Ore Car Mining Claim (SNGMS)
A rock club's lode claim east of Las Vegas, open to every collector
- What you find
- Agate (Christmas, lilac, bacon) plus rocks left by club members
- Kept by
- Southern Nevada Gem & Mineral Society
- Cost
- Free to collect; a park pass may be needed to cross the recreation area
- Getting there
- North Shore Road, turnoff at mile marker 16, then the road toward the old Anniversary Mine
- Collecting
- On the surface
- Rules
- No commercial digging
- Extra
- Public geocaches on the claim
- Claim
- BLM lode claim NV106329819
Public area set aside for recreational collecting
Native material: you search the natural ground on site.
Season: Year-round.
Make a weekend of it
6 gem and mineral spots on open public land with no claim on record, within 50 miles.
There are more on the map, some of them with a possible mining claim.
About Ore Car Mining Claim (SNGMS)
The Ore Car is a lode mining claim held by the Southern Nevada Gem & Mineral Society, the Las Vegas rock club, in the desert east of the city along North Shore Road. Most club claims are for members only. This one is different: the society invites anyone to come and collect, and asks only that nobody dig for commercial purposes.
The native stone is agate in several varieties that collectors know as Christmas, lilac and bacon agate. There is a twist, though: members are encouraged to drop their spare material on the claim, so a visitor may also pick up stone that came from far away, sometimes already sawn into slabs. The society has also hidden geocaches on the claim for anyone to find. A Vegas PBS segment filmed on the claim noted that the collecting there is all on the surface.
The way in crosses Lake Mead National Recreation Area, so check that the road is open before setting out and be ready to need a park pass. From North Shore Road take the turnoff at mile marker 16, drive to the far end of the parking area and down into the wash. On the opposite side a BLM sign points to the old Anniversary Mine; follow that road until you reach the Ore Car sign.
That mine gave the area its history. The Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology records that the Anniversary mine, in Lovell Wash about 25 miles east of Las Vegas, was discovered in 1921 and produced colemanite, a borate mineral, until 1928, from beds up to 22 feet thick. Beyond it, Lovell Wash cuts a short slot canyon known as the Anniversary Narrows.
The claim itself lies just outside the recreation area, on public land managed by the BLM's Las Vegas Field Office, and is on record with the BLM as an active lode claim, number NV106329819. Eureka's pin marks the center of the claim as the BLM records it, only a rough position, so trust the signs on the ground. Collect on the claim, not along the park road that leads to it.
Clubs and places nearby
- Gold Searchers of Southern NevadaClub · 20 mi
- Southern Nevada Gem & Mineral SocietyClub · 24 mi
- GPAA Las Vegas ChapterClub · 24 mi
- Mohave Prospectors AssociationClub · 75 mi
- Mohave County GemstonersClub · 77 mi
- Utah Friends of Paleontology, Southwest ChapterClub · 88 mi
Where to buy gear nearby
- Bear's Archery, Guns and ProspectingShop · 119 mi
- Havasu RocksShop · 120 mi
Access
Turn off North Shore Road at mile marker 16, inside Lake Mead National Recreation Area: a park pass may be needed. Go to the end of the parking area and into the wash; on the far side a BLM sign points to the old Anniversary Mine. Follow that road to the Ore Car sign. The map marker is the center of the claim as recorded by the BLM, an approximate position: follow the signs.
Technique
Surface collecting with hand tools. Commercial digging is not allowed.