About Suburban Prospector

 

More Than 30 Years of Chasing Gold

Suburban Prospector started with a simple idea: you don’t have to live in the mountains to be a gold miner.

A lot of people interested in prospecting look around at where they live—in a city, the suburbs, or somewhere far from gold country—and wonder how they could ever really get involved. I wanted to help change that. Prospecting can fit into real life. You can get out and mine when you have the opportunity, learn how to make the most of your time in the field, and bring material home to process and recover gold in a relatively small footprint.

How It Started

I’ve been prospecting for more than 30 years, but it started almost by accident.

I was fishing a remote stream when I came across an old-timer digging a big hole and feeding material through an old rocker box. He wasn’t particularly happy to see me.

Instead of bothering him or moving on, I asked if I could just watch what he was doing. Eventually he figured out that I wasn’t there to steal his secret spot, and he warmed up to the idea of showing me what he was doing and explaining how it worked.

The next day I went out and bought my first gold pan.

The rest is history.

Why Suburban Prospector Is Different

Over the years I’ve tried a lot of equipment and learned a lot of lessons—some inexpensively and some the hard way. I have a storage unit full of prospecting equipment to prove it. 😆

That’s one of the reasons I started Suburban Prospector.

When you buy from us, it can be a completely no-contact transaction if you already know exactly what you need. But if you want help, I’m available.

For somebody just getting started, that can mean helping you avoid spending money on equipment that sounds cool but doesn’t actually fit the kind of prospecting you plan to do. For an experienced miner, it may mean discussing recovery systems, equipment configurations, methods or ways to improve an existing operation.

I’d rather help you buy the right equipment than sell you equipment you don’t need.

From Your First Pan to Mining Claim Development

My experience ranges from recreational gold panning and river sluicing through small-scale mining and large mining-claim management.

Suburban Prospector also provides consulting locally and nationwide, including equipment selection and setup, mining methods, claim evaluation and development, mining plans, and assistance navigating filings with regulatory agencies.

Whether you’re wondering which gold pan to buy or trying to figure out how to develop a mining claim, you’re welcome to ask.

Teaching and Supporting the Prospecting Community

I currently serve as President of the Idaho Gold Prospectors Association (IGPA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting responsible mining and teaching people about gold prospecting.

That education ranges from grade-school students discovering their first piece of gold to people taking up prospecting after retirement. I also work with veterans groups and other organizations to help provide hands-on mining and prospecting experiences for their members.

For me, prospecting isn’t simply something I sell equipment for.

I mine it. I teach it. I live it.

And if you’ve ever thought, “I live in the city or suburbs—how can I be a gold miner?”

You’ve come to the right place. 👍