Wickenburg Gem and Mineral Society
Wickenburg rock and gold club with its own claims near Rich Hill
- Claims
- Placer claims at the base of Rich Hill, near Stanton
- Meets
- Monthly, on a Friday
- Where
- Coffinger Park banquet room, 175 E Swilling Ave, Wickenburg
- Interests
- Gold, minerals, lapidary, metal detecting, fossils
- Annual show
- Weekend after Thanksgiving, free, about 40 vendors
- Scholarship
- Yearly, for a local student interested in earth science
Club with mining claims for members
Based in Wickenburg, Arizona.
The club's claims are for members only: contact the club to join.
Prospect on your own near Wickenburg
169 gold spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
53 gem and mineral spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
Nearest open public land on our fossil and meteorite map: about 96 miles away.
There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.
About Wickenburg Gem and Mineral Society
Founded as a non-profit, the Wickenburg Gem and Mineral Society meets every month in Wickenburg, the old gold town north-west of Phoenix. Members learn lapidary techniques and go on field trips for minerals and for gold.
Gold is the favorite subject for most members: many pan for placer gold and many go after nuggets with metal detectors. The club holds placer claims at the base of Rich Hill near Stanton, one of the richest spots in Arizona's gold history, and its website keeps a gallery of rocks and minerals found by members, along with specimens from a local lode mine. The club has also organized fossil hunts, such as one in the Harquahala Mountains.
According to the Arizona Geological Survey's list of clubs, meetings are held on a Friday evening at the Coffinger Park banquet room on Swilling Ave; the club's own announcements put it on the third Friday of most months, so check before going.
The society's best-known event is the Wickenburg Gem and Mineral Show, held every year on the weekend after Thanksgiving at the Wrangler Event Center of Hassayampa Elementary School. Entry and parking are free, more than 40 vendors set up inside and out, there is a fluorescent mineral exhibit, hourly door prizes and a vote for the favorite rock. The money raised goes to a scholarship for a local student interested in earth science.
Other clubs and places nearby
- Gold Mine Experience (Bloo Nelly Mine)Pay-to-dig · 10 mi
- Lost Dutchman's Mining Association - Stanton CampClub · 13 mi
- Weaver Mining DistrictClub · 15 mi
- Daisy Mountain Rock and Mineral ClubClub · 35 mi
- American Gold Prospecting AdventuresPay-to-dig · 37 mi
- West Valley Rock and Mineral ClubClub · 42 mi
Where to buy gear nearby
- Nugget Shooter Metal Detector SalesOnline shop · 11 mi
- Dry Mining EquipmentOnline shop · 14 mi
- Rob's Detector SalesOnline shop · 32 mi
- Sedig's PlaceOnline shop · 33 mi