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.
A Gold Mine on a Washington Beach?
Bela and Barbara Kovacs began prospecting for gold about seven years ago as a family orientated outdoors activity. A welder by trade and lured by the simple fact that beach sands can contain small bits of precious metals, Bela decided a few years ago to build a sand sucking contraption that can sift the shoreline for anything worth keeping.
Ask the Experts
Heading for Australia to metal detect for gold. Tips? Suggestions?
Contrary to Rumors, Couple Will Keep the Saddle Ridge Hoard
Some media outlets have speculated the hoard of coins came from a theft at the old US Mint in San Francisco that was reported in 1901.
Another Prospecting Adventure: Coulterville
What also helped keep Coulterville alive was the fact that the town itself happened to be sitting on top of one of the richest veins in the Mother Lode. The ledge itself was three hundred feet wide.
Coprolite—A Prospector's Tale
Gold nuggets come in all forms, but I never expected that dinosaur nuggets would too, and at a decent price.
Panning for Gold on Canyon Creek
I was able to remove the gravels with the assistance of a crowbar and I scooped them up with a garden trowel. This gravel contained over a pennyweight of gold and there were several 2-grain and 3-grain pieces…
Resurrecting a Hardrock Mine:
April 2023The Millsite Finally Roars to Life!
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The Bawl Mill
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