Sierra La Pinta

Roberto

Roberto

Guest
It is off the road to Caborca, past the Mayan Palace. After you pass the Mayan exit you will see the low mountains off to the left. There is a road from La Pinta Estuary that crosses the highway and continues all the way to Sonoita. The road was put in by Bernard Gillespie, one time owner of the La Pinta gold mine and builder of the stone hacienda on La Pinta Estuary. On the way you pass Gillespie's one time citrus orchard with water tank. As you gain altitude the terrain changes markedly as you can see from the photo. A couple of years ago we passed a 4WD club event with about 25 vehicles that were making the challenging journey from Sonoita to the Caborca highway.

We have been up to the mine several times, but the last we were turned back by the military because they had developed a shooting range nearby and we were told it was not safe. I have not tried to go up since. One of the highlights of the drive up was passing a 50's Studebaker President that appears to have been used in a cross country race at one time. The pic was taken from the old narrow gauge rail bed that connected the mine to a stamping mill at the estuary. The mine apparently goes back to Spanish conquest days and is probably on the same vein structures of the recent huge findings at Herradura Mine to the south.

There is a lot more to this area than shrimp fishing and drinking beer.
 
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lagrimas85

AKA Carnac
Roberto, I was watching the show Gold Fever lastweek, they were dry panning some creeks here in Arizona, but didn't say where and getting a decent amount of gold, if you move to property next door, same mountains the turnoff is before the aduana station, it belongs to Rosa Del Desierto the civic group we belong to, they have found some gold up there. Its all the same stuff that comes out of the Herradura Mine before you get to the Y. Also for Penasco Caborca Mafia buffs the ranch and house that belonged to Rafael Caro Quintero is there also. He is the guy that tortured and killed DEA agent Kiki Camarena in Guadalajara and I think it was also him that killed the Catholic Cardinal accidently at the airport. He used to stay in Las Conchas and openly packed a gun. He was also building the fairly big Costa Azul Hotel in SAn Felipe, when the American government demanded his arrest for killing Camarena, his brother earlier this year was busted in Colorado. See the TV mini sreies DRUG WARS THE Kiki Camarena Story if you can find it for sale. I think Rafaels sister still runs the ranch.
 
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lagrimas85

AKA Carnac
[video]http://youtube.com/watch?v=HU1mcfWpg607+=2m42s[/video] Roberto, north of San Felipe, ther is a big gold mine owned by Canadians, I heard at one time they shipped as much a 2 million a day out of that mine. It is what is carrying the town now. Toward the ocean east and downhill of the mine there are lots of small creeks, I bet they would be worth checking. My next door neighbor in San Felipe has a big shelf with (It looks like quartz) rocks that have good sized veins of gold in them.
 
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tortuga

tortuga

Guest
There is a small out of print book called "Gillespie's Gold" written by a newpaper editor from Prescott. If you are interested in Penasco history and you can find a copy it is worth reading.
 
Roberto

Roberto

Guest
I have a copy of that book, compliments of elminero, a one time member of the forum, who requested a photo of the narrow gauge rail bed from the mine to the estuary. I happened to have one and sent it to him with some others of the mine. He was kind enough to reciprocate with a copy of the book, which by the way is fascinating.

Lagrimas. Do you happen to know the location of a place called La Cieniga, somewhere south and east of Caborca? There aparently is a mine there and people pan for gold in the pond. Gillespie apparently moved his stamping mill from La Pinta to this location. There are some photos in the book. I don't see it on any maps I have access to.
 
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lagrimas85

AKA Carnac
No Roberto, but I will find out, there are some guys from Penasco, one of them has a tire shop, that hunt for gold with metal detectors. He says he finds some.
 
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lagrimas85

AKA Carnac
I just saw some pictures on the internet, its a small little place. I would like to go, but first we have to make sure they aren't going to confuse us with DEA agents.
 
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lagrimas85

AKA Carnac
Roberto, I went to a ranch yesterday, the turnoff was about 5 kilometers south of the Puerto Lobos turnoff. Two of the parners of the ranch are engineers from RP and 1 partner owns a casa de cambio here. One of the engineers told me how to get to La Cieniga, I dont know anything about metal detectors, but he recommended that you use one that will get down to at least 2 and 1/2 feet, he said the area is loaded with placer gold. Also, next to this ranch are 2 working gold mines, La Margarita and La Papaga. He said his ranch is also good for gold and from what I saw I beleive it. For any Cimmaron hunters they have 2 permits for the Big Horns and permits for mule deer.
 
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lagrimas85

AKA Carnac
La Cieniga

sonora.jpg Roberto, if you look a little northeast of CABO LOS LOBOS, there is LA CIENIGA, maybe 2 hours from RP. It would be better to enter from Pitiquito.
 
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