Gold prospecting in the USA

In this blog we have gathered a lot of credible information about prospecting in the USA. We have a large American following so I thought it would be a good idea to collect some information.

 The below information can be found at - 

http://www.geologypage.com/2019/04/where-are-gold-mines-in-the-united-states.html#ixzz6Lk28WQbJ 

And 

https://www.goldrushnuggets.com/whtofigo.html

History
Gold mining First occurred at Reed farm in North Carolina in 1799 and has been continual since. Over the past several centuries the country has been thoroughly searched by prospectors, with numerous gold rushes occurring. During the depression of the 1930's, prospectors searched the better known gold-producing areas throughout the Nation, especially in the West, and the little-known areas as well. Gold production on a large scale began in 1848 with the California Gold Rush.

The next biggest gold rush occurred in 1829, it was located in Georgia at the Southern Appalachians. Next was the great Californian gold rush between 1848 and 1855. The next successful gold rushes to come occurred in Fraser Canyon, the Cariboo district and other parts of BC, Nevada, the Rocky Mountains, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, western New Mexico territory, Colorado River, Resurrection creek, Hope, Nome, Fairbanks and the Fortymile River. One of the greatest gold rushes was the Klondike gold rush in Canadas Yukon Territory. With the main goldfields surrounding the Yukon and Klondike River. 

Gaining access and claims 
The General Mining Act of 1872 is a United States federal law that authorizes and governs prospecting and mining for economic minerals, such as gold, platinum, and silver, on federal public lands. This law, approved on May 10, 1872, codified the informal system of acquiring and protecting mining claims on public land, formed by prospectors in California and Nevada from the late 1840s through the 1860s, such as during the California Gold Rush. All citizens of the United States of America 18 years or older have the right under the 1872 mining law to locate a lode (hard rock) or placer (gravel) mining claim on federal lands open to mineral entry. These claims may be located once a discovery of a locatable mineral is made. 

A mining claim is the right to explore for and extract minerals from a tract of land.

Claim staking is the required procedure of marking the boundaries of the mining claim, typically with wooden posts or substantial piles of rocks. Each western state has slightly different requirements for claim staking. Once the claim is staked, the prospector documents the claim by filing required forms. Originally the forms were filed with the mining district recorder; today they are filed with the Clerk of the County in which the claim is located, and with the US Bureau of Land Management. Papers are likewise filed to document annual assessment work.

A lode claim, also known in California as a quartz claim, is a claim over a hard rock deposit.

A placer claim is a claim over gold-bearing sand or gravel, often along a stream or river.

The mining law opens up land in the public domain, that is, federal land that has been owned by the federal government since it became part of the United States, and that has never been set aside for a specific use. Land dedicated for specific uses such as the White House lawn, national parks, or wilderness areas, is not subject to mineral entry. Land west of the Great Plains managed by the US Forest Service or the Burea of Land Management, unless designated as wilderness area, is generally open to mining claims. Federal land on or east of the Great Plains was generally acquired by the federal government through purchase, and so is not considered public domain, and is not subject to mining claims.

All mining claims are initially unpatented claims, which give the right only for those activities necessary to exploration and mining, and last only as long as the claim is worked every year. For instance, the failure to prosecute the work on the tunnel for six months is considered the abandonment of rights to all the undiscovered veins on the line of the tunnels. In addition, at least $100 worth of labor shall be performed or improvements made annually. If this does not occur, the claim or mine upon which such failure occurred shall be made to relocation in the same manner as if no location of the same had ever been made. The original mining law gave miners the opportunity to obtain patents (deeds from the government), much as farmers could obtain title under the Homestead Act. The owner of a patented claim can put it to any legal use. The process of patenting claims has been perhaps the most controversial part of the mining law. Because of a Congress-imposed moratorium, the federal government has not accepted any new applications for mining claim patents since October 1, 1994.

The 1872 law granted extra lateral rights to owners of lode claims. This gave the owners of the surface outcrop of a vein the right to follow and mine the vein wherever it led, even if its subsurface extension continued beneath other mining claims. This provision, also known as the law of the apex led to lengthy litigation and even underground battles, especially in Butte, Montana, and the Comstock Lode.

Today's prospector must determine where prospecting is permitted and be aware of the regulations under which he is allowed to search for gold and other metals. Permission to enter upon privately owned land must be obtained from the land owner. Determination of land ownership and location and contact with the owner can be a time-consuming chore but one which has to be done before prospecting can begin.

Determination of the location and extent of public lands open to mineral entry for prospecting and mining purposes also is a time consuming but necessary requirement. National parks, for example, are closed to prospecting. Certain lands under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management may be entered for prospecting, but sets of rules and regulations govern entry. The following statement from a pamphlet issued in 1978 by the U.S. Department of the Interior and entitled "Staking a mining claim on Federal Lands" responds to the question "Where May I Prospect?"

"There are still areas where you may prospect, and if a discovery of a valuable, locatable mineral is made, you may stake a claim. These areas are mainly in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Such areas are mainly unreserved, unappropriated Federal public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the U.S. Department of the Interior and in national forests administered by the Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Public land records in the proper BLM State Office will show you which lands are closed to mineral entry under the mining laws. These offices keep up-to-date land status plats that are available to the public for inspection. BLM is publishing a series of surface and mineral ownership maps that depict the general ownership pattern of public lands. These maps may be purchased at most BLM Offices. For a specific tract of land, it is advisable to check the official land records at the proper BLM State Office."

 

Research
Some degree of success in finding gold still remains for those choosing favorable areas after a careful study of mining records and the geology of the mining districts. Serious prospecting should not be attempted by anyone without sufficient capital to support a long and possibly discouraging campaign of preliminary work. The prospective gold seeker must have ample funds to travel to and from the region he selects to prospect and to support the venture. He must be prepared to undergo physical hardships, possess a car capable of traveling the roughest and steepest roads, and not be discouraged by repeated disappointments. Even if a discovery of value is not found, the venture will have been interesting and challenging. I have done a lesson on research, if you could like to receive it let me know and remember you can always go back and watch the live! 

Public Information
Locations of important gold-producing districts of the United States are shown in some of the reports of the United States Geological Survey. Geological surveys of the principal gold-producing States where additional information may be obtained also are listed. Information may be obtained, too, from U.S. Bureau of Mines State Liaison offices located in the capital cities of most States. 

Types of Gold
One important point to remember is that gold comes in different forms. There is primary and secondary, these are referred to as lode and placer gold in the states. Lode gold is a primary source gold and placer gold is alluvial meaning it has moved from the source due to water movement. Both types of gold are found readily throughout the states but knowing you are looking for help help you get the best out of your prospecting experience. Being a prospector is not just about being able to find gold but knowing the best way to extract when you do. For example loaming is a very well known historic method os prospecting. It involves panning to find the lode. Metal detecting is a well used modern day method and makes finding alluvial nuggets a lot simpler. Other methods including sluicing, dry blowing and using a wet plant are also great methods.
Using a mixture of these methods will help you get the most out of prospecting.

Placer Gold (Alluvial) 
A placer deposit is a concentration of a natural material that has accumulated in unconsolidated sediments of a stream bed, beach, or residual deposit. Gold derived by weathering or other process from lode deposits is likely to accumulate in placer deposits because of its weight and resistance to corrosion. In addition, its characteristically sun-yellow color makes it easily and quickly recognizable even in very small quantities. The gold pan or miner's pan is a shallow sheet-iron vessel with sloping sides and flat bottom used to wash gold-bearing gravel or other material containing heavy minerals. The process of washing material in a pan, referred to as "panning," is the simplest and most commonly used and least expensive method for a prospector to separate gold from the silt, sand, and gravel of the stream deposits. It is a tedious, back-breaking job and only with practice does one become proficient in the operation.

Lode Gold (Primary) 

Lode gold occurs within the solid rock in which it was deposited. Areas likely to contain valuable lode deposits of gold have been explored so thoroughly that the inexperienced prospector without ample capital has little chance of discovering a new lode worth developing. Most future discoveries of workable lode gold ore probably will result from continued investigations in areas known to be productive in the past. The districts in which such new discoveries of gold may be possible are too numerous to be listed in detail in this pamphlet. Some of the famous districts are: in California, the Alleghany, Sierra City, Grass Valley, and Nevada City districts, and the Mother Lode belt; in Colorado, the Cripple Creek, Telluride, Silverton, and Ouray districts; in Nevada, the Goldfield, Tonopah, and Comstock districts; in South Dakota, the Lead district in the Black Hills; and in Alaska, the Juneau and Fairbanks districts. Deposits in these districts generally are gold-quartz lodes.
 

Some gold bearing states - 

Keep in mind there are more states in the US that are gold bearing, click the link at the bottom if you would like to find your state.

Alabama
Alabama has a strong gold producing past and is one of the richer states east of the Mississippi River. Gold was first discovered at Blue creek and Chestnut Creek in 1830. Gold has been found in both placer and lode deposits with the richest goldfields occurring in the central to east part of the state towards the Georgia border. 

Some of the main goldfields include;
- Talladega county, Riddle and Story Mine both produced lode gold and placer found in Talladega Creek
-Tallapoosa County contains many goldfields including on of the richest in the state, the Hog Mountain district. Both placer and lode gold is found here
- Coosa County 
- Clay County, placer gold can be found in Coosa river, Blue Creek, Mulberry Creek (including tributaries) and Rocky Creek
-Cleburne County and the Chulafinnee Mining District have produced a good amount of gold

Alabama produces many types of gold including gold nuggets, fine gold and gold in ore which is usually extracted by leaching. Knowing what gold you are prospecting for will help you determine which type of prospecting you will conduct (metal detecting, loaming, panning etc.) 

Talladega does offer some land for public prospecting but a lot of the ground in Alabama is on private property and will require permission. 
 

Alaska
It’s well known that Alaska is one of the biggest gold bearing states in the US, making it very popular among prospectors and miners. Gold was first discovered in Kenai River and first produced south of Juneau in 1870. 

