Gold Prospectors of the Rockies

Gold Prospectors of the Rockies
History

Steve Cychosz (pronounced SEE-kawsh) first learned to pan for gold on Clear Creek in Denver at 70th Avenue and Washington Street in July 1982. That beginning was to form for Steve a love of prospecting and the beginning of not only a lifelong hobby but also the formation of the Gold Prospectors of the Rockies (GPR).

In the Beginning
In June 1992, Steve Cychosz began giving gold panning lessons and selling gold and gold panning supplies on highway 6, in Clear Creek Canyon near mile marker 262, as a roadside vendor. He purchased his supplies from Gary and Barbara Christopher at the Prospector's Cache, a metal detecting and prospecting store on Broadway in Englewood, which had opened in 1976. Steve began acquiring dealerships in 1993 and started buying more supplies directly from gold prospecting equipment manufacturers and fewer supplies from the Prospector's Cache. In 1994, he put an ad in the phone book and began selling prospecting supplies from his house in Lakewood as well as in the canyon. On March 1, 1995, Gary Christopher announced he was closing the Prospector's Cache at the end of March, and marked everything at 10% off. On March 15, 1995, Steve opened his prospecting storefront, Colorado Gold Recourses, in Lakewood and indeed the Prospector's Cache closed two weeks later on March 31, 1995. By that summer of 1995, Steve sensed a need for a gold prospecting club in the Denver metro area and decided he would attempt to start a club on his own. He put a sign-up sheet in his store for people to leave their names and phone numbers, if they were interested in joining a gold prospecting club in the Denver metro area.
1995
In September, 1995, after about 50 people had signed up as being interested in forming a Denver-area prospecting club, Steve called them and they had an unofficial meeting at his store. More than 40 people showed up and all agreed to form a prospecting club called the Gold Prospectors of the Rockies. Until official elections at the December meeting, acting officers were selected: Pete Callinicos - President, Steve Cychosz - Vice President, Paula Snell - Secretary, and Diana Cychosz - Treasurer. Jim Lazar and Ken Oyler were to head up the Claims Committee, but a Librarian and a proposed Education Committee Chair were still to be selected. In November, the Gold Prospectors of the Rockies Corporation held its first official club meeting at Daniels Community Center on Union Street in Lakewood with 107 prospectors attending. On December 7, The Gold Nugget, Volume 1 Number 1, edited by Pete Callinicos (assisted by Charlie Hawkins), rolled off the press (it had a December 15 date). With the interest in prospecting on the rise, three more prospecting stores had opened in the latter part of 1995. One of those new stores was the Prospector's Shop, which opened in Wheat Ridge in August 1995, but didn't last long. A month later, in September, Gold-N-Detectors opened. Another venture, Gold 'N' Wood, opened in the Spring of 1996 at I-70 and Sheridan but lasted only a few short months.
1996
At the club meeting on Tuesday, January 16, 1996, the first official officers were elected, with Steve Cychosz becoming President and Pete Callinicos as Vice President, Paula Snell as Secretary, and Diana Cychosz as Treasurer. Most of the club's committees were populated with chairpeople: Advanced Workshop - Steve Cychosz and Martin Fickling, Beginner Panning - Rick LaCombe, Claims - Ken Oyler and Jim Lazar, Dowsing - Greg Storozuk, Dredging - Brian Berthelsen and Jerry Jensen, Highbanking - Wayne George and Bill Caudill, Membership - Paula Snell, Metal Detecting - Larry Boyes, Newsletter - Charley Hawkins, Refreshments - Diana Cychosz, and Video/Library - George Trujillo. Only the Field Trips Committee chairmanship was open, as it would remain until 1999. Also in January, the club turned its new face to the world when Steve Johnson put up a GPR site on the web, the first for any gold prospecting club in Colorado (the GPOC followed with their online site five months later). The club was now well underway and showing it! On February 25th, Rick LaCombe held the first club Beginner Panning Workshop on the Platte River at Evans. On March 3rd, Steve Cychosz held the first club Highbanking and Sluicing Workshop at 70th Avenue and Washington Street. Charlie Hawkins took over as the sole Editor of the club's newsletter for the March issue. Steve and Pete had a disagreement on the procedure for filing a mining claim on Beaver Creek and Pete resigned. No one volunteered to hold Pete's VP office, which put the club on the verge of collapsing. As a result, at the April 16th meeting, the club voted to dissolve the Gold Prospectors of the Rockies Corporation and, instead, create a privately owned club with Steve Cychosz as the club's owner and "benevolent leader." Secretary Paula Snell then resigned because she was working toward making the club a non-profit origination and that was impossible with the club becoming private. Also, because of the move to privatization, two other members quit the club and were given full refunds. The turbulent days for the club were over. August 3 and 4 saw the club's first Annual Barbecue, this one held in Breckenridge. Also in August, Diana Cychosz became the club's Executive Director in order to handle VP, Secretary, and Treasurer duties.
