SOME AURIFEROUS RIVERS IN CALIFORNIA 1 AMERICAN RIVER .This was the river that started it all. Gold was first discovered here at SUTTER'S MILL 2 SANTA MARIA RIVER .The gold here is very fine, and finding access to the river will be challenging. 3 SAN DIEGO RIVER .Placer deposits can be found in many dry washes and gulleys throughout the vast region. 4 COLORADO RIVER .The might Colorado River actually has a great amount of gold. 5 SACRAMENTO RIVER .the gold is finer textured. 6 YUBA RIVER .There is lots of gold all throughout the river. 7 MERCED RIVER . The Merced River Recreational Area is a great spot to check out.
It offers the opportunity for casual prospecting along a proven area of the Merced River. 8 KING RIVER . The King River is south of the richest golden rivers of the Sierra Nevada . 9 CALAVERAS RIVER . Rich veins of gold in quartz were located near Angel’s Camp. 10 TRINITY RIVER . One of the biggest mining camps in this area was at WEAVERVILLE. 11 SALMON RIVER .It actually was one of northern California’s richest rivers. 12 KLAMATH RIVER . 13 SAN GABRIEL RIVER .Gold was first discovered on the San Gabriel River in 1855. 14 FEATHER RIVER .This small waterways still have rich placers as most prospectors overlook them. 15 KERN RIVER . The Kern River is one of the most popular gold prospecting rivers in California. SOME CALIFORNIAN GOLD LOCATIONS 1 ORICK.The Orick District in the north-western part of Humboldt County,located about 40 miles north of Arcata 2 DEL NORTE COUNTY .Head north of Klamath and you will be in Del Norte County. 3 GOLD BLUFF .Near Gold Bluff you can find many beach accesses that offers great opportunities for gold prospecting 4 RANDSBURG .Randsburg is located between Boron and Ridgecrest along Highway 395. The area to the north of the town is quite rich 5 DALE MINING DISTRICT. 6 BODIE. 7 MALAKOFF DIGGINGS. 8 SIXTEEN TO ONE MINE .This is a private mine, but there are certainly areas in the surrounding mountains that are unclaimed and likely to contain decent gold. 9 KENNEDY MINE.The Kennedy mine was the deepest gold mine in the MOTHER LODE COUNTY 10 CALICO. 11 EAGLE'S NEST MINE .The Eagle’s Nest Mine is one of the best-known gold mines in California that produce high-grade crystalline gold. 12 WEAVERVILLE. The town is one of the historical gold boom towns in California. 13 GRASS VALLEY AND NEVADA CITY.These twin cities offer a terrific place to set up a base for a gold-seeking adventure. 14 OROVILLE .public panning areas lie along French Creek, Brush Creek and the Feather River above the Upper Thermalito Bridge 15 COLUMBIA .Gold seekers can head to public panning areas on the Stanislaus and Tuolumne Rivers. The most famous gold region is the MOTHER LODE COUNTY in the north-central part of the state. It consists of a region that spans approximately 150 miles from north to south along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It includes much of Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer and Tuolumne Counties. Major river drainages include the American River and Feather River.Spanish prospectors found gold in the Potholes district between 1775 and 1780, along the Colorado River , in present Imperial Country California about ten miles northeast from Yuma Arizona. The gold was recovered from dry placers. Other placer deposits on the west bank of the Colorado River were quickly found, including the Pichaco and Cargo Muchacho districts.
Placer gold deposits were found at San Ysidro in San Diego County in 1828, San Francisquito Canyon and Placerita Canyon in los Angeles County in 1835 and 1842, respectively.
The second-largest gold-mining district in California was Grass Valley-Nevada City . Gold was found in 1850 By 1880, most of the mining had shifted to lode deposits, such as the Empire Mine .
The rich placer deposits of the Columbia Basin-Jamestown-Sonora district were found in 1853. Almost all the gold was found at the base of Quaternary gravels, but some drift mines were worked in Tertiary gravels
Much like the Mother Lode Region, there are thousands of areas to explore that have produced gold in the past. Many areas were mined using hydraulic methods, as well as hand placering and hard rock mining. Although largely overshadowed by more well-known gold discoveries in the northern half or the states, many parts of Southern California also produce gold. In fact, gold miners of Spanish and Mexican origin were mining this region prior to the more famous gold discoveries to the north.
San Bernardino County is the largest county in the U.S., and numerous mines can be found here. The Dale, Holcomb, Silver Mountain, and Stedman Districts were all producers.
In the far south, Riverside, Imperial, and San Diego Counties have also produced gold.
