Few people realize that there is gold throughout the Angeles National Forest. In fact, many of the creeks and rivers are gold-bearing, and some fairly significant mining has taken place here in the past century.
Of course, most of this mining has been mostly forgotten, and easily overshadowed by the famous Gold Rush in the northern half of the state. There is gold here though, and even today a person can find it.
The newly designated San Gabriel Mountains National Monument has affected many of these areas. While existing claims are not effected, now many great prospecting sites throughout these mountains are technically off-limits.
Let’s look at 7 historically significant gold regions just north of Los Angeles.
1. Acton
About 20 miles north of Los Angeles is Acton. Lode mining began in this region in the 1870s and 1880s. The Buena Esperanza, Helene, Hi-Grade Red Rover, Governor, and Monte Cristo Mine were the largest operations at that time. Gold was free-milling and ran with pyrite in quartz veins.
2. Tujunga Canyons
Fine placer gold can be found in Tujunga Canyon and many of the minor drainages in the adjacent region. This is fine gold, best suited for careful sluicing when water is flowing. Gold concentrations settled on bedrock can be cleaned up and panned with decent results.
3. Mount Baldy
Much of the gold production records for Mount Baldy are supplied by the placer diggings on the San Gabriel River. Gold has been worked from the river gravels since the 1840s. In the decades that followed, there were numerous hydraulic operations which raised the output in the Mount Baldy area. Though less significant, there are also several lode mines from the early 1900s that produced upwards of $50,000 in gold at the time. The biggest were the Allison, Baldora, and Big Horn mines.
4. Mount Gleason
About 15 miles north of Pasadena is Mount Gleason. Small quartz stringers running through granite and schist produce modest amounts of gold. The Los Padre and Mount Gleason Mines were the main producers.
5. East Fork San Gabriel River
Gold can be found all throughout the San Gabriel River, but it was the placers on the East Fork San Gabriel that were the richest. Some large nuggets have been mined in the San Gabriel River, and even today a nice chunky nugget can be found.
6. Fish Canyon (Azusa)
Many of the drainages north of Azusa are gold-bearing, including many of the dry gulches around Morris Reservoir and San Gabriel Reservoir.
7. Lytle Creek
In the eastern extent of the San Gabriel Mountains (just northwest of San Bernardino) is the town of Lytle Creek. Fairly significant placer mining took place on the creek during the 1890s. Hand placering and small hydraulic operations have occurred on the length of the creek.