How to Strike it Rich by Panning for Gold

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By Elizabeth Chapin-Pinotti
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Strike it Rich by Panning for Gold

The 49ers who flocked to California’s Mother Lode region in the mid-1800s found only an estimated 20% of the gold in the area. That’s a lot of gold left for the taking.

Since the price of gold rose from around $600 per ounce to over $1000 per ounce – a new rush began. How can you get into the act?

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

gold pan
waders

Step 1

Find a river or a creek along Highway 49 in the Mother Lode of California between Georgetown and Sonora. Anywhere up or down this historic route or anywhere in the counties through which it flows.
Step 2

Purchase a gold pan and some waders. The water is cold and is about to get colder as winter sets in.
Step 3

Know that gold is heavy and sinks to the bottom…the very bottom…of rivers and creeks. Gold also gets caught in crevices and between rocks and in the water that settles in pools after sections of rivers or streams containing rapid movement.
Step 4

Settle into one of these spots. Put handfuls of material into your pan…from as deep down as you can get.
Step 5

Swirl the pan in a circular motion slowly. The light material will drift out of the pan. Move the pan smoothly so you don’t lose any of the gold. Do this until approximately half of the material has drifted away.
Step 6

Lift the pan out of the water and tilt it to the side back and forth until most of the material in the pan is nearly gone. The biggest mistake most people make is to leave too much in their pan. Pick out the large pieces of gravel by hand.