Some of the biggest gold producing mines in the state include 
- Fort Knox mine, an open cut mine located in Fairbanks is the biggest gold producing mine in the state
- Pogo gold mines
- Kensington gold mines 
- Greens Creek gold mine

As mentioned above prospecting the tributaries of known gold producing rivers are always a good place to start. Even though Alaska is rich in gold it does come with its issues for small time prospectors. Road access and ground availability being two hurdles that need to be overcome. Another factor that needs to be taken into consideration is that a lot of the state is covered in overburden, covering the gravel rich gold layer. In saying this there is still suitable ground available to the small time prospector. Contacting the Chamber of Commerce or appropriate department in your region is always the safest way to ensure you aren’t partaking in illegal prospecting. 

The are many goldfields in Alaska, a good place to start are the areas that have produced gold historically. Alaska is very well known for its placer gold that can occur in both nuggets and fines. The biggest placer producing mining region is situated on the Yukon River Basin which crosses central Alaska. The Kuskikwim River and the Copper River are also productive placer areas. 
 

Arizona
Arizona has been producing gold for centuries, gold production dates back early as 1744. More than 16 million troy ounces (498 tons) of gold has been produced in Arizona and prospecting is still very popular today. One of the great parts about Arizona is its mild winter and ground that is still available to prospect. 

There is a lot of gold bearing ground but also a lot of prospectors on the hunt so it is important to do your research to ensure you aren’t wasting time. It is also important to make sure you are not prospecting on some one else’s claim so contact the necessary local agency and seek advice. 

A lot of gold has been produced in this state though a lot of the total production is a by product of copper mining. Below are some known goldfields where there is still gold to be found. Arizona is also great for metal detecting because a lot of the goldfields are not covered in a thick overburden.

Some of the main gold producing areas include - 

- Big Bug District (mainly lode deposits) 
- Lynx creek District (mainly placer deposits) 
- Yavapai County 
- Jerome District (mainly lode deposits) 
- Weaver District (Great for metal detectorists, known for big nuggets) 
- Black Canyon (placer and lode) 
- Groom Creek (placer and lode) 
- Mohave County 
- San Fransisco District (mainly lode) 
- King Tut placers (placer gold found with a quartz matrix) 
- Cochese county 
- Bisbee District (some placer)
- Yuma County
- The Muggins Placers 
- The La Paz (good for metal detecting) 
- Plomosa District (mainly placer) 
- Vulture District (mainly lode) 
 

California
California is a very well known gold producer, with thousands of prospectors visiting every year. The Californian gold rush was the biggest in the states and it remains on of the top produces. Gold was first doing around the Colorado River by Spanish prospectors around 1780. California had one of the biggest gold rushes with big placer deposits then being discovered in Los Angeles County, San Franscisquito Canyon and Cargo Muchacho. 1852 was one of the biggest years for the Californian gold rush with productions peaking at 3.9million ounces. 

California produces both lode and placer gold with the most famous gold region being the Mother Lode Country. It spans 150 miles from north to south along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The area includes Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer, Tuolumne and major river drainages The American River and Feather River. 

Major rivers drainages near Coloma have been producing gold ever since their discovery. The drainages have been well searched but remember that these are refreshed after after high waters. Searching the many small streams, gulches, benches, and lodes can be fruitful. 

Another rich goldfield that historically drew in a lot of prospectors (and rightfully so) is the Trinity Mountains, which include Siskiyou, Shasta and Trinity Counties. These goldfields have been well searched since the 1850s but as mentioned above there is still good opportunity. 

One of the best goldfields for placer gold is the Klamath and Sacramento Rivers, which are both well known gold producers for California. The richest fo this goldfields is towards the north of the state hitting Southwest Oregon. Again this has had a lot of activity in the past but is still a viable prospecting option. 

Many placer districts in California have been mined on a large scale as recently as the mid-1950's. Streams draining the rich Mother Lode region--the Feather, Mokelumne, American, Cosumnes, Calaveras, and Yuba Rivers--and the Trinity River in northern California have concentrated considerable quantities of gold in gravels. In addition, placers associated with gravels that are stream remnants from an older erosion cycle occur in the same general area.

Everyone knows that California is famous for its rich gold deposits. Ever since the initial discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848, there have been thousands of gold seekers exploring California in search of the yellow metal.

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.

Gold has been found in Los Angeles County in the San Gabriel Mountains. Kern County has also produced over 2 million ounces of gold, much from lode deposits, but some placer as well.

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. Many small prospects have been worked here, but extreme temperatures and lack of water to work the dry placers limited much of the historic mining.

In the far south, Riverside, Imperial, and San Diego Counties have also produced gold.

California is one of the most mineral rich states in the U.S. Unfortunately, current mining regulations and restrictions have had a huge impact on the current industry, from large mining companies down to the small-scale prospector.

Despite these challenges, excellent potential that still exists for prospectors in the state. For additional information about gold mining in California, check out our recommended readingpage.

You can also read additional information about gold prospecting various locations in California by exploring the links below.
 

Colorado
During the Peak Gold Rush in the vicinity of present-day Denver in 1858, gold was discovered, but the deposits were small. In January 1859, the first major gold discoveries in Colorado were in the district of Central City-Idaho Springs.

Only one Colorado mine is still producing gold, the Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine in Victor near Colorado Springs, a Newmont Mining Corporation-owned open-pit heap leach operation that produced 360,000 troy ounces (11,000 kg) of gold in 2018.

Colorado is a fantastic state to prospect for gold. It ranks as one of the leading producers of gold in the U.S. Rich gold deposits have been found throughout the state, with the significant discoveries being located in the more mountainous western half of the state.

Zebulon Pike reported gold in Colorado in present day Park County, Colorado as early as 1807, but it wasn’t until rich discoveries near Denver in 1858 that sparked the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.

Since then, gold mining has been a major industry in Colorado, with significant lode and placer discoveries throughout the state. The early gold strike also led to other rich mineral discoveries, establishing Colorado as one of the most important mining regions in the USA.
 

Over 1 million ounces of gold has come out of Summit County in central Colorado,
both as lode and placer deposits. The Breckenridge District is one of the richest
areas in the state, with an abundance of gold placer mined from the creeks, and much
of the gold production from this area come from hydraulic mining the rich bench gravels.

Gold dredging operations occurred on the Blue River and Swan River. Dredge piles are still
present to this day, along with remnants of the old bucket line dredge. The Frisco District
also produced some gold, although much has come as a byproduct of other mining operations.

In Park County, over a million ounces of gold have also been recovered. Although most
gold found here was from lode mining, the Fairplay District was a rich placer area
at the headwaters of the South Platte River and the nearby streams. Many waters
on the east range of the Mosquito Mountains have gold present. Bucket line dredges
also worked the South Park Valley during the mid 1900’s. The Tarryall District which
included Tarryall Creek and several other small creeks also added to the gold output of the county.

Gilpin County is an excellent area to search for gold. Located just west of Denver, this
county has been one of the richest in the state. Central City Mining District has produced
over 4 million ounces of gold, with the vast majority coming from lode deposits. Searching
ore dumps with a metal detector may be productive in this area. Although placer production
was much less, many thousands of ounces came from this county, so further prospecting
is certainly worthwhile. Chicago and Clear Creeks near Idaho Springs were especially productive,
and were also the location that started the gold rush to Colorado.

To the south, Teller County is home to the Cripple Creek District, one of the richest gold
areas in the U.S., and the leading gold producer in Colorado. Numerous large mines can
be found here, all of which produce lode gold. The Cripple Creek and Victor Gold Mine still
operates. Placer deposits are less well known, but further exploration by modern day prospectors
may very well be productive.

In the southwest part of Colorado in San Miguel County, gold is a significant byproduct of
several copper, lead, and silver mines. The Telluride District in the far southeastern part of the
county, numerous mines have contributed to a total output of over 3 million ounces of gold.
Although overall output was much less, several small placers can be found throughout the county.

Locating areas with historic placer mining may be more productive for the modern day prospector,
as much of the low grade gold ores require special recovery methods that are only economically
feasible for large mining companies.
 

Lake County has numerous placer locations along the Arkansas River and several tributaries. Search for the telltale signs of historic placer workings. The Leadville District is full of numerous mines, including many streams and gulches that were mined.

The counties listed above mention some of the largest gold producing districts in Colorado, but be aware that nearly all the areas in the central and western part of Colorado are worthy of investigation for the modern day gold prospector. Literally millions of ounces of gold have come from this state, and it is likely that many millions of ounces still await discovery.

Colorado’s rugged terrain ensures that much gold will remain in its hillsides, streams, and rivers. A prospector equipped with a shovel, pick and gold pan has a good chance of finding good gold. A high quality metal detector may also be productive to search the discarded ore piles of old abandoned mines, as veins of gold in quartz can often be found.
 

Georgia
Georgia has a total historical production of gold from 1830 to 1959 of 871,000 troy ounces (27,100 kg). Although the state is not a gold producer at the moment, historically important. 

Georgia has one of the most significant gold occurrences in the eastern U.S., with many thousands of ounces of gold to its credit. Gold was first discovered here in 1828, although many reports claim that native Indians and earlier Spanish explorers may have had knowledge of gold prior. After the initial discovery of gold in North Carolina, prospectors exploring nearby states stumbled upon rich gold deposits near Dahlonega in Lumpkin County, and throughout the north Georgia mountains.

The early prospectors mined gold in Georgia for several decades, until the rich discoveries in California attracted most men west in search of gold. Georgia still has excellent gold mining opportunities today.

Gold in Georgia is found in what is known as the Georgia Gold Belt, a region in the northwestern part of the state that has produced the vast majority of the gold in the state. The belt spans numerous counties, and we will highlight a few of the richest ones below.

Lumpkin County was the area that gold was first discovered here, and the creeks and rivers still have plenty of gold to be recovered. The Chestatee River had numerous mines along its banks, with rich placer gold deposits found throughout. The Etowah River is another great place to explore, and the smaller creeks and tributaries in this area are all likely to have gold. The nearby Tesnatee River is also a reliable producer of gold.

Remember that nearly 200 years ago there were thousands of men working these waters, so look for areas that show signs of old working; tailing piles, hand stacked rocks, and old mining “junk”. These areas that were previously worked by the old-timers are still going to have gold today.