1997
With the new year at hand, 1997 saw the club as viable as ever. March found the club with a new Video Librarian, Rusty Newberry, but without the services of its Editor of the past year, Charlie Hawkins, who had resigned in February. Steve handled newsletter publication until he convinced Jim Yeatrakas to take over the helm as Editor for the May 1997 issue. Larry Sallee, author of the book Zip Zip, was flown in from California to be the speaker at the July meeting (the first time members were charged an extra fee at the door to help cover airfare). Jim Yeatrakas moved to the East Coast in September and again the newsletter was without an official editor, with Steve Cychosz filling in for the October issue. In November 1997, The Gold Nugget began to be edited by two future club Presidents, Rick Miska and Gary Hawley. Steve closed Colorado Gold Resources on the day his lease ended, March 31, 1997.
1998
On April 28, 1998, the Gold Prospectors of the Rockies became a Colorado Nonprofit Corporation. In the April issue of the club newsletter were three how-to articles by member Chuck Cummins, a mechanical design engineer. The articles were How to Build a Field Classifier, How to Build a Hibanker/Sluice, and How to Modify Your Sluice. At the end of 1998, Steve Cychosz decided to go back to college, leaving too little room for his gold activities.
1999
Jim Davis was elected the GPR's second President in January 1999, with Dick Oakes as his Vice President and Rick Miska continuing on as the newsletter Editor. Beginning with the May 1999 issue of The Gold Nugget, Dick Oakes took over as Editor, giving the newsletter a different look (similar to his Special Edition in June 1998, created as a publicity piece) and obtaining more advertisers. The successful August 1999 Annual Club BBQ was another special one, being held in Twin Lakes, Colorado. In November 1999, the Editor had the sad duty to report the passing of long-time club Board member, Oliver "Ollie" Abner Miller.
2000
The new millenium saw a notable ocurrence in January of 2000 when Ken Barker was appointed to head the newly created Demonstrations committee, an event that has had tremendous effect on the club to the present day. Dual Alaska trips were organized for August by Jim Davis to Paradise Valley. A highlight of the Alaska experience was the find by twin brothers Gale and Dale Herbertson of a gold nugget weighing 7.4 troy ounces! Another great Annual Club BBQ was held in August on the Douthett's property northwest of Black Hawk.
2001
Jim Davis held sway at club meetings until January 2001, when Rick Miska was elected President with Jim continuing on in a support role as Vice President. Rick also took over as Editor of the club's newsletter as Dick Oakes took a leave of absence from the club. In November, members Clarence & Pat Douthett came back from Alaska with a lot of gold plus a deed to some property northeast of Fairbanks they called Faith Creek Camp and on which they began setting up a large operation for prospectors.
2002
In January 2002, Gary Hawley became Vice President, while Rick Miska continued on as President and Carl Sauerland became the club's Editor. In June, Gary conducted another of his famous Central City Tours on history and prospecting to the Gilpin County area. In September, the club received a complimentary letter from Colleen Gadd, Visitor & Resource Protection Supervisor for Jefferson County Open Space, in which she thanked all who participated in the "fun and informative prospecting field trip this summer" put together by Gary Hawley. As a direct result of this "outing," GPR members are allowed to prospect Clear Creek from Tunnel #1 to the Hwy. 6/Hwy. 119 Wye, as long as we adhere to our Code of Ethics.
