Guide to Gold in California

Gold panning is fast-becoming one of the most popular activities today.  In fact, more and more travel groups are offering vacation packages that center around the activity.  So if you’re bored of the usual vacations and you want to do something new with your family, or if you’re in it for the money, I suggest that you continue reading.

Gold panning in California

Of course, we can’t talk about gold panning without talking about California.  After all, there’s a reason why the state is called “The Golden State”.  It’s safe to say that it’s because of the contribution of gold to the development of the state.  Most historians would tell you that the discovery of gold in the state led to its modern development.

History of gold panning in California

In order to know the full history, we have to go back to almost two centuries ago.  It’s an established fact that it was James W. Marshall, with the help of Samuel Rogers, who first discovered gold on January 24, 1848.  Both were working on a project for John Sutter.  It was Mr. Rogers who first saw the precious metal that he immediately brought to Mr. Marshall.  He immediately had his suspicions that it was gold so he brought it to Mr. Sutter.  The two tested the metal themselves and they confirmed that it was indeed gold.

However, there were no shouts of joy after the discovery.  The duo actually became concerned that the discovery would start a gold rush and that their project will be affected.  Mr. Sutter wanted to set up his own agricultural kingdom and he feared that if word got out, people would flock to his area looking for gold.

His fears proved to be prophetic as people started flocking to his land after a San Francisco publication released news confirming that there is indeed gold in California.  This led to locals trooping to the river, ready to look for gold.  News then spread all over the world and people from all over started settling in, completely modernizing the state.

Since most people who came didn’t have any tools or know-how to extract gold, they used a very simple but effective system – gold panning.  Actually, that wasn’t the first time that the strategy was used to extract gold.  In ancient Rome, they used the strategy as well.  It’s simple, low-cost and effective.

Gold panning in California gained popularity in 1849 when the “Forty-niners”, or those looking for gold, started extracting gold using the simplest strategy that they know of.  Armed with gold pans, they competed with the bigger groups that have more technologically-advanced strategies.

Interesting facts about gold panning in California:

• 125 million troy ounces of gold were extracted during the Gold Rush of 1848–1855.
• Converted to today’s money, that’s over $50 billion worth of gold.
• A 195 pound gold nugget was discovered in 1854.  Back then, it was valued at $43,534.
• Due to the Gold Rush, California’s population exploded to 223,000 from 14,000 in four years from 1848 to 1852.

Counties where they found gold in California

This is a list of the top 12 California counties when it comes to extracted gold.  These counties were able to produce over $100,000,000 worth of gold since the start of the Gold Rush until 1965.

• Nevada
• Amador
• Tuolumne
• Butte
• Calaveras
• Sierra
• Yuba
• Sacramento
• Placer
• El Dorado
• Plumas
• Siskiyou

NOTE: El Dorado, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Amador and Calaveras were the original “Mother Lode” counties.

Where can you pan for gold in California today?

It’s been estimated that only 20% of the total gold in the Mother Lode were extracted.  This means that there are still 80% of them still available for extraction.  Aside from the original five counties, it now covers northeastern and central California so those are great places to start with.

Hopefully, this information will help you explore gold panning in California.  Take advantage of these resources and have fun with your success!

Gold in california Mines, Gold Prospecting, Gold Panning and Treasure Hunting Gold in California Region 1

where to find gold in california

Big Ten's California Gold Prospecting and Panning Map 1 shows places where to look to find gold near:

Ballarat, Baker, Blythe, Chloride City, Cima, Death Valley, Desert Center, Desert City, Eagle Mountain, Glamis, Grommet, Halloran Springs, Harrisburg, Inca, Kelso, Midland, Midway, Mountain Pass, Needles, Niland, Nipton, Ogilby, Parker, Parker Dam, Picacho, Ripley, Shoshone, Tecopa, Valley Wells, Vibal, Wheaton Springs (and Yuma, AZ).

It shows four hundred five (405) gold mines and gold prospecting and panning locations from official geological records of the State of California and the federal government. Locations for finding gold are shown within 15 miles of each of the above listed places. These gold deposit locations, which show where gold has been found in the past, are clearly marked. A good gift.

The map is done in color. The margin of the map has text that tells where to look for gold in california a streambed, how to tell "fools gold" from real gold and gives step-by-step gold panning instructions. You can quickly learn to pan by following the instructions on the map.

GOLD MINES AND GOLD IN CALIFORNIA, GOLD PROSPECTING  REGION 1

Gold in California Region 1 embraces the eastern area of Southern California from Death Valley to the Mexican Border. Some of the mountain ranges in California Gold Region 1 are Nopah, Big Maria, Cargo Muchacho, Chocolate, Chuckwalla, Providence, Funeral, Inyo and Whipple.