Nearby White County also has rich gold throughout its waters. The Chattahoochee and Nacoochee Rivers both have good gold, as well as various smaller creeks throughout the county. Dukes creek has several historic reports of very large nuggets being found.

Many good gold placer deposits can also be found in Cherokee County. The Cherokee and Sixes Mineswere both productive lode mines in the county, and gold can also be found in the Etowah and Little Rivers.

Additional areas worthy of investigation in this general area include Dawkins, Pickens, Forsythe, and Paulding Counties. Each has produced plenty of gold, but don’t limit yourself to just the best known areas, as there have been placer gold producing areas found throughout the Georgia gold best.

As with most areas, the majority of gold found is very fine, but nice chunky gold can also be found here. Suction dredging can be a great way to move lots of material and recover good quantities of gold.

Additionally, it may be worth investigating areas that show signs of old hydraulic operations, as many areas were mined this way in the early days. There are also good amounts of old lode mines scattered throughout the region that may still be productive.

Using metal detectors to explore these areas may be worthwhile.

Nearly all of the richest gold bearing areas are located on private lands, so proper research and contacting landowners for access will be necessary to access some of the best gold grounds. Another fantastic option for a beginning prospector would be to join a local club, which will help you gain access to areas to work.

Georgia has a rich mining history and great opportunities, and along with that are clubs that are more than willing to help out beginner prospectors. This is a great way to get started in the hobby, regardless of the state that you live in.
 

Idaho
In 1860, at the juncture where Canal Creek meets Orofino Creek, Gold was first discovered in Idaho, in Pierce.

The leading historic gold-producing district is Boise Basin in Boise County, discovered in 1862, producing 2,9 million troy ounces (90,2 tonnes), mostly from placers.

The French district of Idaho County Creek-Florence began in the 1860s, producing about 1 million troy ounces (31 tonnes) from placers. The district of Silver City in Owyhee County started producing in 1863 and produced over 1 million troy ounces (31 tons), mostly from lode deposits.

The district of Coeur d’Alene in Shoshone County produced 44,000 troy ounces (1,400 kg) of gold as a by-product of silver mining.

The Silver Strand mine and the Bond mine were active gold mines in Idaho in 2006.

Idaho is a fantastic state to prospect for gold. Over 2/3 of the state is public land, much of it managed by the BLM and Forest Service. These areas are generally open to mineral exploration, and Idaho has a rich history. Gold has been found throughout the state, with rich discoveries found throughout dozens of mining districts. Many areas that have gold are far off the beaten path, so a prospector who is willing to put in a little “leg work” has the chance of finding some very good places to mine.

The Boise Basin gold strike in 1862 was easily the largest discovery in the state, with millions of ounces of gold recovered from the region. The Boise Basin encompassed an area that included several mining towns including Idaho City, Placerville, Pioneerville, and Centerville. All of the streams in this area produce gold, with extensive working done by hand placer, and later by hydraulic mining and bucket line dredging.

Within a few years of the first gold strike, the Boise Basin had a larger population than Portland, Oregon. This area is not known for producing large nuggets. It generally produces fines and small picker sized pieces of gold. Although large nuggets are not common, large specimens of gold in quartz have been found, weighing several pounds in size.

To the southeast of the Boise Basin in Elmore County were several gold districts worthy of mention. Shadowed by the beautiful Sawtooth Mountains, the small mining town of Atlantaproduced significant amounts of gold in both placer and lode deposits. There is still plenty of gold left to be found in this remote mining region.

Other notable areas in Elmore County include the areas near present day Pine and Featherville. Located near the headwaters of the South Fork Boise River, all waters in this area produced gold and are worth prospecting.

Silver City is a well-known mining town in Owyhee County, Idaho. Silver was found here on War Eagle Mountain in 1864, and thousands converged on the high desert valley. Although, the vast majority of mineral recovered here were from hard rock deposits, there is plenty of gold in Jordan Creek and a few other seasonal streams. (Silver City is also one of the finest existing ghost towns in the US, definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Southern Idaho).

Florence is a remote mining district in Central Idaho. Prospectors discovered this area after nearby discoveries in Pierce attracted thousands of men to the area in search of gold. The high elevation and remote location makes for a shorter than average mining season due to snow levels. 4000 feet below Florence is the Salmon River, which also contains plenty of fine gold, and good access along highway 95.

The Silver Valley Mining District is in the northern panhandle region of Idaho, and includes the mining town of Wallace. This regions is one of the most mineral rich areas of the state, although by far the most important mineral is silver, followed by lead and zinc. In fact, it is one of the top silver producers in the world, with nearly one billion ounces of silver produced.

Placer gold can be found in many of the nearby creeks and rivers in the area. Another place to visit nearby is Murray, a rich gold mining town north of Wallace that has produced its fair share of gold over the years.

There are literally thousands of mines and prospects scattered across the state of Idaho. Almost any creek or river in Central Idaho probably has some gold in it.

A few other notable areas that have produced gold in Idaho include the mining towns of Warrenwhich was dredge extensively along Warren Creek. South of Challis is the small town of Bayhorse, which was primarily a silver producer. It is now owned by the State of Idaho and is open to visitors.

The ghost town of Yellowjacket is deep in the central Idaho wilderness. Very few people have visited this remote mining camp, but it flourished for many years primarily as a lode gold producer. Leesburg is yet another old mining district the was rich with placer gold. It is west of the town of Salmon and takes some effort to get to.

The Yankee Fork Valley produced a lot of gold during its heyday. The ghost town of Custer is still well-preserved. You can also visit the nearby Yankee Fork Dredge that churned up the valley in search of gold.

Elk City was a major mining town for a short time. Placers can be found in the Red River, American River, and all throughout the South Fork of the Clearwater River.

There is a good chance that if you are on a creek in northern or central Idaho, you will be able to find some gold if you look hard enough. Even in areas that haven't had any significant mining activity, it is still relatively easy to find gold in many locations.

It is also worth mention that Idaho is the most remote state in the lower 48, so be smart when venturing into the backcountry. It is very possible to go days or weeks without seeing another person. Always carry the appropriate supplies with you, including tools, spare tires, food, water, first aid, and other safety gear.

Idaho was once a leading placer-mining State. One of the chief dredging areas is in the Boise Basin, a few miles northeast of Boise, in the west-central part of the State. Other placer deposits are located along the Salmon River and on the Clearwater River and its tributaries, particularly at Elk City, Pierce, and Orofino. Extremely fine-grained (or "flour") gold occurs in sand deposits along the Snake River in southern Idaho
 

Maryland
Gold was reported as early as 1830 in Maryland, but the result was no production. Placer gold was discovered by California Union soldiers at Great Falls near Washington, DC in 1861 during the American Civil War. A number of mines were opened in Montgomery County on gold-bearing quartz veins after the war. Since 1951, there has been no gold production reported. There were about 6,000 troy ounces (190 kg) of total production.

Relatively few people know about the amount of gold that has been discovered in Maryland. As with much of the gold bearing states along the east coast, most gold strikes were quickly overshadowed by larger strikes in California and other western states. While the gold in Maryland certainly doesn’t compare, there is still opportunities for gold prospectors to find gold worth panning in certain areas throughout the state.

Gold was first discovered in the state in early 1800's. although gold was discovered much earlier in Maryland, no commercial mining was commenced until after the Civil War. In fact, after the Civil War, the state was heavily prospected for gold with a few commercially viable being found in the Piedmont Plateau.

Most of the gold finds in the state are in the central and the northern regions in the state. You can find both lode and placer gold in the state. Due to the fact that the production in the state was not high, most of the gold mines have since been closed and are mostly forgotten.

Most of the old gold mines are located in Frederick, Baltimore and Howard counties.

The majority of the gold that has been recovered here is found in the northern and central parts of the state. Unlike much of the gold on the east coast which are limited to glacial deposits, there are actually lode gold deposits present here, with several dozen mines that have been worked since the original discovery of gold.

Peak recorded production of over 1000 ounces of gold just prior to World War II. While most mines in Maryland are now abandoned, at one time they were actively recovering gold from hardrock sources. Prospectors today should focus near areas with past mining activity. Most success will be found around old mine sites or immediately downstream of known gold deposits.

Several old mines locations are actually within a few miles of the US Capitol Building. Most of the gold from Maryland has come from around the Great Falls area on the Potomac River. Other areas worth investigation include Libertytown in Frederick County, Catonsville in Baltimore County, and the areas around Woodbine and Simpsonville in Howard County.

Locations of Gold Mines in Maryland:

Baltimore County

This is one of the major gold counties in the state. Here you can find gold in quartz veins in the Catonsville region. Gold is also found in several other places within the county.

Frederick County

Frederick County is dotted with a several old gold mines especial in the region around Liberty. You can also found gold in several other places and on the mine dumps of these old gold mines.

Howard County

The Maryland Mine near Simpsonville is the main testimony to the occurrence of gold in this county. This mine was once the richest gold mine in the state. It was known for the production of gold in quartz veins together with pyrite and silver. There are also several other old gold mines around the Woodbine most of which produced silver with gold as a byproduct.

Montgomery County

Montgomery is another major gold County in Maryland. The county is home to the Great Falls region, which was surrounded by several mines most of which produced gold. The major gold mines near the great falls are the Great Falls Gold Mine that produced both gold and Tetradymite.

As previously mentioned, some gold here may be found in specimen form as small veins and wires scattered among quartz rock. Don’t expect anything huge, but it is possible to find a nice gold in quartz specimen. Panning will most likely result in finer placer gold.

Be mindful that the vast majority of Maryland is private lands, so landowner permission would most likely need to be attained. There may be some state owned lands that would allow prospecting but you will want to check with the Maryland Forest and Park Service before you do any digging.
 

Montana
Gold was first discovered in 1852 in Montana, but mining did not start until 1862, when gold placers were found in 1862 in Bannack, Montana. The resulting gold rush resulted in more placer discoveries, including in 1863 in Virginia City, and in 1864 in Helena and Butte.[28 ] The Atlantic Cable Quartz Lode was located in 1867.