2003
Beginning January 2003, new President Gary Hawley and Vice President Ken Barker put together some long-range plans for the club that included a well-developed panning demonstrations team, a club mentoring program, and an expanded speakers program. In February, Steve Johnson turned the website duties over to new Webmaster, Dick Oakes, who gave the site a facelift along with some new feature pages and the club's own domain name, goldprospectorsoftherockies.com. Dick also began work on a Standard Operating Procedures for the club. In April, the club held its 2nd Annual Flea Market/Swap Meet and a lot of equipment changed hands. In June, Gary Hawley again led his great Historic Black Hawk and Central City Mining District tour. The Prez/VP duo also brought back Dick Oakes as the club's newsletter Editor beginning with the July issue. In that issue, Ken Barker reported that the club panning demonstrations trailer had been painted with the club's name and logo. In September, Shawn & Pinie Conell held their first annual treasure hunt and gold panning outing on Clear Creek. October saw the club helping out at Al Mosch's Phoenix Gold Mine for their annual Ghost Mine Tours. Sadly, however, the club's Vice President, Ken Barker, passed away suddenly that same weekend on October 30, 2003. Those who worked with Ken in the panning demos all showed up at the November meeting in period costume and president, Gary Hawley, established the annual Ken Barker Award in Ken's honor. Everyone who attended the December meeting received at least one present (selected by Gary & Kathy Hawley) in the end-of-the-year drawings. Prizes included 2 large gold nuggets and 20 1999 Silver Eagle, 1 oz., .999 fine silver rounds.
2004
The advent of 2004 saw Gary Hawley still holding the club's presidential reins and Jeff Mosteller handling VP duties and coordinating the club's panning demos. Dick Oakes continued on as Webmaster and newsletter Editor. A new club structure was unveiled with the Board members responsible for the guidance of various committees assigned to them by the President. May 1st saw club members Larry & Shirley Weilnau taking first and second prizes at the Gold Prospectors Association of America's Denver prospecting show. At the outing to the Western Museum of Mining & Industry in Colorado Springs, led by Shawn & Pinie Conell, member Larry Boyes received accolades from museum staff for his famous wire gold "Bird's Nest," a photo of which was on a poster on the museum's wall. One of the most memorable outings in club history was held on May 22, 2004, as Shawn & Pinie Conell hosted the 2nd Annual Metal Detecting / Coin Hunting / Gold Prospecting / Speed Panning / Dowsing / Port-A-Potting* Outing on Clear Creek in Jefferson County, then waved goodbye and moved to Alaska. This year's annual club outing and barbecue, hosted by Jeff & Donna Mosteller, was held at Tymkovich Meats alongside Clear Creek and was hailed as a huge success. As happened last year, each member who attended the December meeting received a present (selected by Gary & Kathy Hawley and wrapped by Kathy!) by way of a drawing. Prizes awarded included a 1.0-gram gold nugget, a colorized silver dollar, eight silver "Prospector" coins, and a "Pikes Peak Discovery" silver round. Donna Mosteller was given the prestigious first annual Ken Barker Award; Jackie Barker was on hand to present the award, which included a plaque and a denim jacket with the GPR logo emblazioned thereon. Jeff and Donna Mosteller received a Contribution Award for their service to the club.
2005
The fifth year of the millenium (and the 12th year of the club) began with re-elected officers Gary Hawley (president), Jeff Mosteller (vice-president), and Kathy Hawley (treasurer/secretary) holding the club's reins with most of the board members returning to help guide the club. Dick Oakes, who had given up the coordination of six other committees at the end of 2004, continued as Webmaster and the club's newsletter Editor to the end of the year. In June, the Board voted unanimously to do away with the door prize in favor of a membership prize, driven by whomsoever should be wearing their club badge at the meeting. More Panning Demos were held throughout the year than you could shake a stick at; a testament to the drive and force of Jeff and Donna Mosteller. In July, Wayne & Diane McCarroll won the coveted 33.6 gram nugget and in September, Gary Hawley found the GPR Cache. Chuck Cown was given the prestigious Ken Barker Award.
