Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday. October 10,2007 - NINE
Stub Lewis and The Gold Cat
Editor’s Note: The
following article was pub
lished in the Sept/Oct edi
tion of Gold Prospectors
Magazine.
By Lee Farren
1 »
1
Sept. 27: -MCSO
was notified of an attempted
theft of gravel. The reporter
Drake, daughter of the Rev
stated that the subject put
erend Grace Drake of Hep
the gravel back when con
pner, ran the Portland Mara
fronted.
thon on Sunday, October 7.
-MCSO received a
She ran the marathon in four
request to have a female
hours and 30 minutes.
subject trespassed off the
Drake’s overall place
reporter’s property. The
was 3,667 out of 7,724. Her
subject was confrontational
division placement for Fe
and would start a fight. The
males ages 50-54 was 59
reporter’s ex-husband is
Reverend Gwen Drake
out of 399 and her gender
on her property in
Rev. Gwen Drake is a staying
placement was 1,437 out the pastor
travel
trailer. The subject
of the Hillsboro is the ex-husband’s
of 4,195. This was her first United Methodist
Church. friend. The reporter ex-girl
race.
stated
that the ex-husband was
welcome but not the female
subject. A deputy made con
tact with the reporter who
said the problem had been
solved civilly.
-MCSO received a
911 hang up call from a cell
ip i W
phone.
-MCSO issued a ci
tation to Peter Alex Valov,
78, for passing in a no pass
ing zone.
/
-MCSO received a
911 hang up. On call back,
a female advised she had
misdialed.
-MCSO received a
* #•
911 call stating that the
reporter’s husband had hit
something or thrown some
thing at her boyfriend’s car.
Kevin K. Alexander, 34,
was arrested for criminal
mischief II.
-BPD issued a cita
tion to Roger Bruce Steele,
48, for failure to obey a traf
fic control device.
-BPD issued a cita
tion
to
Ralph
Earl Bonham,
Steve Groce, with wife Dora and children Robert and Katherine 53, for violating the speed
limit by going 42 mph in a
Donations for the 30
Steve Groce, a 1982
zone.
Heppner High School grad family can be made at the mph -BPD
issued a cita
uate, lost his wife Dora and Bank of Eastern Oregon. tion to Gary Frank
two children Robert, 8, and
Steve, who was not er, 59, for violating Weiding-
Katherine, 4, when their in the car when the crash rule by going 35 mph the in basic
a 20
vehicle was struck by a car occurred, has a brother and mph school zone.
believed to be involved in a sister who live in Board-
-MCSO was notified
an illegal street race in El man.
of
an
audible
burglar alarm
Monte, CA. on Oct. 8.
from the front door of the
Boardman campus.
received a
attacking a dog. MCSO re 52, for failure to use a seat- walk-in -MCSO
notification
of a
sponded and the dogs were belt - child.
theft.
-Irrigon Ambulance
taken to pet rescue.
Sept. 28: -MCSO
-MCSO was notified received a 911 call regarding
received
a 911 call regard
a
74
year
old
female
with
a
that OSP had arrested Jose
ing
a
railroad
track that was
Manuel Leyva, 37, on an IJC nose bleed that would not
stop. EMS responded and not attached. The caller was
warrant for DWS.
-MCSO received a transported the patient to the worried the break in the
track may derail the train.
hospital.
report of a gunshot.
OSP
was on the scene.
-Heppner
Fire
De
-Boardman Ambu
-MCSO was noti
lance received a report of an partment was notified of a
explosion that occurred in controlled bum that looked fied that a male subject was
a shop with a male subject like it might be out of con arrested by Medford Police
sustaining injuries. MCSO, trol. HFD chief responded Department on a warrant.
-MCSO issued a ci
Boardman Fire Department, but was unable to locate
tation
to
a male subject for
Boardman Ambulance, and any fire.
-Boardman Ambu violation of the basic rule by
Irrigon Ambulance respond
ed. OSP was called to assist lance was notified of a mo going 75 mph in a 55 mph
tor vehicle accident with zone.
MCSO.
-MCSO issued a ci
-Boardman Fire De unknown injuries. EMS
tation to Chantel Ann Rob
partment was requested for responded.
inson, 20, for 75 mph in a 55
mutual aid with a fire but
Sept. 26: -MCSO mph
zone.
had no one to send. lone Fire was notified
that
a
female
-MCSO issued a ci
Department was paged.
subject
had
fallen
and
had
tation
to
Monica Leigh Ann
-lone EMS was no a bloody nose, hospital per
tified by an lone EMT of a sonnel was present. Heppner Van Fossen, 26, for DWS,
female that had fallen and Ambulance was notified and driving uninsured, failure to
was refusing EMS. The the patient was transported. carry proof of registration.