The Montana Tunnels mine and the Golden Sunlight mine are currently active hardrock gold mines. The Browns Gulch placer and the Confederate Gulch placer are active gold placers. The Stillwater igneous complex also produces gold from three platinum mines: the Stillwater mine, the Lodestar mine, and the East Boulder Project.

Montana has a rich mining history, and the state is ranked as the 7th largest producer of gold in the United States by the US Geological Survey. The vast majority of gold districts in Montana are in the western part of the state, near the border of Idaho. The geological conditions are more favorable in the rugged mountains along the Continental Divide than the flatter two-thirds of the state.

The first gold discoveries in Montana occurred in 1852, but it was the major strike on Grasshopper Creek in 1862 that brought gold seekers into the southwest corner of the state. The town of Bannack (west of present day Dillon, Montana) was built and soon thousands of miners were scouring the creeks and hillsides for the yellow metal. By the spring of the next year, huge gold deposits were found in Alder Gulch at Virginia City.

Modern day prospectors will be right at home in Montana. The state has produced thousands of ounces of gold each year since the initial discoveries here over 150 years ago. There are hundreds of locations that gold can be found in the state, much of it on federal lands open for mineral exploration. 

As mentioned previously, with a few exceptions, most of the richest gold bearing areas will be found in the western part of the state. Search for old mine sites and rich gold bearing creeks with historic placer gold productions. A few are well known areas are listed below:

The creeks and rivers near the old towns of Bannack and Virginia City still have gold to be found.
Missouri River near Helena, Montana, site of the Last Chance Gulch gold strike.
The headwaters of the Clark Fork of the Columbia River near Butte, Montana. Much of the gold
production in this region has come as a byproduct of the massive copper produced from this area.
The Highland Centennial Nugget was found not far from Butte, and weighed over 25 ounces.

Confederate Gulch east of the Missouri River between Helena and Townsend. This was one of the
richest placers in Montana history; some gravels reportedly paid over $1000 per pan! Nearby areas
also include Boulder Creek, Cement Gulch, Montana Gulch, and Montana Bar. Hydraulic operations
were operated on much of the ground in this area.
The Ottawa District in western Montana produced rich placer deposits in Silver Creek, and many
lodes have also been found since. Rich lode deposits were found in the Georgetown District
west of Anaconda. Far east of most of Montana’s gold districts is the Kendall and North Moccasin
Districts in Central Montana. Much of the gold here was in the form of low grade ores.

The Radersburg on the eastern flank of the Elkhorn Mountains. Placer gold is present in many
of the creeks in this area. The Jardine District is located north of Yellowstone National Park.
It has extensive hardrock deposits, and has also produced its fair share of placer gold as well.
The entire area around Cooke City, Montana has significant gold. Much of it can be found in
small lode deposits and prospects that are scattered around the region.

Montana is a huge state, and there is no doubt that many rich gold deposits are yet to be discovered. Large gold nuggets have been found here, so a metal detector would be an ideal prospecting tool if you are searching for gold. Panning, sluicing, and dredging will all produce gold if you find a good area. Remember that although Montana has a significant amount of public lands open to prospect, much of the richest and easiest accessible areas are already claimed.

Respect the rights of mineral claim owners by always getting permission before doing any prospecting. If you are only panning or using a small sluice box, claim owners will often grant you access to do some prospecting. If not, continue exploring and you should be able to find a good area to prospect without too much difficulty.

In Montana, the principal placer-mining districts are in the southwestern part of the State. The most productive placer deposit in the State was at Alder Gulch near Virginia City in Madison County. Other important placer localities are on the Missouri River in the Helena mining district. The famous Last Chance Gulch is the site of the city of Helena. There are many districts farther south on the headwaters and tributaries of the Missouri River, especially in Madison County which ranks third in total gold production in the State. Gold has been produced at many places on the headwaters of the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, particularly in the vicinity of Butte. Placer production from the Butte district, however, has been over-shadowed by the total output of byproduct gold recovered from the mining of lode deposits of copper, lead, and zinc.
 

Nevada
Nevada is the nation’s leading gold producing state, producing 5,467,646 troy ounces (170,06 tons) in 2016, accounting for 81% of US gold and 5.5% of world production. Much of Nevada’s gold comes from large open pit mining and recovery from heap leaching.

Some of the major mining companies in the world, including Newmont Mining, Barrick Gold, and Kinross Gold, operate state-owned gold mines. Cortez, Twin Creeks, Betz-Post, Meikle, Marigold, Round Mountain, Jerritt Canyon and Getchell are active major mines.

Nevada is currently the #1 gold producing state in the U.S. While the initial discovery occurred when gold was found near Gold Canyon near Virginia City, the later discovery of low grade deposits in 1961 by the Newmont Mining Corporation are what solidified Nevada as the most mineral rich state in the U.S. Known as the Carlin Trend deposits, these ores alone have more value than any other mineral resource in the country. For the modern day gold prospector, Nevada vast public lands provides excellent chances for future discoveries.

Gold can be found in every county in Nevada, though many of the gold deposits are so fine, such as the Carlin deposits mentioned above, that their extraction is out of reach for the average prospector. It would be wise to focus efforts in areas that are known to produce coarse sized gold, large enough to be captured by standard prospecting techniques such as panning, dry washing, and metal detecting.

It is also worth mention that Nevada is a very arid state, with limited water available. Much of the gold prospecting here is done with metal detectors and drywashers, since no water is required to extract the gold. Common methods like sluice boxes and suction dredges are of little use for most of the gold rich areas of this state.

In the northern part of the state, Humboldt County has been a prospector’s paradise for years. Gold can be found throughout the county, and it is well known for several rich areas that produce very large nuggets. Explore the Dutch Flats, Rebel Creek, Varyville and Winnemucca Districts, as all have produced several thousand ounces of gold. Using a metal detector around old drywash areas can be especially productive, as many gold nuggets were lost by the old timers using this method. The Awakening, Gold Run, Paradise Valley and Warm Springs Districts are were also large producers.

To the east in Elko County, numerous mining districts are found, each producing thousands of ounces of gold and silver. Most of the richest areas are in the northern part of the county, near the Idaho border and the surrounding the town of Mountain City. The Alder District near Wildhorse Reservoir was worked in the 1870’s. In the Aura District, placer gold can be found in Sheridan and Columbia Creeks. The Charleston District is located in the Jarbidge Range, with gold mining on 76 Creek, Badger Creek, and along the Bruneau River. Hammond and Coleman Canyons both produced placer gold. The Van Duzer District near the town of Mountain City produced significant amounts of gold, will several large gold nuggets being reported. Numerous other districts are scattered throughout the county, with most production coming from lode mining.

Pershing County is known to be one of the best mining areas in the state. Known for placers often near the surface, a significant amount of gold has been found here. The early miners used dry washers to hunt for gold, but many prospectors today prefer to use metal detectors to locate “patches” of nuggets not yet found. The well known Rye Patch Placers is one of these areas, which has produced much gold since its initial discovery in 1938. Other productive placers include the Seven Troughs, Sawtooth, Placerites, and Rabbit Hole. These are favorites of metal detectorists since gold lays on bedrock only a few feet from the surface. Dun Glen and Willow Creeks are also rich placer gold areas. Much of the recorded gold here comes from lode mines. Other districts worth exploring include the Sierra, Rochester, Humboldt and Unionville Districts. The overall richness of this county almost guarantees that plenty of gold is left in the ground awaiting discovery.

White Pine County has good gold prospecting opportunities, and like the rest of the state, its remoteness and harsh climate has limited its exploration. No doubt there are many undiscovered mines yet to be found. In the northwest part of the county is the Bald Mountain District. Some large nuggets have been found here, but high elevation and little water has limited its exploitation. The Osceola District had seen extensive mining, including some hydraulic mining done in Dry Gulch. Several mines can be found in the viscinity of Ely, Nevada, which produce both lode and placer gold.

Nye County is one of the largest and most mineral rich counties in Nevada. Numerous gold districts are scattered throughout, and one of the largest gold mine in the U.S., the Round Mountain Gold Mine, is located here. Water is definitely a limiting factor in this county, with most of the early mining done with drywashers. Much of the gold production from this county comes from lode mines. Some notable districts include the Manhattan, Bullfrog, Jackson, Johnnie, Tonopah, Tybo, and Union. Numerous other districts can be found in Nye County, which have each produced thousands of ounces of gold as well as silver. This is a vast region with very rich mineral potential.

Mineral County, as you might expect from the name, has a rich mining history. The vast majority of gold from this area has come from lode deposits, and as a byproduct of silver mining. The Aurora, Candelaria, Garfield, Gold Range, and Hawthorne Districts were all producers. Lots of old-timer workings can be found in this county.

Lander County is home to the Battle Mountain District, where both lode and placer mining has produced significant gold. A favorite area to use a metal detector, large nuggets of several ounces can be found very near the surface. Bullion, Mud Springs, New Pass, and Reese River Districts are all worthy of investigation. Keep an eye out for silver ores.

In the southern corner of Nevada, both Clark and Lincoln Counties both have less mining activity than the central and northern parts of the state. Still, gold has been found here. Most has come as byproduct of large silver mines rather than from small scale placer mining. In Clark County, check out the Eldorado and Searchlight Districts. In Lincoln, the famous Delamar Mine is extremely productive, but all gold comes in the form of lode. The Eagle Valley District had a small amount of placering done, and may be worthy of investigation.

Eureka County is home to the Carlin Mine, one of the richest gold mines in the U.S. The Buckhorn, Eureka, and Maggie Creek Districts are all worth investigation. Lynn District, home to the Carlin Mine, is found in the Tuscarora Mountains and many creeks nearby have been placer mined.

Esmeralda County has an abundance of prospecting opportunities. South of Tonopah is the Goldfield District, which has produced several million ounces of gold from lode deposits. Check out the Divide, Klondyke, Silver Peak, Sylvania, Tokop, and Tule Canyon areas. Much of the gold came from lodes, but some placers were worked by the Chinese as early as the 1870’s.