2006
Gary Hawley and Jeff Mosteller again held sway as president and vice president, with Kathy Hawley as treasurer/secretary. Paul Nagy wrote articles about the presentations. Dick Oakes passed the newsletter baton to Rick Miska but kept the Website duties. Gary presented Dick with a certificate and an "Old Prospector" photo in thanks for his newsletter editing. Jeff Mosteller set up a bevy of panning demos, but not so many this year as to keep him from getting out there in the streams. Gary Hawley handed out presents to all who attended the Annual Christmas Pot Luck Party. Ed Finney won the Ken Barker Award.
2007
Once again, Gary Hawley and Jeff Mosteller were the sworn-in president and vice president, with Kathy Hawley again as treasurer/secretary. Part way through the year, Rick Miska had to step down as newsletter editor and Gary appointed Keith Hawley as the new editor. Paul Nagy contributed more articles and continued to write up the program lectures for the newsletter. Dick Oakes continued with the website. Several outings were on the roster and panning demos were held to a comfortable number. Many folks got out on the water and prospected for gold. Jeff and Donna Mosteller found the GPR cache. "Santa" Hawley gave out presents at the Annual Christmas Pot Luck Party and Kathy Hawley received Ken Barker Award.
2008
Gary Hawley was voted in again as the president but with Jeff Mosteller stepping down, Allen Mershon took over the duties as vice president. Kathy Hawley, continuing to handle the drawings for nuggets so well, was again elected as treasurer/secretary. Keith Hawley continued as the newsletter editor and Paul Nagy wrote the articles about the program lectures. Dick Oakes continued as the Webmaster. More outings were to be had. The membership hovered around 130. Sue Lemieux won the Ken Barker Award.
2009
Aaron Ingalls took over the job of president while Allen Mershon continued as vice president. Robert Larson became the new treasurer/secretary while Gary Hawley became the first "Immediate Past President." Keith Hawley continued as the newsletter editor until he completed the March issue; Andy Doll took over as the newsletter editor. Paul Nagy continued to write the articles about the program lectures and Dick Oakes continued as the Webmaster. Joe Shubert was awarded the Ken Barker Award.
2010
Gary Hawley was again elected as President. Gary had assumed the Presidency in October 2009 as Aaron Ingalls was unable to perform his duties due to unforeseen requirements of his employment. Jim Long was elected as Vice President and began contributing a great deal to organizing guest speakers and programs for the Club as well as taking a major role in contributing to the Newsletter content. Andy Doll continued as the Editor of the Newsletter. Gary Hawley found the GPR Cache and hid the new one. In October, Gary and Kathy Hawley announced that they would be going to California in December for the remaining winter on a new employment venture. Andy Doll was awarded the Ken Barker Award.
2011
Jim Long was elected to the Office of President. Don Bray was elected as Vice President. Peg Brozek was elected to the Office of Treasurer. Andy Doll continued as the Editor of the Newsletter. This year saw the commencement of more Outings than usual and the Club was offered opportunities consisting of 4 mine tours, 4 prospecting outings, 3 community panning demos, 1 metal detecting outing, and 1 mineral/rock hound outing as well as the Club picnic which was held in Golden for the second straight year. There were 2 classes held for beginning panning and beginning sluicing. Clear Creek experienced the highest water levels seen in years and it was August before levels dropped enough to safely prospect. Club membership hit an all time high of 132. Gary Hawley was awarded the Ken Barker Award. Barbara Barrow found the GPR Cache and hid the new one.
2012
Jim Long was elected President again and Mike Hurtado was elected as Vice President. A shift was noted this year in local jurisdictions and their attitude towards small scale mining. The operation of motorized equipment east of tunnel # 1 on Clear Creek and on the South Platte River within the greater metropolitan area was greatly discouraged and the Club imposed a 'selfban' on itself to avoid being seen as a part of the problem. There were many very informative speakers and video programs throughout the year. The Club increased its Outings dramatically and conducted 4 mine/museum tours, 6 prospecting outings, 1 beginner panning class, 4 community panning demos and the annual Club picnic. The Gold Nugget Newsletter continued to offer many informative articles. The Club operated a booth at the GP AA show which was in Denver this year. The Club Membership increased to a staggering 168 at the close of the year. Rob Dechambault found the Cache and hid the new one which was then found by John Johnson in November. Bill Duncanson won the Ken Barker Award.
