A question for ole.grubstake or anyone else with knowledge...

[pokerbear]

I have read many, many stories from the California Gold Rush days and the histories of all the towns on the Gold Highway in Northern California. I have seen the pan for gold camps where you pay a fee and pan. Nice stuff for family vacation fun, but my question is... Could a middle-aged, divorced guy such as myself, pack up the old camper and head up there with my Metal Detector in hand, for about 6 months and without a claim and from public land, have a decent possibility of finding enough gold to make it financially worthwhile?

 

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[dave wiseman]

Pokerbear,basically the answer is no.Being real blunt and up front and realistic.You do have some possibilties though.If you're the kind of fellow who can ask strangers for permission to search on their private ground then you have a reasonable shot.In this county(Calaveras)lots of the BLM ground is landlocked,surrounded by private ground.Many more houses than 20 years ago,so if youwalk up a creek and around a bend there's likely to be a few houses staring you in the face.Ther's gold to be found if access is no problem,which in most cases it is.Though your travels in the motherlode stop at the coffee shops and bars and speak to people as you possibly might get a few leads this way.All the county offices have maps of what land is what,a slow process though.I'm in Angels Camp,right on highway 49 and if you want to talk gold can be reached at Rodz grille coffee shop every morning from 5:45-6:30 a.m. .....Dave

 

[Jeffro]

Then there's Happy Camp, pretty reasonable if you wanna go for awhile. Over 60 miles of claims on the Klamath and tribs. Check into the New 49ers website. I think its goldgold.com Dave McCracken is a great teacher, too.

I only went through there for a day, but found some nice flakes just panning. It's tough to make wages with just a sluice and pan, unless you hit a really great spot. Thats where most of the time is spent, just sampling spots until you find something decent.

 

[pokerbear]

Thank you all for your kind advice...I will definetly take it to heart. The stories about California gold have always filled my head and I am more than ready to break out of the dull 9 to 5 abyss. Pragmatism always wins out though so I will have to be sure before I try it. Maybe just a trip for a couple weeks this spring and take Dave's advice and talk to some locals in the Cafe's. Thanx again.

Pokerbear