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 Replies: 73 / Views: 12,586 |
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Valued Member
United States
311 Posts |
I am thinking about doing some panning and metal detecting for gold in the coming year and I was wondering if anyone here has had any luck with that, and where... I am going to be moving to North Carolina next summer and, although it isn't a gold rush state, it has had a long history of gold and I am thinking about recreationally trying out a few rivers and creeks in some of the state and national forest lands around where some of the historic gold finds were. I am currently living in Missouri and was thinking I would see if anyone around me knew of any places in the adjoining states to try my hand at panning before next year... any suggestions?
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
3058 Posts |
Sounds like fun! I have done a little panning, but just for fun!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
992 Posts |
Good luck ! You'll have an enjoyable time outdoors, but will probably not find any gold unless you go to an area with a history of placer gold finds.
The Forest Service has closed some areas to recreational panning, due to overuse, might check with the websites of the National Forests you want to visit and see what's what in that regard. Most areas are open, but best to check.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2346 Posts |
Edited by SilverDon
09/22/2016 2:56 pm
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Valued Member
 United States
311 Posts |
Don! those are some nice nuggets! I would be super excited just finding those! and thanks for the links!
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2346 Posts |
Good luck, I have the fever.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2403 Posts |
I Have panned in Alaska and here in Montana. Never made too much at it....but now I live in an area where they are opening new gold mines just up the creek(less than a mile)from me. They also sell claims for private miners as well.
I have often wondered what may lie in the ground on my land as it sits where the creek used to run. When digging I have hit river/creek rock anywhere from 2 to 3 ft down on the western edge of my property.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2346 Posts |
Quote:
I have often wondered what may lie in the ground on my land Dig a few test holes, pan at all depths and record the sightings. Fill in the holes (be safe), map the location of the holes. Look for trends in depth and along the length of your land. Check for rounded pebbles, cobble, boulders like would be in a river. Layering or stratification of cobble/pebbles and sand layers notes water deposition. You may be sitting on the golden goose, just get up in the morning and go to your mine. Look into staking the mineral rights to your land.
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Valued Member
126 Posts |
I ordered a Bazooka sluice then the company went out of business and I never got it. I got refunded but I wish I would have gotten the sluice!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
8137 Posts |
Quote:
although it isn't a gold rush state, it has had a long history of gold I disagree, NC was actually where the first gold rush occurred. If you are moving near Charlotte, you can tour the Reid gold mine, and I think they still do gold panning there. I know that at some of the coin shows near me, there is a guy who sells gold panning equipment and does demonstrations.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5825 Posts |
Yes -- sort of.
When I was in Alaska (Fairbanks) there had been a river gold dredging operation nearby.
The dredge would dig up the river bottom, process it and dump the remains in large pile next to the river.
Apparently it was only about 50% efficient.
So the idea was to go to the top of the piles (last part dredged hence the deepest material), scrape the dirt off the rocks into a pan then go down to the river and pan it.
Easy to find flecks of gold (no nuggets).
One guy managed to completely cover the end of a Chapstick with gold flakes.
But this was 1963 and gold was only about $44/oz.
None of us got rich.
Edited by kanga
05/11/2017 08:37 am
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Rest in Peace
United States
2668 Posts |
I have enjoyed 'recreational' gold dredging with a 2 1/2 inch Keene dredge http://www.keeneeng.com/mm5/merchan...ry_Code=2ID1. It was much like recreational ditch digging, except under water in a scuba suit. My buddy, Mike, and I found that there is a whole other community out there trying to milk gold dazed citizens. You either stick to sites near public roads or pay somebody for the right to work their claim. One person may have hundreds of claims. Research this as the laws may have changed. You own a claim as long as you improve it each year. A house is an improvement. On public land. This is a thorn in the BLMs padoosky. So, watch out for land mines and research the law. Personally, I'd like to get a tertiary map of the American deserts and take an auger out into the desert and look at fall locations and previous stream bends. If you ever look at a tertiary map of Africa's Sahara desert there was a river the size of the Amazon running to the Atlantic. So much untapped potential. mumble, mumble, mumble. Good luck, do it for the fun.  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2346 Posts |
Cold day on the beach today but fruitful.   |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2346 Posts |
Out for a couple hours today, Victoria Holiday gold.   |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2540 Posts |
Don:
Great results for a day.
I panned in Idaho about 8 or 10 years ago, got a bunch of flakes, no nuggets.
Addictive as all heck.
Hit those first flakes and your live there.
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
2346 Posts |
Once you do a swirl of water around the bottom,
and see a bit of yellow poking out of the black
sand and pyrite and garnets, and you keep washing,
there is nothing more thrilling, gold. I see west
coast gold to be flaky in British Columbia as well.
When I retire, I hope to do some mining on the
Fraser River, they have nuggets.
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Replies: 73 / Views: 12,586 |
Posted 09/22/2016 2:44 pm