Gold and silver are abundant throughout Nevada. Many of the smaller counties surrounding Reno and Carson City have excellent mining opportunities. In Storey County, the famous Comstock Lode produced fabulous amounts of both silver and gold. Lyon County is believed to be the home to the first gold discovery in Nevada, with continued productivity to this day. Douglas County has fewer gold deposits than its neighbors to the north, but gold can still be found here. In Washoe County, the Olinghouse District produced many thousand ounces of gold. Smaller prospects can be found throughout the county, but the overall gold production is less than most other areas of Nevada.

A few general points about prospecting in Nevada. Most prospectors today are searching for placer gold, but it should be quite apparent that “The Silver State” has more than gold. Keep an eye out for rich ores that may have valuable silver and gold values. That strange rock that you kick out of the way when you are gold prospecting might be the key to the discovery of the next multi-million dollar silver mine. Also, much of the gold in Nevada is actually Electrum, a gold/silver alloy that has a much duller gold color. Don’t ever toss an unknown metal away until you are sure of what it is.

It is also worth emphasizing that Nevada is one of the most sparsely populated states in the U.S. It has an extremely harsh climate, with cold winters and hot summers. Water can be hard to find in many places. Rough roads, snakes, cactus, mountain lions, are all present here. Use extreme caution when venturing into Nevada’s extensive backcountry.
 

New Mexico
Gold was first discovered in the “Old Placers” district of the Ortiz Mountains, Santa Fe County, New Mexico, in New Mexico in 1828. Following the discovery of placer gold, a nearby lode deposit was discovered.

Two prospectors collected float in 1877 near Hillsboro, New Mexico in the area of the future Opportunity Mine, which was tested at $160 per ton in gold and silver. In the nearby Rattlesnake vein, ore was soon discovered and a placer deposit of gold was found in the Rattlesnake and Wicks gulches in November. Before 1904, total production was about $6,750,000.

All gold production in New Mexico in 2007 (13,000 troy ounces (400 kg)) came from two large open pit mines in Grant County as a by-product of copper mining. Two primary gold mines are being prepared for production, however: the Rio Arriba County Northstar mine and the San Lorenzo Claims mine in Socorro County.

New Mexico has nowhere near the gold production of Arizona, its neighbor to the west. Still, New Mexico has produced quite a bit of gold over the past few centuries, including both lode and placer deposits. Although, Spanish explorers and Mexican settlers found gold many centuries ago, the Apache tribes make gold prospecting quite difficult for the earliest inhabitants of New Mexico.

The majority of gold production has come since whites settled the state since 1848. Much of the state’s gold has come as a byproduct of mining for other minerals, but plenty of gold has been found in placer and bench deposits.

The extremely dry climate in New Mexico has probably limited its gold production due to the lack of water. This also means that there is likely a lot of gold still available for the prospector to discover.

Since water is a limiting factor in this southwestern state, the best tools for finding gold nuggetsin most areas will be drywashers and metal detectors. Searching in areas that gold has been found in the past is always a good idea. Here are a few of the most productive gold producing districts in New Mexico.


The Elizabethtown Baldy District was most productive along the west side of Mount Baldy, with paying gravels found in Grouse and Humbug Creeks, as well as the Moreno River. Well over 100,000 ounces came from this area, which included many large nuggets that a modern day metal detector would be able to locate. The Baldy placers occur on the east side of Mount Baldy, with rich gravels at South Ponil, Ute, and Willow Creeks.

The Hillsboro District, located in the southwest part of the state, produced significant gold in cemented and un-cemented gravels. These are dry placers with gold production coming from dryland dredges and drywashing in rich gulches in the area.

The Old Placers are located southwest of Santa Fe. Delores and Cunningham were productive gulches for small scale prospectors using drywashers. Nearby are the New Placers, which was known for producing very high purity gold.

Pinos Altos is a dry placer district just a few miles north of Silver City. Rich, Whiskey, and Santo Domingo gulches were all gold producers. Bear Creek produces placer gold.

Several other districts have produced gold over the past two centuries. More detailed research shows gold throughout New Mexico in smaller deposits scattered throughout the state. The lack of water and extreme summer temperatures make prospecting difficult, but it also ensures that there is plenty of gold still left in the desert to be found by the hard working prospector. Use drywashers and metal detectors is the recommended method for most mining situations in New Mexico.

Be aware that much of New Mexico is private lands, military reserves, and Indian Reservations that are either off limits, or require special permission. Many gold bearing areas on public lands are claimed, so be sure to seek out claim owners for mining access.
 

North Carolina 
After the discovery of a 17-pound (7.7 kg) gold nugget by 12-year-old Conrad Reed in a stream at his father’s farm in 1799, North Carolina was the site of the first gold rush in the United States. The Reed Gold Mine in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, southwest of Georgeville, produced about 50,000 troy ounces (1,600 kg) of gold from deposits of lode and placer.

Gold was produced in 15 districts, nearly all of them in the state’s Piedmont region. The total production of gold is estimated at 1.2 million ounces of troy (37.3 tonnes).

North Carolina is credited with the first documented gold discovery in the United States, dating back to 1799 at the Reed Gold Mine. Since then, extensive amounts of gold have been found, mainly in the form of lode deposits as well as byproduct from copper and tungsten mining.

Gold in North Carolina is primarily found in what is known as the Carolina Slate Belt, which runs diagonally across the state parallel to the Atlantic Ocean in the center of the state. The northern end starts around Granville, Person, and Caswell Counties, and extends to the southwest toward Union, Meckenburg, and Gaston Counties.

At the northern part of the slate belt in Granville County, most gold production is from copper mining, but placers can be found in nearby streams. The same can be said for Person and Caswell counties, where many good placer streams can be found.

Southward along the slate belt in Randolph County is the Hoover Hill Mine, which was a major producer in the area. The nearby Uwharrie River has rich placer gold deposits.

Davidson County has numerous scattered lode deposits, and all waters have good potential for placer gold. The same can be said for nearby Montgomery County, which has yielded plenty of gold over the past two centuries. The Uwharrie River and its tributaries are worthy of investigation, as placer gold has been found there.

Stanly, Cabarrus, and Union Counties have plenty of historic gold production also. The Rocky River has yielded placer gold, and is worthy of prospecting. These counties are littered with various lode gold mines, and all waters are worth prospecting.

The famous Reed Gold Mine is in Cabarrus County. Large nuggets have been found here, so metal detecting with a quality metal detector specifically designed to locate gold may be productive here.

Other areas throughout the Carolina Slate Belt are all worth exploring with a gold pan. With the significant history of gold in the past, there is no doubt plenty of gold left to be found. Be aware that the vast majority of the gold bearing areas in North Carolina is on private property. Always seek out permission from landowners before doing any prospecting. Many will be more than willing to let you search for gold as long as you treat the land with respect.
 

Oregon
Although gold mines are spread across much of Oregon, nearly all the gold produced comes from two main areas: the Klamath Mountains in southwestern Oregon, including Coos, Curry, Douglas, Jackson and Josephine counties ; and the Blue Mountains in northeastern Oregon, mostly in Baker and Grant counties.

Illinois prospectors discovered placer gold in southwest Oregon’s Klamath Mountains in 1850, beginning a rush to the area. Deposits of Lode gold have also been discovered. Travelers bound for the Willamette Valley along the Oregon Trail are said to have discovered gold in northeastern Oregon in 1845, but earnest mining did not begin until 1861.

Oregon has fantastic opportunities for gold prospecting. The vast majority of the gold production in this state has come from two regions; the Eastern Oregon gold best that covers the Northeast part of the state, and gold bearing region of Southwest Oregon above the California border. Significant amounts of public land provide ample opportunities for gold mining in both areas.

Placer gold discoveries occurred in Southwest Oregon in 1851 when rich gold deposits were found at Josephine Creek and other nearby creeks. Soon additional gold deposits were found at the Illinois, Applegate, and Rogue Rivers, bringing hoards of miners from California and the Willamette Valley of Oregon.

Not long after the initial discoveries at Josephine Creek, rich gold deposits were found on the beaches at present day Gold Beach. Within weeks, thousands of gold prospectors were searching for gold in southwest Oregon.

The primary areas worth prospecting are in Josephine County, Jackson County, the southern end of Douglas County, and parts of Curry and Coos Counties. Areas around Grants Pass and Medford have been major gold producers in the past. Gold here is found in both lode and placer deposits throughout the Siskiyou Mountains.

In Douglas County, check out the areas around Myrtle and Cow creek. Quines and Last Chance Creeks, along with the South Umpqua River and all waters that drain into it have been producers. Both placers and lodes have been worked here, along with numerous hydraulic operations.

Jackson County is a great area to prospect. Well over ½ million ounces of gold have come from this county since its initial discovery in 1852. Check out the Applegate River, along with Sterling, Palmer, Willow, and Elk Creeks. Gold can be found in all waters in this area.

Josephine County has produced plenty of gold in the past. Check out the Illinois River and Josephine Creek, along with Galice and also Althouse Creek. Basically all creeks in this county have the potential for gold. Check for old placers, hydraulic pits, and lode mines.

Curry and Coos Counties also have plenty of gold. Mining on the Sixes River will yield gold, and the Oregon beaches in this area also yield very fine gold. Look for black sand deposits.

Eastern Oregon was the other major gold producer in Oregon, with nearly 2/3 of the total production coming from a few counties in the northeastern section. A gold belt covers an area roughly 100 miles long and 50 miles wide, covering much of Baker, Grant, and Union Counties. The area is covered with old gold mines, hydraulic and hand placer areas, and valleys churned up by bucket line dredging.

The eastern side of the gold belt starts along the Snake River next to the Idaho border. From the town of Huntington up to the base of the Wallowa Mountains, several mining districts contain gold. The Burnt River along Highway 84 has gold, and most major drainages that flow into it will too. Some of the lower elevation areas have limited water, so mining methods may be limited to early season when spring runoffs are at their peak.

Further to the west, the Blue Mountains are a fantastic area for prospecting. The Powder River drainage upstream from the town of Baker has had extensive mining done since the early 1860’s. Bucket dredges worked the Sumpter Valley for several years, and churned up miles of valley floor.

Gold can still be found in these old tailing piles. In fact, the old dredges were designed to discard larger material, so many large nuggets and specimens were lost.