-BPD issued a cita
EMT said he would drive
-MCSO
issued
a
ci
her home and would call if tation to Fidel Rios Torres tion to a male subject for
the speed limit
more help was needed.
19, for failure to register violating
by
going
50
mph in a 30
-lone Fire Depart Jr.,
a
vehicle.
mph
zone
and
driving un
ment was paged out for Ar
-MCSO
received
a
insured.
lington Ambulance. There
driving complaint of a
-BPD arrested Ger-
was not enough response so 911
vehicle
all over the road on rado Cruz
Mendoza, 32, for
Heppner was paged out. 1-84 around
milepost 104. failure to carry
and present.
-Heppner Fire De The caller was
transferred
The
subject
was
also cited
partment was requested to OSP.
for
failure
to
carry
proof of
Arlington for mutual aid .
-MCSO received a insurance.
Sept. 24: -MCSO report of a stolen bicycle.
-BPD and Board-
-MCSO, Boardman man Ambulance
was notified that someone
received a
had pried the lock and en Ambulance and BPD were call from an elderly
female
tered the reporter’s resi notified of an unwanted requesting them to respond
dence when she was gone subject trespassing at the re because she was not feeling
porter's home. The reporter well. BPD requested that
for the weekend.
call
back to advise that the EMS respond as well. EMS
-MCSO was notified
that a shop had been entered subject had assaulted him transported the female to
at an lone residence and it and then left.
Hospital.
-BPD cited a juve Good Shepherd
was unknown if items were
-BPD
issued
nile for no bicycle helmet. tion to a male subject a for cita
missing.
no
-Boardman Fire De operator's license.
-MCSO issued a ci
tation to a subject for care partment received a 911 call
received an
less driving with accident. of a fire along the railroad EMS call -BPD
a 16 year old
-MCSO arrested a track on the right hand side male subject for hurt
at the foot
of the road next to grain. ball game. An ambulance
male subject.
-BPD issued a cita
Continued next column transported the subject.
tion to Sandra Lee Ferguson,
Drake The runs
in Portland Marathon
Reverend Gwen
■?>
% fjL
Gold fever did not
hit Stub Lewis until after he
had retired. When it did it
took an unusual form.
Stub likes gold -
he wears a favorite nug
get on a chain around his
neck, but what he likes even
more is building gold recov
ery machines. Specifically, Stub Lewis and a Gold Cat highbanker.
Stub builds Gold Cat Twin
Sluice Super Highbankers.
He sells them for about sic by a singer named Stub on gravity fed water and
$ 1,500 through The Dredge or Stubby. He’d hold me and needs a flow of about 200-
Shop in Sumpter, a center I’d bob up and down, so 1 gallons-per-minute. He also
for recreational gold mining got the nickname. I’ve gone recommends a trash pump,
in Eastern Oregon.
which can handle gravel and
by it ever since.”
A Gold Cat is basi
Stub shares his given small sticks.
The reason for all
cally two sluiceboxes at name with his grandfather
tached to a hopper and a Lewis and an uncle on his that water, Stub explains, is
pump. The miner loads the mother’s side. Even people that rocks from a stream are
hopper with shovelfuls of who have known Stub all coated with a thin layer of
gravel. Water from a pump his life don't know his real clay. Gold powder, flakes,
washes it from the hopper name. So here it is, Ervin. and the tiny nuggets called
into the top sluice, where the
After retiring in 2000 “pickers” are embedded in
coarsest material is screened Stub took to watching tele that clay.
out. Fine material falls into vision. He was particularly
“Gold settles out in
the lower sluice, and is intrigued by “Prospecting the riffles because it is 19-
washed with more water. America” on The Outdoor times heavier than water,”
Classifying screens sort the Channel.
Stub says. “Wash it and it
material by size. The heavier
“I'd always been will find the low place and
bits of gold settle into spe interested in prospecting, stop.”
cial riffle structures and are but I’d never had anyone to
Stub plans to keep
caught in a piece of ribbed show me how,” Stub says. producing the Gold Cats.
carpet.
He joined the GPAA “If they sell all right, that’s
Stub’s machine is and started going on outings fine,” he says. “It gives
called a highbanker because, to the Sumpter are where me something to do so I
unlike traditional sluicebox the LDMA owns property don’t pester the wife all the
es, it can work without being on the Burnt River. At these time.”
