Admist the miles of destruction from the Dixie fire lies this unspoiled gem. A beautiful piece of Rush Creek with its clean, cool water, tall trees, and a great camping spot right on the creek.

The road leading to the claim is in great shape, although steep, windy, and dusty, it is still easily passable. The access from the southern portion is steep hike down to the bank of the creek and perfect for those who prefer to be isolated. Even though both sides of the creek have been historically mined there are still plenty of prospecting opportunities from metal detecting to working the creek with its many gravels, boulders, and tree roots. Across the bridge to the north is a beautiful camping area with two level camp spots right on the creek. There is easy access to the creek from that point.

Location: This district is in the northwestern Plumas County. It is an extensive area that lies between Lake Almanor on the north and the Virgilia-Twain area on the south and southwest. The district includes the Caribou and Seneca areas. The Crescent Mills district lies to the south.

History: During the gold rush vast amounts of placer gold were recovered from the Feather River and its tributaries. The valley was named for Horace Butts, a successful early day miner. The town of Seneca was an important center at that time. The Butt Valley Reservoir was constructed by the Great Western Power Company in 1921. Lode-gold mining, which originally began in the 1850s, continued through the 1930s . Since then there has been intermittent prospecting at a few properties such as the Sunnyside mine. Skin divers and weekend prospectors have been active along the streams.

Geology: The district is underlain by a series of metamorphed sediments ranging from Silurian to Triassic in age. Slate is the most abundant, but also present are sandstone, limestone, quartzite, and conglomerates. In addition, there are greenstones and serpentine.

Ore Deposits: The gold-quartz veins occur in brecciated zones in all of the formations, but they are most abundant in the slates and greenstones. The ore contains free gold and varying amounts of sulfides, including arsenopyrite. Milling ore averaged usually only a few dollars per ton, but the ore bodies were extensive. Some of the veins and vein zones are 20 or more feet thick. An appreciable number of high grade pockets were found. The placer deposits, both Tertiary and Recent in age, were extremely rich in cerain areas.

Estimated GPS Coordinates:
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Datum: NAD83/WGS84
Coordinates: UTM