Other areas to check out include the old mining towns of Granite, Bourne, Greenhorn, and Susanville. The famous Armstrong Nugget was found in Buck Gulch in Susanville.

The gold belt continues westward toward John Day, Oregon. The John Day River and the headwater drainages are all worthy of exploration. The majority of creeks throughout this area will produce placer gold, and thousands of mines and prospects still have gold across Eastern Oregon.

The most important mining regions of Oregon are in the northeastern part of the State where both lode and placer gold have been found. Placer gold occurs in many streams that drain the Blue and Wallowa Mountains. One of the most productive placer districts in this area is in the vicinity of Sumpter, on the upper Powder River. The Burnt River and its tributaries have yielded gold. Farther to the west, placer mining (particularly dredging) has been carried on for many years in the John Day River valley. In southwestern Oregon, tributaries of the Rogue River and neighboring streams in the Klamath Mountains have been sources of placer gold. Among the main producing districts in this region are the Greenback district in Josephine County and the Applegate district in Jackson County.
 

Pennsylvania
Approximately 37,000 troy ounces (1,200 kg) of gold were produced five miles south of Lebanon, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania from the Cornwall Iron Mine. Although since 1742 the deposit produced iron, no gold from the mine was reported until 1878.

Pennsylvania, like many of its neighboring states in on the east side of the US, has a fair amount of placer gold that was left behind from glacial drifts thousands of years ago. While you are unlikely to find quantities that are sizable enough to get rich, there is certainly enough to interest the recreational prospector.

There is a thriving mining industry in the Pennsylvania, mainly for coal and iron. Several of the large iron mines in the southeast part of the state have produced several thousand ounces of gold as a byproduct. Mines near the towns of Cornwall and Morgantown are worth investigation, since any lode gold production generally means that placer deposits can be found in nearby creeks and rivers.

The better known placer mining locations in Pennsylvania are in York and Lancaster Counties, but all counties in the state have potential for some minimal gold occurrences.

In York County, check the areas around Dillsburg, Grantham, Wellsville, and Rossville. Most streams in this area will produce at least small amounts of placer gold if you search in the right places. Further south near the towns of Shrewsbury and Winterstown, stream also produce some fine gold.

To the east in Lancaster County near the town of Quarryville, check out the Susquehanna River and Peter’s Creek. Both will produce some gold, and even small platinum nuggets have been found here.

Wyoming County in the northeast part of the state also has placers in several creeks.

Most of the gold in the northern parts of Pennsylvania was brought down by glaciers, and left behind during a series of ice ages over millions of years. This gold originated from rich deposits in Quebec and Ontario, which became scattered across the eastern United States.

As is typical of this sort of deposit, the gold is often widespread, and locating rich gravels to work can be difficult. Don’t get to focused on a specific area, be sure to explore different locations and evaluate new areas to increase your odds of finding the richer gravels.
 

South Carolina
There were lode gold mines along the Carolina Slate Belt in South Carolina. The Haile deposit was discovered in Lancaster County in 1827, and between that time and 1942, at least 257,000 troy ounces (8,000 kg) of gold were intermittently extracted when the gold mine was ordered to be closed as non-essential to the war effort.

The deposit was mined for associated sericite at the beginning of 1951, which was used as a white filler. Gold is associated with silicon, kaolinite, and pyritic alteration of felsic metavolcanics of greenschist grade. The mine reopened in the 1980s as an open pit, operating until 1992.

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OceanGold Corp. restarted mining at the Haile deposit 2016. The company expects to produce an average of 126,700 ounces of gold per year for 13.25 years.

From 1828 to 1995, the Brewer mine was operating and is now a federal Superfund site.

From 1988 to 1999, Kennecott Minerals operated the Ridgeway open-pit gold mine, and Kennecott is now reclaiming the land.

Between 1990 and 1994, the Barite Hill mine operated.

Most gold in South Carolina is found within the Carolina Slate Belt, which runs across the state, parallel to the Atlantic Ocean roughly 125 miles inland. This gold bearing region actually starts in southern Virginia and extends south to parts of Georgia, including both Carolinas. In South Carolina, the belt starts at Lancaster County to the north, and travels southwest toward Edgefield County.

Lancaster County contains one of the largest mines in the southeast, the Haile Mine. It is a lode mine that has produced over ¼ million ounces of gold. Numerous other gold mines are scattered throughout the county, and all creeks near these mines are likely to contain placer gold.

To the west, York County is also a good gold producer, with dozens of lode mines throughout the area. Many of the creeks and rivers in the area will hold placer gold. Check the Broad River and its tributaries, as well as the Little River in nearby Fairfield County.

Cherokee County is another area that has produced lots of gold over the years.

Chesterfield County has had extensive gold mining since the early 1800’s. For placer mining, based on the name, Nugget Creek might be a good place to start prospecting.

Saluda County lies within the Carolina Slate Belt, and has several gold mines and placer locations. Check the Little Saluda River and its tributaries.

Edgefield County has a few productive lode mines near its border with Georgia.

Numerous other counties have potential for producing gold. As stated earlier, focus your efforts within the Carolina Slate Belt, as this is the area that contains the vast majority of productive gold mines throughout the state. Most commercial efforts here have been hard rock developments, but placer gold can be recovered by panning and sluicing. It has been stated many times, but beginning your search where gold has been found before and you will increase your chances of success.
 

South Dakota 
South Dakota’s only operating gold mine is the Wharf mine at Lead, a Coeur Mining open pit heap leach operation that produced 109,000 ounces of gold in 2016.

South Dakota has a rich history of gold production, starting with the initial discovery of gold at French Creek by a group of men led by General Custer into the area in 1874. The area known as the Black Hills quickly generated interest by men searching for their fortunes, despite the fact that the land was still owned by the Sioux Indians.

While several of the initial gold discoveries were small, rich placer deposits on Deadwood and Whitewood creeks confirmed that there were fortunes to be made in the Black Hills. An illegal settlement known as Deadwood quickly sprang up, one of the most lawless and dangerous towns in the country. Miners explored the area and found creeks filled with placer gold, as well as the rich lode sources.

As with most historic mining towns, thousands of men converged on the area and recovered most of the easily accessible gold by placer mining the rich creeks. After a few years, only a small percent remained, mostly opening up lode mining operations on a large scale. The Homestake Mine went on to become the largest and deepest gold mine in the United States.

There is still plenty of gold left to be found by gold prospectors today. The areas most worth checking out will be within the Black Hills in the far western part of the state, located near the border with Wyoming. Lawrence, Pennington, and Custer Counties have produced millions of ounces of gold. Although these areas have been extensively searched for nearly 150 years, there is still plenty left.

In the northern end of the Black Hills is Lawrence county. The Homestake Mine is located here, which has produced over 20 million ounces of gold! You can bet that there is at least an ounce or two still in the nearby ground.

Surrounding the town of Lead, SD are numerous other lode mines as well as creeks and gulches that were worked. Deadwood, Strawberry, and Elk creeks all produced placer gold. Yellow creek was also very rich. Annie and Squaw creeks also produced, as well as numerous small lode deposits in those areas.

At the southern end of the Black Hills in Pennington County, overall gold output has been much less than in Lawrence County, yet many thousands of ounces have still come from here. Battle, Castle, Rapid and Spring creeks will all produce placer gold, with numerous active and abandoned lode mines still present in this area.

Custer County was the location of the original gold discovery on French Creek in 1876. Much richer placers were later discovered, but there was still enough gold here to generate interest in the area. Numerous creeks throughout the county will produce placer gold.

Of course keep in mind that many of the creeks mentioned above may be heavily claimed or on private land, so be sure to do the proper research before prospecting. Use these landmarks as general guidelines to get you started in the right area, then explore new country in your search for gold. There is no doubt that the Black Hills of South Dakota still hold excellent potential for gold minin
 

Tennessee
In 1827, on Coker Creek in Monroe County, Tennessee, Placer gold was discovered. Some 9,000 troy ounces (280 kg) were produced by the district. Approximately 15,000 troy ounces (470 kg) of gold were recovered from Ducktown, Tennessee’s massive sulfide copper ores.
Tennessee has good opportunities for recreational gold prospectors. Although overall production has been very low from this state, gold can be recovered in quantities that will satisfy the recreational gold prospector. Most panning is done in parts in the far southeastern corner of the state, near the towns of Coker Creek and Tellico Plains.

The gold belt extends throughout the area near the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. Coker Creek (the creek, not the town) is probably the best known for having gold and is a great place to look. Gold was discovered there in 1831, and a very short lived gold rush occurred. Very quickly the early miners found that the gravels were not rich enough to pay, and excitement was soon redirected to other areas.

Original “hotspots” are said to have paid around $2 per day, but the best areas were quickly depleted, not producing enough gold to cause much excitement. Nonetheless, for a recreational prospector out looking to find a bit of “color”, the areas around Coker Creek and Tellico Plains are known gold producers.

As with many states with only limited gold production, there are probably many creeks that hold small amounts of gold that are not extensively searched. Exploration in the general vicinity of known gold locations could produce small amounts of placer gold. The vast majority of Tennessee’s gold is going to be very small specks, flakes, and maybe the occasional picker sized nugget. Below are a few additional areas that might be worth investing.

Citico, Cane, Turkey and Tobe Creeks in Monroe County.

A few streams east of Montvale Springs in Blount County.

Several areas in Polk County in the far southeast corner of the state.

Most of the waters that flow between the Tellico and Hawassee Rivers have good potential for some gold.

Most creeks between Tellico River and Hawassee River have gold.

Be aware that at the time of this writing, there is a dredging ban across most of Tennessee. The only areas open for dredging are waters within the Tellico Ranger District in eastern Tennessee, and the GPAA property on Coker Creek. In addition, a permit is required to do any type of prospecting in the state. Be sure to consult with the appropriate agencies to ensure you are within the laws and regulations.
 

Texas
Some prospects were excavated on the central Texas Llano Uplift for gold. Gold prospects include the Heath mine and the Babyhead district in both Llano County and Gillespie County’s Central Texas mine. There is no known production of gold, if any.

