Prospecting & Detecting
Gold Placers of Southern California
September 2021 by Chris Ralph
I grew up in Southern California, and found my first nugget there, so I know my way around. Because there is good gold there, I thought it might be helpful to take a look at the many placer gold opportunities found in the southern part of the state.
Jamestown and Our Mother Lode Gold Rush Adventures
There are many other locations in the area where gold has been found, but Woods Creek is the most famous of the creeks and gulches in the area where the 49ers searched for that elusive yellow metal.
Using Vegetation and Soil Conditions as Prospecting Aids
Wouldn’t it be great if you could know if there is gold in the ground without setting foot on the ground? Well you can, to a certain extent, if you can recognize mined ground from unmined.
Papa's Got A Brand New Dredge!
It was time to prime the pump and start the engine! Dan’s priming method is to use a small, submersible, 12-volt pump. My priming method is to use a hand-operated diaphragm pump.
Rediscovering Placerville, California
![](http://icmj.com/userfiles/images/201102/Placerville-map.jpg)
Hundreds Rally in Support of PLP Octoberfest Fundraiser
![](http://www.icmj.com/userfiles/images/201412/34-plp.jpg)
The Importance of Prepping you Gold Detecting Spots
If you want to get better gold you will need to put your detector down for a while .
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