Welcome to Cold River Mining Company
Your premier source for gemstone panning sluices and mining attractions
Cold River Mining Company
Frequently Asked Questions
    How large a sluice is required?  We recommend that you anticipate the greatest
    amount of people who would use it at the same time and plan for 2 feet per person.  
    Example: if you think 12 people will use it at any given time, we recommend you
    purchase at least a 24’ sluice.  The 24’ sluice is our most popular size.

    How much does a sluice cost?  Refer to our gemstone panning link.  The price
    includes holding tank, pump, whiskey barrel or hand pump, setup, a shovel, a
    scoop, and all wiring and tubing.  Prices are slated to increase 15% on June 1st,
    2007

    Where does the dirt go?  We're created a baffle technology on our sluice that
    keeps excess mining rough from depositing inside the holding tank.  It stays in the
    trough and can easily be shovelled out with the provided plastic shovel.

    Can I put my sluice inside?  Yes, we build sluices to go either indoors, outdoors,
    or on a trailer.  

    Who can we anticipate will use the sluice?  It is a great kid’s activity.  However,
    we find that once a child buys a bag, the parents tend to reach over their shoulder
    and pick into their kid’s screen.  When we see this, we recommend the parent buy
    their own bag.  Our experience shows that there are families who have purchased
    as many as 15 bags in one weekend.

    Is it difficult to learn the names of the gemstones and fossils?  No.  After just
    a few days and very little training, you will know them all.  Every bag will come with
    an ID brochure that makes the rocks easily identifiable.  We highly recommend you
    make these brochures available to your miners because they will definitely increase
    the sales.  Once your customers start collecting the gems, they will want the whole
    Dr. Rocks collection before they go home.

    Isn't the mining rough expensive to transport?  Yes and No.  The quantity of
    mining rough makes transportation expensive.  To combat this, when you purchase
    a sluice, we bring enough bags to hopefully get you through a complete season.  
    After you run out, we try to schedule many deliveries at one time to service several
    customers in an area.  This makes delivery very inexpensive for you and for us.

    Are sluices portable?  Many customers have asked us to make sluices portable.  
    We have recently revolutionized the industry by building an 8' sluice with a welded
    glass interior.  This sluice weighs approximately 150 lbs and will fit 4-5 children at
    one time.  It is as portable and versatile as we could build and works well with rental
    and amusement businesses.        

    If I order my sluice today, when can I expect it at my location?  A sluice
    usually takes approximately 3 weeks to build.  A deposit of 50% down is required to
    begin construction.  When you know when you would like yours, please do not wait
    until the spring time when we are in the midst of our busiest part of the season.  

    Any other Questions?  Contact us today and we will do our best to answer any
    additional questions you might have.
Cold River Mining Company
246 Silver St.
Greenfield, MA 01301