The Walter Dine story was written by Dick Reed and first appeared in the Dec. 1, 1976 issue of the Brown County Democrat.
Walter Dine, at 63, is a retired farmer, carpenter, timberman, shopkeeper, and family historian (although he never married) who was at the center of Brown County’s so-called “gold rush” activity during the early 1930s.
He learned the placer mining for gold from his father when Walter was only a child, and has done about as much of it, if not more, than any other Brown Countian alive.
The avocation wasn’t profitable; even commercial operations couldn’t make gold panning pay. But it was adventurous, lots of fun and certainly in tune with the times in Brown County during the great depression years, when even a couple of dollars a day wasn’t to be passed off lightly.
Walter says the gold is still here, in the earth and in the streams, where glacial deposits lie throughout northern Brown County and up to the northwest of Morgantown.
Streams, he says, are the best source of the gold because the running water in them acts as a natural sluice, or separator. Even today an experienced placer miner (gold panner) might come upon a creek bar of 25 or 30 cubic yards that would yield up to $3 a yard in flaked and powdered gold (compared to the usual average of about 45-cents per yard).
These days, however, gold panning is less worthwhile than it was 40 years ago. The price of gold is up, but so are labor and equipment costs.
Also, Walter says it appears to him that the streams are slower and carry less water. They’re more sedimented (you need rock bottoms) and the days are long gone when one can move about the county freely, sampling this or that promising area with impunity.
Fortunately for him, Walter owns over 150 acres in Hamblen Township and upper salt creek runs through it. He can pan gold on his own land and, working like a dray horse, could come up with $1 to $4 per day — perhaps even in his own driveway, which fords the creek right in front of his house.
Also, fortunately for Walter, he has other things to do! At this stage in life and with one bad ankle he’s been content in recent years to slack off on the gold panning hobby and, for the most part, put in his time on the grounds and a big truck garden.
Walter was born April 14, 1913, on property he still owns. His present home was once owned by Abraham Jones and stands on 40 acres Walter bought adjacent to the family homestead about 1941. For some ten years before that he had rented the place and was living there during the county’s “gold rush,” which Frank Hohenberger helped publicize in photographs which circulated nationwide.
The Walter Dine place, which is south of Morris Dine’s, is the first habitation on the left as you come down Gold Point Road from the Spearsville-to-Peoga road.
Walter’s father was John Dine, a farmer whose family lived in Brown County since before the Civil War. His mother was Elva Hunt Dine. She was born in Columbus and lived in Shelby County before she married John. Both were living with Walter when they died. John in 1941 and Elva in 1974.
Walter operated the farm during World War II and had an occupational deferment from the selective service system. In addition he was supporting and taking care of his parents.
Three brothers saw military service, however; two were in the European theater and one in the South Pacific. The house where Walter was born, about half-a-mile east of his present home, was torn down back in the 30s.
Walter was the fifth of ten children born to John and Elva. He and eight others are living. Mary (Mrs. Justus) Richart, lives west of Spearsville. Maude (Mrs. William) Richart lives on Morgantown Road, Morris and family are neighbors to Walter on Gold Point Road. Arthur lives and works in Indianapolis , and Arvilla (Mrs. Charles ) Kibler lives at Edinburg. Thelma (Mrs. James Ely) is in Indianapolis and Herman, who is single, works at Indianapolis but maintains a home in the county and is here on weekends. Edith (Mrs. Raymond) Bailey lives north of Edinburg.
To be continued.
Submitted by Pauline Hoover, Brown County Historical Society