For more informa
set directly in a stream.
outings members spend a
The Gold Cat op weekend mining a claim tion about Stub Lewis’Gold
erates on a bank, where with pans, sluices, dredges, Cats contact Stub at (541)
gold-bearing gravels are metal detectors and high 676-9261.
often found, and works with bankers. They have pot-
*Please note that
water pumped up from the lucks, share techniques and Burnt River is the property
stream.
enter contests. On the last of Lost Dutchman s Mining
“Old-tim er min- day all the gold they find
n is Assoc, and as such it is re-
ers rfsdV rocker boxes'in^’divvied'up among the par- stricted
strictei to LDMA members
streams,” Stub says. “They’d ticipants.*
only i unless you are there at
shovel the material in, pour
“They are running an GPAA/LDMA scheduled
water over it and rock them, highbankers,” Stub says. outing. *
Where they could, they’d “I thought, ‘I need one of
pipe a flume of water down those, but I’m not going to
and use a kind of wooden pay that kind of money.’I’m Sheriff's Report
highbanker.”
one of those guys, if I need
Evidence of slui- something I’ll go home and
The Morrow County
cebox mining can still be build it.”
Sheriff's Office reports han
found in the Sumpter area,
So he did. He de dling
the following busi
where stub goes a half- signed his first Gold Cat in
dozen times each summer 2002. “I just wanted a name ness:
Sept. 21: -BPD re
on outings with other recre for it, so I called it a Gold
ceived
a
call stating that a
ational miners.
Cat,” Stub says.
Stub's highbankers
He had Ross Ma male subject was threaten
are unique in having the chinery in Hermiston build ing the reporter’s husband.
-Heppner Fire De
two sluiceboxes set at dif the sluice boxes. He made
ferent pitches so that both the hopper out of an old partment received a call
transferred from John Day
the coarse and fine material road sign.
are washed at the same time,
“It worked great,” from a reporter stating he
with the water running at Stub says. “The design had been in a head on col
different rates.
hasn't really changed since. lision with another vehicle.
Most miners sprin I’ve improved the riffle trays Three people were involved
kle material into highbank and added wheels so it rolls and the reporter was unsure
of the injuries sustained.
ers - Stud’s hoppers are so over the rocks.”
big he loads them with a
Stub’s Gold Cats HFP, EMS and MCSO re
shovel. He claims a 25% weigh about 100 pounds. sponded.
higher gold recovery rate They can be lifted and
23: -MCSO
than machines with only moved around like a wheel and BPD Sept.
received
report of
one sluice, because he can barrow and tipped up on water running in a a residence
run so much more material. end for storage. He’s been since 1 a.m. with no sounds
In addition, his machines asked to make smaller ones people in the residence.
come apart for cleaning and that would be even easier to of
The reporter stated that a
go back together w ith easy- carry around.
young man with health is
to-operate latches.
“I’ll call it the gold sues lived in the residence.
Stub grew up on the kitty,” he says.
-MCSO responded
Imnaha River in Oregon and
After trying out his to a motion alarm and deter
graduated from Freeze Out first design. Stub remod mined it was a false alarm.
Grade School at the end of eled his woodworking shop
-MCSO issued a ci
8,h grade. He attended high to handle the new project. tation to a male subject for
school in Asotin, WA and At first he made everything no seatbelt.
joined the US Army after himself, taking about two
-MCSO issued a ci
graduation. From there he weeks for each machine. As tation to a male subject for
went into automotive front- production has gone up (he no seatbelt.
end alignment and frame sold nine in 2005 and 20 in
-MCSO issued a ci
work. He moved to Hep the first half of 2006) he has tation to Kimberly Lynn
pner in 1984 and ran Les turned to Apollo Sheet Met Johnston, 31, for violation
Schwab's alignment shop al in the Tri-Cities. Apollo of the basic rule by going 81
for about 10 years. Then he prefabricates the aluminum mph in a 55 mph zone.
worked as a janitor for the sluice boxes and the hop
-MCSO received an
Heppner School District. per boxes. Stub takes over animal neglect
stating
Oh, and that nick from there, producing the that three horses report
were
name? Stub got it when he riffle trays, legs, classifying ing and eating their starv
own
was a baby. “I'd wake up screens and plumbing.
waste to stay alive and that
real early in the morning
Pumps are not in a dog next door had no food
and Dave, one of my mom's cluded with the Gold Cats. or water. The reporter would
relatives, would get up with Stub recommends a 6-horse like a deputy to respond.
me. There was a radio sta power motor with a 3”
received a
tion that played country mu- pump. The Gold Cat works report -MCSO
of two large dogs
A
Former Heppner grad
loses family in car wreck
■it
f