2013
Jim Long was again elected President. There were again, some 20 events scheduled for the year and the Club managed to undertake several tours to include the National Hall of Fame Museum in Leadville. There were numerous prospecting outings from Nederland, Black Hawk, Clear Creek, and even a 3 day one in Leadville. The Club did 4 or 5 Panning Demos to include one for 20 Japanese exchange students. There were several Beginner Classes put on and we even did a metal detecting hunt. The Club was shocked to discover Jefferson County had leased the Y oungfield stretch of Clear Creek to Wheatridge. Wheatridge is famous for banning all prospecting. We were immensely relieved when Wheatridge then invited us to the table (the only organized local Club) as a stakeholder to assist in devising prospecting rules and regulations for the one half mile stretch of Creek. This was done and panning and sluicing were preserved as well as access. However, a ban was placed on all motorized equipment. This was a tremendous victory. In addition, the Club hosted two out of state Clubs on our Outings, the Illinois GP AA Gold Seekers joined us in Leadville, and the Pony Express GP AA Prospectors of S. Joseph, Missouri joined us on Clear Creek. A great turnout was had at the annual Club picnic and Barbara Barrow found the Cache in late November. We closed the year with a Christmas banquet where Brandon Luchtenburg won the Ken Barker Award. The year was indeed a prosperous one, closing with a paid membership of 185, representing a total of280 Club Members. The meetings are now averaging over 100 people per meeting. In addition, the Club did several televised promotional segments for various television agencies. A very good segment for the CBS National Program Good Morning America was accomplished in September. A segment was done for local channel Fox 31 following the horrendous flooding of September, airing in early October. A third segment was done for a local cable Current Channel as well. Wow, this was indeed, a very busy and productive year.
2014
Jim Long continued as President and there were a couple of changes to the Board. Brandon Luchtenburg was elected to replace Janine Ballantine and John Johnson was elected to replace Roger Biri. The Club continued to prosper and held another 20 or so events during the calendar year. Those events were pretty much the same as those held the previous year but we added another 2 day panning demo held at the Georgetown Railroad Loop. A metal detecting hunt was organized in the fall and proved to be a huge success. The Club did manage to end the year with the largest Treasury in some time and extended the gold give away by one nugget each month. The Club continued to draw an average of 90 members per month and one meeting actually topped 130 members. Membership remains high and though it seems to fluctuate to lower numbers early each year, generally reaches or exceeds 150 paid memberships by the fall.
2015
Jim Long was again elected President and Mike Hurtado as Vice president. Bobby Manning was elected to the Board. The Club continued to prosper and hosted over 20 events again, to include co-hosting the Annual Denver GPAA Gold Show with the Foothills Chapter of the GPAA, the event being held in Denver. The Club continued to successfully conduct Beginner Classes in panning and sluicing in both spring and fall and conducted sufficient panning demonstrations to cover facility rental and printing costs for the year. Club Outings continue to be well attended and have generally been quite successful. The Club lost access to the Tymkovich site on Clear Creek as the owner was forced by his insurance company to close his parking lot, thereby closing easy access to the site and removing it as a viable outing location. Programming for the year was outstanding and was mostly informative videos and a spattering of speakers that all resulted in a lot of interest. The Club was forced to change web sites when Lornet had to close down but we found a new web host and the web site and newsletter continues under the direction of Andy Doll. The Club Cache continues to be a lot of fun and the Question of the Month as well as the Finds of the Month contests draw a lot of support and attention. Joe Fortunato won the Ken Barker Award. The Club closed the year with 165 paid memberships representing 350 members with an average meeting attendance of 88 members per meeting.