The overall gold production in Texas has been very little, especially considering the size of the state. Like many other lesser known gold states, there is plenty of gold to be found in Texas, although the quantities likely to be recovered are certainly not likely to be anywhere near some of the other well-known gold producing states in the US.

When the Spanish explorers traveled through the southwest, they scoured the countryside in search of gold and other valuable minerals. Texas has certainly been prospected over the years, and although gold discoveries have been minimal, there is enough present to keep an amateur prospector interested. There are plenty of gold prospectors in the Dallas and Houston areas who venture out into the country and area ble to pan for a bit of gold.

There are a few areas of known gold occurrences, mostly in the form of fine dust and very
small flakes. Much of the state’s gold production has come as a byproduct of mining for other minerals.
There are still a few opportunities to find a little bit of “color” in Texas. Here are a few places of known gold occurrence.

Gazley Creek in Bastrop county has produces very fine gold in the past.

Walnut Creek in Blanco County has had small amounts of placer work done in the late 1880’s, and might be worth a look.

The Presidio Mine in Presidio County accounts for most of the gold production in the entire state of Texas.
Although its primary minerals were zinc and lead, small amounts of silver and gold were also a byproduct
of this mine. Nearby areas have the potential for more possible gold deposits.

Pennington Creek and Llano River in Llano County are known to produce good amounts of placer gold.
Most gold in Texas has been found in the general area of Llanos.
 

Don’t expect to strike it rich gold mining in Texas. Although some gold has been found here, it is mostly in trace amounts except for a few locations as listed above. Keep in mind that most of Texas is privately owned, and permission is required to do any prospecting on private lands.

Gold in sparse in the state. Considering the landmass of Texas, there are relatively few areas where gold has been documented. Although it's worth considering that minor gold occurrences are mostly ignored and rarely get mentioned. There is certainly the possibility of finding fine gold anywhere You will want to take extra care to pan the gravels.

 Vermont
Gold is widely distributed throughout Vermont, but not in quantities that have been economically viable for large scale mining.

Farmers in Plymouth, Vermont discovered placer gold in Broad Brook, and worked the nearby creeks for a short time until they realized the small amounts of gold they were finding didn’t pay as well as farming.

Gold has since been found in a number of creeks and rivers throughout the state, and although not in large enough quantities to attract much interest for commercial endeavors, they still produce small amounts of placer gold for the hard working prospector.

Most of the gold found is in the form of very small flakes and little pickers; don’t expect to find large nuggets. Basic placer methods like panning and sluicing will probably be your best bet for recovering the small gold.

Gold has been found in the following counties in Vermont; Addison, Bennington, Chittenden, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor counties. Of course, gold will not be found in each and every stream within these counties, so further research and prospecting will help you in your search.
 

Virginia
Most of Virginia’s gold mining was concentrated in the Virginia Gold-Pyrite belt in a line running north-east to south-west through Fairfax, Prince William, Stafford, Fauquier, Culpeper, Spotsylvania, Orange, Louisa, Fluvanna, Goochland, Cumberland, and Buckingham counties. There was also some gold mining in counties like Halifax, Floyd, and Patrick.

Virginia was one of the earliest states in the US that gold was discovered. Unlike many of the
eastern states that are limited to only small amounts of glacial gold, extensive hard rock deposits
have been found here. The majority of the gold that has been mined comes from a belt that is
roughly 9 to 15 miles wide and 140 miles long that runs along the eastern side of the Blue Ridge
Mountains, but additional mines are scattered throughout the state outside of that belt as well.

A few small gold discoveries were found here as early as 1785, but small scale mining didn’t
start until around 1804. For approximately 25 years starting in 1828, Virginia was averaging a
recorded volume of 3000 ounces of gold per year, with peak years reaching over 6000 ounces.
 Mining continued in full force until the famous discovery of gold in California, when thousands
of miners pulled up and headed west to search for their fortune. Mining in Virginia continued at
only a small scale after that.

During its peak, there were several hundred gold mines operating in Virginia. Today, most gold
is found by small scale recreational prospectors. Gold can still be found in all the areas that produced
gold in the past, with some of the best areas within the east of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

All areas within the famous “gold-pyrite belt” have good potential for producing placer gold in the creeks
and rivers. Focus on areas that have historic lode mining activity. Counties with significant gold mining history
includes; Faquier, Culpepper, Madison, Orange, Louisa, Fluvanna, Buckingham, Cumberland, and Prince Edward Counties.

One of the best known gold mines in Virginia was the Franklin Mine in Facquier County. There are numerous other
lode mines that existed throughout the county. In fact, the counties in the northwest section of Virginia were some of
the historically richest mining areas. Good gold was found throughout Facquier, Culpeper and Spotsylvania Counties.

The Gold Mining Camp Museum in Goldvein, VA is worth visiting. This is the only mining park in Virginia that is dedicated
solely to the history of gold mining in the state. There are gold panning demonstration and you can even buy bags
of paydirt that you can pan yourself.

Continuing further south, several of the early mining camps were found within Buckingham, Fluvana and Louisa
Counties. Again, the eastern flanks of the Blue Ridge Mountains around Charlottesville and Lynchburg are all
auriferous. One special place to note is Tongue Quarter Creek, a tributary to the Willis River. There were reports
of multi-ounce gold nuggets being found here. 

The James River flows right through some of the richest gold-bearing areas of the state, and there are still some
decent placer deposits in this river. Spend a few hours shoveling gravel into a sluice box and you are likely to be
rewarded with some decent gold for your efforts.

Rappidan River and Rappahannock River are worth exploring. Both were mined extensively during the early Virginia
Gold Rush and each will still produce for a hard working prospector.

Most prospectors today focus on placer deposits within creeks and rivers. It is worth noting that most of Virginia's gold
production actually came from hard rock lode sources. These mines were the major gold producers, especially
in the later years after the easily worked placers were exhausted.

Normally lode mining takes much more upfront cost. To my knowledge there are no more lode gold mines currently
operating in the states of Virginia. But this does not mean that these old mines are worthless.

Many prospectors have successfully searched the old tailing piles of these old mines and found some very nice specimen
gold. Scan the waste rock with a good metal detector and you might be surprised just how much gold the old-timers missed.

Actually finding an area that you can get out and do some prospecting can be challenging. Most of the mining sites are on private land, so you will need permission.

One of the easiest ways to get access to gold-bearing areas is to join a local prospecting club. The Central Virginia Gold Prospectors are one of the more active clubs in the state. You can pay dues toward membership, which goes toward purchasing leases to gold-bearing properties. This is a great option for all prospectors.

Keep in mind that finding a rich deposit of gold takes time and research. They call it “prospecting” for a reason; spend some time panning different areas until you find a rich gold bearing area. Once you are finding some good color in your pan, you should consider using some larger equipment so that you can process more material.

Virginia is a great state to look for gold, and with the large amount of past mining activity there is a very good chance that a hobby prospector can recover some very good gold
 

Washington
Gold was first discovered as a placer deposit in the Yakima Valley in Washington in 1853. State production never exceeded 50,000 troy ounces per year until the mid-1930s, when large hard rock deposits were built near the deposits of Chelan Lake and Wenatchee in Chelan County, and the Republic deposit in Ferry County. Production is estimated at 2,3 million ounces through 1965.
Washington is a great state with plenty of opportunity for gold prospecting. Overall production has been much less than most of the other western states, but several million ounces of gold have still been found here.

Recreational miners armed with pans, sluice boxes, and suction dredges will be right at home in Washington, with fine placers found throughout the state.

With a few exceptions, most gold here is quite fine, and distributed throughout the creeks and rivers. Metal detecting is generally less productive than other places, since gold is smaller sized and difficult to detect.

There is gold in the Columbia River too. It is the largest drainage in the Pacific Northwest, and drains all of Washington’s waters east of the Cascade Mountains. Its headwaters start in Canada, and ends at the Pacific Ocean.

Placer deposits are throughout the gravels of this river system, generally in the form of very fine flour gold. The same is true of the Snake River which drains into the Columbia in the southeast part of the state.

It is worth emphasis that the much of this gold is micron in size, so consideration should be given to your prospecting method, since it can be very easy to lose gold that small. On the Columbia, check various gravel bars during low water, as well as bench deposits that may have been worked by the “old timers”. Many Chinese immigrants worked these placers at one time.

All of the counties in Washington have produced gold. East of the Cascades, the most noteworthy are Stevens, Ferry, Okanogan, Chelan, and Kittitas Counties.

Stevens County is in the far Northeast corner of the state. Hundreds of mine sites are scattered throughout the area, often lode mines that also produced copper, iron, etc.

Ferry County is one of Washington biggest gold producers, containing the Republic District 25 miles below the Canadian border. The vast majority of the gold found has been from lode mining. Placers produce mainly fine gold.

Okanogan County is in the northern part of Washington on the east slopes of the Cascades. The Columbia, Methows, and Okanogan Rivers all contain gold.

Chelan County was the largest gold producer in the state. Much of the gold came from lode mines in the Blewett, Chelan Lake and Wenatchee Districts, but numerous placer operations have also been in place since the mid 1800’s. The Golden King Mine is in the Wenatchee District, and is one of the largest lode gold producers in the United States. Creeks and rivers throughout these areas should also produce placer gold for the recreational gold prospector.

In Kittitas County, you will find one of the best known prospecting areas in Washington. Although overall gold production was not near as high as in other counties, the area has a history of producing coarser gold including nuggets of several ounces in size.

Near the historic town of Liberty, there are numerous lode and placer mines worthy of investigation. Williams and Swauk are the best producers. They are also well known for the unique wire gold specimens that have been found.

West of the Cascade Mountains there is also ample opportunity for gold prospecting. All counties have produced at least some gold in the past. A few of the more noteworthy include Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, King, and Pierce.

Gold can be found throughout Skagit County along the Skagit River. Also explore the smaller creeks and tributaries of the Skagit. There is decent gold that you can pan all throughout this area.

Snohomish County has produced a lot of gold, mainly in the Monte Cristo and Silverton Districts.

King County is also a large gold producer in the state, but nearly all sizable operations have been lode mines. Exploring creeks near these lode areas may be productive for fine gold.

