Young Miners in Crisis: Freddy Dodge and Juan Ibarra Overhaul Struggling Idaho Operation

Remote Claim in Western Idaho Faces Financial Pressure

Just seven miles from the historic mining town of Silver City, a small crew of young miners is fighting to keep their operation alive. Led by mine owner Derek T.R., the team has poured time, money, and heart into a claim they’ve named True Mine. Over the last two years, Derek invested his life savings—$125,000—into building a homemade wash plant dubbed the Trauml, along with a feed hopper and conveyor system.

Despite the effort, the mine only produced 27 ounces of gold last season—well below what’s needed to break even. This season, the goal is clear: 100 ounces, or the dream dies. Derek brought in two partners, Chris and Matt, and together they called on mining experts Freddy Dodge and Juan Ibarra for help.

Initial Test Reveals Major Technical Issues

To diagnose the system’s problems, Freddy and Juan conducted a four-hour test run. It quickly became clear the plant had several inefficiencies:

• Water was being sprayed on the conveyor belt, potentially washing gold-rich material off the system.
• Larger rocks were jamming the grizzly bars, preventing pay dirt from reaching the hopper.
• A high volume of amber-colored heavy sand was making gold recovery exceptionally difficult.

Amber sand, a material nearly as dense as gold, complicates separation during panning and sluicing. Derek’s team was forced to rely on mercury amalgamation to capture the fine gold—an outdated and hazardous process that Freddy strongly discouraged due to the serious health risks involved.

Clean-Up Results: Underperforming and Dependent on Mercury

After the test run, the gold was separated into two categories: gold recovered without mercury and gold that required mercury amalgamation. The total yield was 0.61 ounces—below the 0.7 ounces needed to justify the run.

Freddy noted that about one-third of the gold still depended on mercury use. Given that three men were relying on this mine to support their families, the output was not economically viable.

Strategic Upgrades by Freddy and Juan

To modernize the operation and increase gold recovery without mercury, Freddy and Juan implemented several key changes:

1. Grizzly Modification: They increased the pitch of the grizzly bars to prevent rocks from jamming and allow more pay dirt to reach the hopper.
2. Feeder Redesign: The crossbars that caused clogging were replaced with a single beam to improve material flow.
3. Conveyor Belt Wiper: A spring-loaded rubber wiper was added to prevent water loss and ensure gold-rich material dropped into the trommel.
4. Gold Recovery Table: Freddy and Juan donated a gold shaker table to help the crew separate fine gold without using mercury.

Final Test Run Delivers Success

With the changes in place, the team performed a second four-hour run. This time, there were no clogs, no water waste, and the system ran smoothly throughout. The clean-up yielded 0.67 ounces of gold—just shy of the 0.7-ounce benchmark but with no mercury involved.

This marked a 15% improvement in recovery and opened the door to full-day runs potentially producing over 2 ounces of gold worth around $3,600 per day.

A Safer and Profitable Future Ahead

The upgrades not only improved efficiency but also eliminated the need for mercury, making the operation safer and more environmentally responsible. With consistent output and proper clean-up methods, Derek and his team now have a real chance at making the True Mine a profitable venture.