The thousands of forty-niners are gone but it's still Gold Country. The precious metal can still be found easily, even by novice gold hounds.
Recreational gold panning is enjoying a resurgence because it is an enjoyable, low-cost family outing. And it has its reward for those who know where to look.
Colfax was founded and made famous by the Gold Rush of 1849. Iowa Hill, Dutch Flat, Alta, Gold Run, Secret Town, You Bet, Dog Bar, Yankee Jims and a host of other small enclaves were once teeming with 49ers searching for their fortunes.
Today, these places are still ideal locations for finding the yellow metal. Few will find riches, but most will find fun and excitement when they see the first shine in the bottom of their pan.
Gold in the Colfax area exists in two forms geologically. Placer deposits - from which Placer County got its name - are gold deposits free lying on the surface or in ground. Most can be found in ancient river beds that rose with the Sierra mountain, carrying their rich deposits with them.
After most of the easily-obtained surface gold was taken during the Gold Rush, hydraulic mining was the easiest method of tapping these rich gold deposits. High-powered water cannons were used to blast away hillsides, with the heavier gold staying behind. Signs of these "diggins" - and their "tailings," gravel and river rock the process left behind - can still be seen in Dutch Flat, Iowa Hill and Malakoff Diggins State Park.
Hydraulic mining reached such a peak that it became one of the first environmental issues in the United States. Silt and dirt from the mines was carried by rivers and streams into the rich farmland of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, clogging waterways and silting up irrigation canals. The silt even muddied San Francisco Bay. Hydraulic mining was outlawed in 1884.
The other type of gold can be found in veins, usually embedded in quartz deposits. Hard rock mining is the only method for tapping into these veins (known as lodes). Many a hard rock miner hoped to tap into the Mother lode, the source from which all other veins spread.
Grass Valley's Empire Mine was one of the most productive and long-lasting hard rock mines. Now a state park, it was economics and not lack of gold that closed the Empire Mine.
Despite the area's rich mining history over the decades, it is estimated all the mining in the Gold Country only took some 10 percent of the gold deposits. That leaves plenty for the modern day 49er to find.
Modern gold mining methods are very much the same as those used 150 years ago. The basic principle remains the same - to take advantage of gold's density compared to other minerals.
The basic requirements for a recreational miner are a gold pan, small trowel or shovel, and a container for your newfound gold. A separation magnet, tweezers and "sniffer" suction bottle are other helpful items. More serious miners may want to use a sluice box.
Gold mining is surprisingly inexpensive: the basic supplies cost less than $20. Even a sluice box costs only about $50. Once you have the basic supplies, all it takes is effort and instincts. There are no entry fees, licenses or other charges to go gold panning, just the will to get out there and enjoy the wilderness.
According to John Cruser of Sierra Gold Adventures based in Colfax, there are many misconceptions beginners have about searching for gold. The most common, and most harmful myth is that gold can be found in the roots of trees. Cruser said this will not only frustrate panners when they come up empty, but kills trees.
Instead, the best place to find gold is at the high water mark of a river or stream.
"The best place to find gold is usually about 20 feet above the river," Cruser said. "When the river is at flood stage is when most of the heavy deposits are made."
There are many good places to find gold in a river, including on gravel bars, in the crevices of rocks, in front of and behind rocks and where the river changes course.
"When you can reach bedrock is your best chance," Cruser said. Gold's tendency to sink to the bottom in water - the reason a gold pan works - is also its tendency when looking for deposits. "The river action churns the gravel on top of the surface and the gold falls to the bottom," Cruser said.
The most common mistake for the novice panner is not trusting their pan. "Most people, the first time they go out, think every pebble that goes out of the pan might be gold." He recommended miners trust their equipment and not worry too much about losing gold. Chances are, unless you're down to the black sand, that's not gold washing out of the pan. "You can't be afraid of losing something," he said. To do so makes panning a much longer process.
The basic technique of gold panning has remained the same for hundreds of years. Fill a pan with dirt, then put it into the water. Let the lighter dirt and clay deposits wash off. Once the water is clear, give the pan a good shake to separate the layers. "Panning is basically classifying material by weight," Cruser said. "The main thing is to keep the pan in the water so everything is wet."
A constant shaking and swirling action of the pan is enough to keep the gold sinking to the bottom and the lighter material floating off the top. Once most of the larger rocks and gravel are eliminated, the material in the pan becomes darker. When all you see is "black sand," and only then, what gold might be in the pan can be seen. The black sand is mostly metal deposits of iron and can be removed with a magnet. A little more panning and the gold flakes can be clearly seen.
The area offers a host of places for the recreational gold spanner. Cruses said almost any river or stream around will guarantee some results. The Bear and North Fork American rivers are ideal for gold panning and both have rich deposits. Virtually every pan in either river will come up with some flakes or dust.
The more isolated a location for mining, the better the results. Cruses recommends accessing the American River from Iowa Hill Bridge, Yankee Aim's Road or Ponderosa Road. Hiking from these access points will offer good panning. The further you go, the better your chances. On the Bear River, access can be made from Highway 174, Ben Taylor Road or the Bear River Campground.
For those more energetic and willing to hike eight or more miles, excursions down Stevens Trail, Euchre Bar Trail and others offer excellent panning.
For those who are unsure about their first gold panning excursion, Cruser and his Sierra Gold Adventures offer half-day and full-day gold panning trips in the Colfax area. He supplies the equipment and guarantees results.
He has seen "gold fever" strike even the most stoic of patrons. He described a Japanese tour group that became ecstatic after finding their first flakes. "They kept yelling "keen", which I guess is their work for gold," he said. What started as a four-hour trip turned into a full day of panning.
Many others are bitten by the gold panning bug, not only because of the shiny metal in the bottom of the pan but the chance to get out in nature by the water and enjoy a low-cost and fun hobby. The Colfax area offers a Motherlode of possibilities.