carson River is a well known trophy trout stream with massive rainbows. If you require a night out or more supplies, drive thirty minutes and you will be in South Lake Tahoe and the casinos. Need an even larger town, drive an hour and you will be in Carson City, Nevada.

The claim is located in the Historic Mining District Monitor-Mogul. This was a very important silver and gold district in the 1850's & 1860's and produced 5 million in gold and silver.

Located between Yosemite and Lake Tahoe in the California Sierra Nevada mountains, Alpine County is comprised of three geographic areas known for gold prospecting --Bear Valley/Lake Alpine; Kirkwood/Hope Valley; and Markleeville/Woodfords.

Also, with more than 60 lakes and streams, Alpine County is a fishermans delight. The East and West Forks of the Carson River offer miles of fishing.

The East Carson River country has a rich cultural heritage. People have occupied this area of the eastern Sierra for 12,000 years, using the area for habitation, hunting, fishing, and gathering plants. The Washoe tribe was predominant in this region, some traveling over Ebbetts Pass in summer for high country amenities. The Carson River was named for famed explorer and guide Kit Carson, who, with John C. Frmont, accomplished the first non-native mid-winter passage over the Sierra in February of 1844.

The town of Markleeville is a small, historic town in Alpine County, known for its proximity to outdoor recreation and its connection to a major cycling event. Visitors can enjoy activities like hiking, fishing, and exploring Grover Hot Springs State Park, Sorensen's Resort, and the historic Hangman's Bridge.

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This claim has good legal road access with nearby free camping, and gold discovered in surface prospecting.

There are no more accessible areas to locate a claim in this area as I and others before me have now claimed the whole area.

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A transfer of ownership is a sale of legal, exclusive ownership of a mining claim site. To be a legally recorded claim, gold had to be found on the claim, which was completed by us, as we are the original claim locators.

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Your ownership is legally conveyed via a Quit Claim deed, and legally recorded with the BLM and Alpine County. A Quit Claim deed is the required legal document per the BLM.

Each year, on or before September 1st, you need to file a simple form with the Bureau of Land Management, along with $400. By doing this, you keep the claim forever. You can also pay online with the BLM by credit card.

I have paid the fee for the new claim year, not due again until September 1, 2026.

Alpine County taxes = $100, not due again until Summer 2026.

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An unpatented mining claim is a specific parcel of federal land, valuable for a specific mineral deposit or deposits. It is a parcel for which an individual has asserted a legal right of possession and the right to develop and extract a discovered, valuable, mineral deposit.

Mining claims are real property that you can buy, sell, or inherit. After proving the existence of valuable minerals on the land, the claim is legally recorded with the Bureau of Land Management and Alpine County.

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The Carson River #5, is a gold placer mining claim, ideally situated in Alpine County, that has a history of rich gold discoveries.

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Your 21.06 acres is in the NE 1/4 of Section 12, Township 9 North, Range 20 East, Mount Diablo Base Line and Meridian, known as the Carson River #5 placer mining claim, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about 130 miles east of Sacramento, California, only an hour to Lake Tahoe, and just 6 miles from Markleeville that has all the necessities.

BLM claim number: CA106750653

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:

From Markleeville, 89 South to 4 West, known as Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway,

Then using GPS coordinates below to the claim.

About 6 miles south of Markleeville.

Easy access all the way to the claim with a large road turnout to park and prospect.

GPS Coordinates:

Carson River #5

NW 38.6416, -119.7246

NE 38.6416, -119.7201

SW 38.6396, -119.7246

SE 38.6396, -119.7201

The claim location monument has a 4 foot wooden post with an attached copy of the Location Notice, as required by the State of California.

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The East Fork Carson River running through the claim is a unique advantage for gold prospecting. Gold always occurs in gravels in the metallic state and when so found has various physical characteristics. Gold is dense and heavy, it has a characteristic metallic color, and it is soft and easily malleable (it is easily formed by hammering). These are the characteristics used by prospectors to identify gold in the field.

Placer gold occurs on the claim as small grains derived from gossan formed by weathering, and oxidation of the gold, copper and iron rich veins. Gold also occurs as grains flakes and small nuggets derived from the erosion of mineralized fault zones on, and upstream from the claim.

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Additional Features:

Lake Tahoe is just an hour north.

Yosemite National Park is 2 1/2 hours south.

Pure running East Fork Carson River on the claim for panning.

Great trout fishing in the river.

Kayaking and rafting.

Beautiful Rock specimens for you Rock Hounds

Located in one of the most beautiful mountain areas in the US.

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The Federal Government owns the land.

You are purchasing the mineral rights.

You own the mineral rights, including gold and gems on the claim, as real property, being the same legal ownership as for land and homes.

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TERMS:

To purchase my claim, the process would be, I would need your name(s) and address, which payment option you choose, where I would scan and email you a signed contract.

Total price of $3500, that can be paid in one full payment where your ownership is then transferred after receiving payment,

or $3500, paying $1750 first month, and $1750 2nd month,

or $3500, paying $1500 first month, $1000 2nd month, and $1000 3rd month,

or $3500, paying $700 per month for 5 months,

or $3500, paying $500 per month for 7 months,

or $4000, paying $400 per month for 10 months.

A $199 deed processing fee is paid with final monthly payment.

After receiving your final payment, your ownership of the 21.06 acre claim will be legally recorded with the California Bureau of Land Management and Alpine County. The quit claim deed is the correct document to be recorded for a mining claim, as stated by the BLM. This is not a sharing with others of your 21.06 acre claim.

COMMENTS FROM SATISFIED CLAIM BUYERS:

"We purchased a claim in California from Mr. Leu. Our claim is everything he told us it would be: Beautiful area, great for family camping outings, and, we have found gold while panning in the creek on our claim. We could not be happier with our purchase!"

I'm looking forward to having some time on the mining claim.

We used to go camping 4-6 weeks out of the year.

Even though I realize this is a retirement business for you. I wanted to say thank you for giving so many people over the years the opportunity to purchase your claims. I've seen them available for a long time, but never had the opportunity to purchase anything. They have probably brought many smiles to so many people. It will be the same for us.

"We purchased 2 mining claims from Michael Leu over the last 2 years. We have been to our claims on several occasions, and we could not be happier! They are exactly as described, and our camping on our claims and prospecting in the creek on each claim is the highlight of our vacations. You can trust Mr. Leu. If you are looking for a great time in the awesome beauty of the west, buying a mining claim from Mr. Leu will be a blessing."

And just a note of encouragement for you if you decide to purchase:

My wife and I have located, prospected on, and sold mining claims in California going on now for over 25 years.

You can trust we will process your notarized deeds correctly and quickly.

In that mining claims are processed thru the Bureau of Land Management, a

Federal Govt. agency, not following thru per our legally signed contract, would be a federal crime. I certainly will do what I say, and would never put myself nor my wife in any legal jeopardy.

Also, we have sold properties on 3 sites online for over 25 years: Landcom, Landwatch, and LandandFarm.

Our continued good status on these sites is due to our always following thru, as just one time we would not, we would not be allowed to sell on these sites ever again.