The gang arrives at the Gold City Guest Ranch to find the town practically deserted, scared off by a ghost miner.
This episode includes examples of the following tropes:
- Abandoned Mine: The old Gold City Mine.
- Big Shadow, Little Creature:
- As Shaggy and Scooby explore the abandoned mine, Scooby sneaks up behind Shaggy making a large menacing shadow to scare him.
- The ghostly Miner '49er runs for it when he sees and hears what appears to be a train approaching... but it's really Shaggy imitating a train horn and chugging, and Scooby going down the tracks with a flashlight and speaker from which Shaggy's train noises are coming.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: Big Ben mentions that it was a shame that Hank attempted to drive him out of business; he would've gladly made Hank a partner in the oil business if he had told him about his discovery.
- Desert Skull: One of these (with overly ornate horns) hangs atop the sign for the Gold City Guest Ranch.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Fred mentions that Hank was taken to jail after they caught him posing as the Miner 49er collecting oil in the abandoned mine. Hank/the Miner 49er wasn't exactly doing anything illegal unless he was charged for breaking into the mine and trespassing, even though the gang did just that to try and solve the mystery.
- Dynamite Candle: Shaggy tries to illuminate the dark mine using dynamite.
- Epileptic Flashing Lights: Both times the animation of Shaggy and Scooby pretending to be a train rolls towards the camera, its' bright "headlight" engulfs the screen in rapidly flashing white and yellow lights for a couple of seconds.
- Floorboard Failure: The old mine's floorboards give way, dumping Fred into some flour sacks.
- Ghost Town: Almost no one wants to stay in Gold City because of the Miner 49er.
- Monster of the Week: The Miner 49er, a ghostly miner hunting the last of the gold.
- Powder Gag: The mine suffers a Floorboard Failure, causing Fred to get dumped into flour sacks. When the gang finds him, his appearance gives a good scare to Shaggy and Scooby.
- Read the Map Upside Down: The gang gets lost and has to stay in Gold City because Shaggy read their map upside down.
- Rollercoaster Mine: Seen at one point when the Miner 49er is chasing Scooby and Shaggy through the mine.
- Standard Snippet: The episode makes use of "Oh My Darling, Clementine" for its western mining town setting, and also introduces a cue with a riff of "Chicken Reel" that plays as Scooby imitates a chicken and a cue that incorporates an "I've Been Working On The Railroad" riff a couple of times that plays when Shaggy and Scooby pretend to be a train in the mine tunnel to scare the Miner '49er into a trap.
- Vile Vulture: The first shot of Gold City has a screeching vulture to signify its creepiness.
