What!? East Coast?? Yeah, over in New England Jim and his buddies are teaching classes on how to pan and sluice for gold. And look at the size of the nuggets. Pretty good, if you ask me. I would love to see that in my pan!
They’re taking booking for next season, so be sure to reserve your spot early. I think I might have to take an East Coast trip next summer. Visit my daughter in Minnesota, and swing on by New England for some GOLD!
The GPAA Gold & Treasure Shows, which are open to the public, were started decades ago by GPAA founder George Massie to introduce people to gold prospecting and to teach them how and where to find their own gold. Besides being a lot of fun, the purpose of the gold shows is to remind everyone that gold prospecting and small-scale gold mining are still a way of life for hundreds of thousands of people across the United States. Gold mining is an integral part of American culture, heritage, world history and our economy.
Host Kevin Hoagland travels to the Alabama Gold Camp in Cragford, Alabama where he has the unique experience of running one of the largest wash plants on the east coast. From there he takes a step back and meets up with the Coker Creek Chapter of the GPAA who is all about the home built prospecting equipment. For more information about Gold Trails, visit goldprospectors.org/GoldTrails
The Delta Gold Diggers present the Gold & Outdoor Festival, sponsored by the Gold Prospectors Association of America, in the heart of California’s famed Mother Lode country near Woods Creek at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds.
From www.wired.com
BY PETE BROOK
One surprising ripple effect of the Great Recession is the resurgence of independent gold prospecting. In California, evaporated savings, layoffs, and foreclosures sent some running to the hills. Sarina Finkelstein’s series The New Forty-Niners chronicles these modern prospectors with anachronistic images, some of which look like they could have been made 150 years ago.
Gold panning in the creeks of the Sierra Nevada mountains has been a mainstay since the Gold Rush of the mid-1800s, but for decades it tended to draw only hobbyists and small-scale speculators. Now, gamblers, romantics, and crusty entrepreneurs are joining the old-timers down by the river.
“Some people are prospecting for gold in order to survive,” says Finkelstein. “They had lost jobs, couldn’t find new ones, were freelance, or were struggling during retirement. Many have abandoned their permanent homes in order to live out of RVs and tents in the woods to prospect. Living a bare-bones or pared-down existence, some of them (without house payments, utility bills, etc.) are able to support themselves.”
Although the value of a dollar can wax and wane, gold is a solid investment. The price has roughly tripled since 2005, and at the moment it stands at about $1,300 per ounce. “At more than $1,000 per ounce, a small amount is still valuable,” says Finkelstein.
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