2016
Jim Long was again elected President. Wayne Schumacher was elected Treasurer and Joe Fortunato was elected as Vice President. Chris Kafka was elected to the Board of Directors. The Club hosted 19 events this year to include 8 prospecting outings, 6 panning demonstrations and 1 metal detecting hunt. There were also 2 Beginner panning/slicing classes conducted, a club picnic and the Christmas pot luck dinner and awards presentation. Each meeting featured a program of some kind, all gold related, and all were well received by the membership. The Club hosted a booth at the GP AA Gold Show which was held at the Adams County Fairgrounds and we actually sold a number of products and made quite a little bit to add to the Club treasury. The Club 'Cache Hunt' and the 'Question of the Month' continued to add flavor to each meeting. It was determined to add a seventh category to the 'Finds of the Month' competition by adding a 'Mineral' category for 2017. The Annual Ken Barker Award was won by Mike Hurtado. The Club closed the year again with 187 paid memberships representing a total of 3 82 members with an average attendance of 92 members per meeting.
2017
Jim Long was re-elected President. The Board of Directors was re-elected in its entirety with no changes, and included Joe Fortunato, Wayne Schumacher, Joe Schubert, Joe Johnston, Andy Doll, Brandon Luchtenburg, John Johnson, Bobby Manning and Chris Kafka. Club growth for 2017 involved 175 paid memberships representing some 327 members with an average meeting attendance of82. The Club wrote Letters to State and Federal Congressmen in an attempt to save Cache Creek as a 'Public Recreational Panning Area', as there is considerable danger oflosing future access. This issue was the primary Colorado effort that took precedence. The Club scheduled 18 events for the year which included 1 tour, 5 panning demonstrations, 6 prospecting outings, 1 metal detecting hunt, 2 Beginner panning/sluicing Classes, a Club picnic, and participation in the Foothills Chapter GP AA Gold and Mineral Show hosted at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. The annual Christmas pot luck dinner and award presentations concluded the year. The Newsletter has not missed an issue in the last 12 years or more and continues to be informative and to point.
2018
Jim Long was re-elected president. The Board of Directors saw Roger Schlenger elected as Treasurer and the balance of the Board of Directors remains unchanged. The Club) Continues to maintain an average of 150 plus paid memberships representing nearly 300 members in all. The Club’s efforts to save Cache Creek as a Public panning area was successful and the BLM continues to monitor the area. The Club is now involved with the Public Lands for the People (PLP) and the American Mining Rights Association (AMRA) in support of national legislation to declare `heavy metals, as `national security interests ‘in order to protect small scale miner’s rights. We will continue our efforts in that area. The Club conducted a total of 21 events over the course of the year and provided many opportunities for the membership in areas of prospecting, rock hounding and metal detecting. Meeting attendance averages some 90 members at each monthly meeting. We continue to offer free Beginners Panning/sluicing classes in the spring and fall to anyone interested. Attendance at these classes is always good. The year closed with member Bobby Manning being selected as the recipient of the annual Ken Barker Award.
2019
Jim Long was re-elected president. The Board of Directors saw Joe Kafka elected as Treasurer and the balance of the Board of Directors remained unchanged. Membership remains fairly consistent with some lost each year but with new ones added keeping the overall numbers fairly the same, 150 to 165 paid memberships representing some 300 to 325 total members. Monthly meeting attendance for the year averaged 85. The Club continued its support of PLP, AMRA and the GPAA to aﬁect Legislative changes to protect mining and mining rights in Washington D.C.. The Club continued its fairly aggressive approach to Outings and hosted 18 events ranging from Tours, Panning Demos, Beginner Instructional Classes, Metal Detecting Hunt and Prospecting Outings. In addition, the Club hosted a booth at the GPAA Dem and Mineral Show in Denver. In the Fall, the Club joined 20 other entities to support a ﬁrst ever major cleanup project hosted by the Jefferson County Open Spaces involving the entire Clear Creek Canyon Open Space along Clear Creek ﬁ'om tunnel 1 to Colo. Hwy. 119. There were two ‘Caches’ planted and found during the year. John Johnson and Gordon Smith were the lucky ﬁnders. Twelve year member Donald Bray was the recipient of the Annual Ken Barker Award. The Club continues its non-proﬁt status by making a total of $77.46 for the whole year, demonstrating ﬁnancial responsibility of the Board.

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