The famous Mother Lode region in California is an area that extends roughly 120 miles long and 1 – 4 miles wide through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Mother Lode covers an area that includes El Dorado, Amador, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Mariposa Counties. Within this area, there are literally thousands of mines and prospects, most of which were discovered soon after the initial discovery of gold in California at Sutter’s Mill.
The lode gold deposits scattered throughout the Mother Lode supplied gold to a countless number of streams and rivers throughout the region. Many of the creeks that contain gold today are replenished by lode deposits throughout the Sierra Nevada. Some of these are documented gold mines, while other sources are smaller deposits that have yet to be discovered.
Since the Mother Lode covers a very large area and is exceptionally rich, it has resulted in one of the largest and most famous gold bearing regions in the entire world. While many gold districts throughout the U.S. and around the world depleted the gold reserves rather quickly after their discoveries, the California Gold Rush lasted quite long when compared to many other areas. The huge extent of the placer deposits, combined with the vast amount of lode deposits spanning over 120 miles across northern and central California, made for years of productive mining.
The first discovery of gold in California was at the now famous Sutter’s Mill, a lumber mill located on the South Fork of the American River. Amazingly rich placers were soon discovered on the American River, along with several other major drainages.
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To the north, all forks of the Feather River contain gold, along with the Yuba and Bear Rivers. South of the American, the Cosumnes, Mokelumne, Caliveras, Tuolumne, and Merced Rivers are all known gold producers, and all many of the smaller creeks and tributaries that feed them contain placer gold as well. You will find that if you are prospecting in the right areas of the Sierra Nevada Mountain, finding at least a little bit of gold is not too difficult at all.
If you are prospecting this region, it is best to research areas where gold has been mined before. The Mother Lode region is vast, but keep in mind that during the peak of the gold rush, it was estimated that there were well over a quarter million prospectors exploring these mountains. Thus, it is unlikely that you will find a completely undiscovered creek that has gold in it. Rather, you should find the areas that the old timers prospected and use this knowledge to find the gold that they missed.
The early gold miners in California were excellent prospectors, but they lacked the modern technology and quality equipment that we enjoy today. For this reason, it is possible to go out and find plenty of gold in the areas that were already mined long ago. Seek out the hand worked streams, the old dredge tailings, waste rock piles at lode mines, and old hydraulic and ground sluiced area.
California’s Mother Lode is one of the richest gold regions in the world. If you are fortunate to prospect in this area, you have a great opportunity to find some good gold. There are many people today that are making a decent living searching for gold in the Mother Lode.
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