There are gold prospecting and gold mining sites in California Gold Region 1 within fifty miles of Las Vegas along Interstate 15. Gold mining and prospecting locations are shown  west of Needles near Interstate 40, west of Blythe near Interstate 10 and along the California side of the Colorado River north of Interstate 8 just a few miles from Yuma, Arizona. 

A California Division of Mines and Geology document mentions that mining was done by Spaniards as early as 1780-81 in the Cargo Muchacho Gold District, about 15 miles northwest of Yuma, Arizona.  Later, mining was resumed under Mexican rule. This is believed to be the first gold mined in what is now the State of California.

The Cargo Muchacho Gold District received it's name of Cargo Muchacho, or Loaded Boy, when two young Mexican boys came into camp one evening with their shirts loaded with gold. American gold miners became interested in this district after the end of the Mexican War in 1848. Large scale gold mining was done there to depths of 1,000 feet. 

The Potholes and Picacho gold mining districts also lie in the southeastern part of Imperial County, about 50 miles east of El Centro and 20 miles north of Yuma. Small scale gold mining began in the Potholes Gold in California was under Spanish rule. The district was named Potholes because the gold was found in small depressions or pots. As many as 500 Mexicans and Indians could be seen working the dry washes. It is probable  that the Spanish mined the Picacho Gold District as early as 1780. Gold in california has also been mined in the Chocolate Mountains in Imperial County, notably northeast of Glamis.

The Chuckwalla Gold District, in the Chuckwalla Mountains of Southeastern Riverside County , was organized in the 1880's and gold mining continued through the early 1900's. There is a considerable number of gold mines and gold prospects in this area.

Gold in california prospecting and mining has been done in the Clark Mountain Range in San Bernardino County since the early 1880's, and since at least 1882 in the Ivanpah Gold  District, both of which are just off of Interstate 15 and about 35 miles northeast of Baker. Many gold deposits have been discovered through the years both east and west of Death Valley National Monument in Inyo County.

Modern-day gold prospectors hunt for gold with metal detectors in this area of Southern California during the cooler seasons. They use their metal detectors to scan placers for gold nuggets in the dry washes and the tailings from earlier gold mining operations. Dry washers are used to recover fine gold and nuggets.

The hundreds of dry washes originating in, and coming down from, the mountain ranges, as shown on Gold in California Prospecting and Panning Map 1, offer opportunities to find more gold.

Gold in California

Our Gold in California panning map shows there are currently 17,911 active gold mining claims and 17,332 abandoned claims located throughout the state. Of those active claims, 9,467 are lode claims and 8,444 are placer claims. Of those abandoned claims, 10,091 are lode and 7,241 are placer. Gold in california's active gold mining claims represent about 5% of all gold claims in America.

	When you first open the Gold in California map you will see a satellite view of the state with little yellow clusters throughout. Those yellow clusters represent areas where you’ll find high concentrations of active gold mining claims. This view of these yellow clusters gives us an incredibly precise view of where most of Gold in california is being found. This near real-time look at these gold bearing areas is simply not possible with traditional fold-out paper maps.
	Now zoom in about 90 miles NE of Sacramento to a little resort town called Bucks Lake. You can clearly see the active (yellow) and abandoned (blue) gold mining claims boundaries throughout the area. You are now on public land in the Plumas National Forest. That means you can find dozens of non-claimed public gold in California panning sites for you and your family to try your luck at. The boundaries shown are accurate to within feet of what you’ll see at ground level.
	Zoom in further still and you can click on any active or abandoned gold claim for ownership and other information about the claim. This information is to help those prospectors wanting to establish their own claims. Recreational gold panners should not try to contact claim holders and always stay away from claimed property. Use the claims to guide you to where the action is but always respect the property rights of others.
	Still looking at the Bucks Lake area, turn on the Google Earth™ overlay entitled Places of Interest. Now you can see Plumas National Forest campgrounds, ranger stations, hiking trails, hotels and stores. You can zoom in further still to get a birds-eye view of roads, creeks and other points of interest. Using Google Earth™ satellite imagery, altitude and distance measuring tools will eliminate most surprises like, “I didn’t know that hill was so steep.”

California Gold Panning Notes: None of the Gold in California images above show just how close you can zoom in to see gold in California panning sites. You’ll be amazed at how crisp the satellite imagery is and how much exploring and planning you can do from the comfort of your home. And Google Earth™ is a free download.