Bodie commanded little attention from gold miners during the mid-1850s. While other mountainous areas that promised gold were flocked by thousands of prospectors, Bodie had almost no takers or believers. The harsh weather and isolated mountains didn’t attract many settlers. The fortune of the small mining district changed when Bill Bodey decided to try his […]
California has steadily evolved and kept up with changing times, which has helped the state to become one of the richest in the United States. The gold rush of 1849 started the mass movement of people to California. Many mining towns in California that are now abandoned were once flooded with thousands of gold seekers. […]
The town of Mariposa is located on a plot of land with a long, rich history. Known for its Mother Lode, the legendary gold vein that sparked a mining boom, Mariposa would outlast other mining settlements and make its mark on American history. Prior to the mining town’s birth, the Southern Miwok Indians had lived […]
Yosemite National Park gets over 4-million visitors each season. It’s natural beauty is unparalleled, but it can get kind of crowded in the summertime. After you’ve visited the sights at the park, consider taking a short excursion outside of the park to do some gold panning. There is no gold panning allowed within Yosemite, but […]
The Stanislaus River flows right through the heart of some of California’s richest gold country. The headwaters start high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and much of the river is accessible from public lands of the Stanislaus National Forest. The river continues westward, where it eventually finds its way down to Modesto and then on […]
The earliest gold discoveries in Kern County were made at nearby Greenhorn Gulch. This area was far south of the major gold rush in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. These early gold strikes were made in 1851 and caused a renewed interest in this part of California. Those first placer deposits were found at Greenhorn Creek, […]
The California gold rush was one of the most significant turning points in American history, bringing roughly 300,000 people to the Golden State from all over the United States. It was living proof of the transformative power of gold fever— what were once dusty and barren areas became boomtowns overnight, and the sheer rapidity of […]
Southern California has its fair share of gold rushes. While it’s true that hey never reached the excitement levels of the discoveries of the Mother Lode, that doesn’t mean that they weren’t significant. Some surprisingly rich gold strikes were made in the desert of SoCal. One lesser-known discovery was made at Lytle Creek, in the […]
Gold has been mined on almost every corner of California. Although mining is merely a shadow of what it once was, there are still many places where a recreational gold prospector can do very well searching for gold. Below are some of the richest places to prospect for gold in California. Check the current regulations […]
This article will outline the mining history of the Feather River of California. It was one of the most active places involved in the production of gold at the height of the gold rush. Considerable amounts of placer gold was mined from its waters. Gold has been recovered from all throughout the drainage. There are […]