In Pierce County, most activity is found at far eastern part of the county, where it borders the Yakima County line.

All counties along the Columbia as well as the ocean beaches have fine gold. Look for black sand deposits and carefully sample the sands. Gold will be extremely fine textured.

Be aware that many of the waters in Washington contain salmon and steelhead, and rules and regulations regarding prospecting vary throughout the state. The Washington Department of Fish and Game prints a “Gold and Fish” pamphlet that covers the prospecting regulations in the state.

There will be different regulations associated with private, state, federal, and tribal land so it is always important to check with the various agencies associated with the area that you intend to prospect for the most current information.

West Virginia 
Gold in West Virginia is quite limited. Around the turn of the last century, there was some very short lived excitement relating to the discovery of quartz veins containing gold, but further investigation revealed little or no actual gold associated with the quartz.

Further prospecting over the last century has not yielded any appreciable amounts of native gold occurring within quartz. There are no commercial gold mines operating in West Virginia.

Despite the lack of gold found within quartz, very small quantities of gold can be found within the state. As with almost any state, very tiny specks of gold have been reported to be found in several creeks and rivers. None of these discoveries have garnered much attention, as the gold present is generally “fly speck” sized, and even exhaustive mining in these areas are unlikely to produce more than just a glimpse of color in the bottom of a gold pan.

Still, recreational gold prospectors are a persistent bunch, and many consider a hard days work to produce a few cents worth of gold a great way to spend the day! There is also a GPAA chapter in West Virginia dedicated to gold prospecting, beginners would be well advised to join their local prospecting club to get help from veteran prospectors as well as some first hand knowledge on gold prospecting within the state.

Anyone considering prospecting for gold in West Virginia would be well advised to focus some attention a few hours to the east. The Carolina Slate belt runs through the central parts of Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, and contains some of the richest gold areas in the eastern U.S. The first gold discovery in the U.S. was at the Reed Gold Mine in 1799, and was followed by numerous other discoveries throughout the area.

Within the slate belt are numerous gold mines, with historic production of gold in both lode and placer deposits. Considering its relatively close proximity to West Virginia, a prospector would likely have more success focusing their attention in this area.

Keep in mind that private property can be an issue here. With mainly private lands in the area, always be sure to get written permission from the landowners before doing and prospecting.

Wisconsin
Like most of its neighboring states, Wisconsin does not have enough naturally occurring gold to interest commercial gold mining endeavors. However, gold is often recovered as a byproduct from copper and iron mines. If targeting for gold specifically, small placer deposits can be found throughout the state, and many part-time gold prospectors are successfully finding gold in the rivers and streams of Wisconsin.

Gold occurrence in Wisconsin is a result of glaciers depositing gold bearing gravels from Canada thousands of years ago. As the glaciers moved south over top of present day Wisconsin, they carried with them some rich gravels from Alberta which had gold in them.

The very natural of the glacial action wore down these gravels into very fine dust, which were left behind as the glaciers receded. Because of this, the vast majority of gold found in this state will be extremely fine so don’t expect to recover large nuggets. Gold is almost always found in the form of fine textured specks, commonly called “flour gold” due to the extreme fineness.

Gold can be found in just about any waterway throughout the state, including along the beaches of Lake Superior. Search in the same areas that you normally would expect gold to accumulate; inside bends of streams and rivers, high-and-dry gravel bars, behind large boulders and other obstructions, and just about anywhere else that gold might be allowed to settle out. One other noteworthy area is Plum Creek in Pierce County, where several have reported good luck panning.

In addition to the well known glacial deposits, many are surprised to hear that there is also a surprising amount of lode gold available in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, these are yet to be commercially viable, due to the high cost of extraction and relatively low grade ores. These lode areas do contribute to the small amounts of gold that can be found by in the waterways throughout the state.

Recreational gold panning and small scale prospecting is currently allowed in Wisconsin without needing any permits. Always get permission if prospecting on private land, and take care to limit disturbances when digging. Using larger motorized equipment requires additional permitting, but simple tools like sluice boxes and gold pans do not.

As most of the placer gold is scattered and not heavily concentrated in any key areas, there is limited interest beyond small scale recreational prospecting. A hard days work might yield a small amount of fine gold, but it is very unlikely that enough could be recovered to interest any commercial endeavors.

In recent years there has been much interest in gold discoveries associated with iron ore deposits throughout the state, but the economic viability of mining these resources lies heavily on the value of producing other minerals including lead, zinc, copper, and silver, with gold as a by-product.
 

Wyoming
Gold was found in the present Fremont County in 1842 in the South Pass-Atlantic City-Sweetwater district. The placers were intermittently worked until 1867 when the first important gold vein was discovered and the area was rushed by prospectors and miners.

The miners were served by the cities of South Pass City, Atlantic City, and Miner’s Delight. By 1875, the district was almost deserted and only intermittently subsequently worked. The total production of gold was approximately 300,000 troy ounces (9,300 kg). The district became a major iron mine site in 1962.

Gold prospecting in Wyoming gets surprisingly little attention in comparison to some of its neighboring states, despite having vast mineral wealth. There are less people per square mile in Wyoming than any other state, so it is no surprise that it has been explored less than many other areas. Most think of Wyoming in terms of cattle ranching, oil, and natural gas, but plenty of gold has been discovered here too, although not nearly as much as many other western states. Long and harsh winters can make for a very short mining season here.

The first reports of gold in Wyoming were as early as 1842, by westward travelers along the old emigrant trail at the Sweetwater River. Indian hostilities made prospecting efforts difficult for several decades. By the 1860’s, prospecting efforts increased and several rich discoveries were soon found throughout the state.

The South Pass- Atlantic City District lies at the southern end of the Wind River Range. Additional districts in the area include the Lewiston, Twin Creek, and Oregon Buttes districts. Significant lode and placer gold has come from these areas. Production records were extremely poor from these areas during the early gold rushes here, but hundreds of thousands of ounces are known to have come from these districts, and quite possibly several times that amount.

In the central part of the state in the Granite Mountain Range, the Tin Cup, Rattlesnake Hills, and Seminoe Districts have been mined. Most exploration efforts have shown low grade gold ores, but limited investigations show potential for areas worthy of investigation by the recreational prospector.

The Absaroka Mountains in the northwestern part of the state produce gold in several areas. The Sunlight, New World, Kirwin and Stinking Water districts all have placer gold deposits that can be recovered by panning, sluicing and dredging. Limited commercial efforts have been put into this area, but recreational prospectors can find plenty of gold here.

The Laramie Mountain Range has several districts worth investigation. The Silver Crown, Garrett, Warbonnet, and Esterbrook all produce gold.

The Medicine Bow and Sierra Madre Mountains in south-central Wyoming were prospected extensively during the late 1800’s up through the great depression. Numerous mines are scattered throughout the region and still have good potential to yield gold. Keep in mind that often these mines were abandoned because of low metal prices, not because they were worked out. With today’s record high gold prices, there is a good chance that these old prospects are once again profitable for gold mining.

Wyoming is one of the most remote states in the US, so take the appropriate precautions when searching for gold. Wyoming has excellent potential for prospecting. Many large discoveries have been found in fairly recent history, and there is no doubt that more are remaining to be discovered. Wyoming is also fortunate to have a large amount of public lands, which is generally open for mineral exploration.

The above information can be found at : http://www.geologypage.com/2019/04/where-are-gold-mines-in-the-united-states.html#ixzz6Lk28WQbJ 

And 

https://www.goldrushnuggets.com/whtofigo.html


Resources 
If you would like to do some more reading here are some great resources - 

• Cobb, E. H., 1984, Lode gold and silver occurrences in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resource Map, MR-84, scale 1:2,500,000.

• _____, 1984, Placer gold occurrences in Alaska: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resource Map, MR-83, scale 1:2,500,000.

• Jones, Robert S., and Fleischer, Michael, 1969, Gold in minerals and the composition of native gold: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 612. 17 p.

• Koschmann, A. H., and Bergendahl, M. H., 1962, Gold in the United States, exclusive of Alaska and Hawaii: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resource Map, MR-24, scale 1:3,168.000.

• _____, 1968, Principal gold-producing districts of the United States: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 610, 283 p.

• Ransom, Jay Ellis, 1975, The gold hunter's fieldbook: New York, Harper & Row, 367 p.

• Simons, Frank S., and Prinz, William C., 1973, Gold in United States Mineral Resources: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 820, p. 263-275.

• Theobald, Paul K., Jr., 1957, The gold pan as a quantitative geologic tool: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1071-A. 54 p.

• U.S. Bureau of Land Management, 1977, Patenting a mining claim on Federal lands: U.S. Government Printing Office, 21 p.

• _____, 1978, Staking a mining claim on Federal lands: U.S. Government Printing Office, 18 p.

• U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1967, Production potential of known gold deposits in the United States: U.S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular 8331, 24 p.

• U.S. Forest Service, 1971, Mining and mining claims in National Forest Wildernesses: U.S. Government Printing Office, U.S. Department of Agriculture. 19 p.

• _____, 1975, Mining in National Forests: Current Information Report No. 14, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 20 p.

• U.S. Geological Survey, 1978, Suggestions for prospecting: pamphlet, 24 p.

• ____, 1979, Gold: pamphlet, 24 p.

• Ward, F. N., Nakagawa, H. M., Harms, T. F., and VanSickle, G. H., 1969, Atomic-absorption methods of analysis useful in geochemical exploration: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1289, 45 p.

• Wells, John H., 1969, Placer examination-principles and practice: U.S. Bureau of Land Management Technical Bulletin 4, 209 p.

• West, J. M., 1971, How to mine and prospect for gold: U.S. Bureau of Mines, Information Circular 8517. 43 p.

• ____, 1980, Gold in Mineral facts and problems: U.S. Bureau of Mines Bulletin 671, p. 367-381.

• Wise, Edmund M., 1964, Gold, recovery, properties, and applications: New York, D. Van Nostrand, 367 p

• American prospecting club https://www.goldprospectors.org/

I hope that helped answer some questions! Look forward to seeing you all next week for the live. 

Tyler