Recent wildfires and rain have caused a ‘Gold Rush 2.0’ in California‘s Central Valley where some have located pieces of gold that were unearthed by the natural events.
According to historian Ed Allen of the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma, only about 10 to 15 percent of California’s gold has been discovered.
Now, nearly 175 years after the first gold rush, groups of eager amateur miners are headed back to ‘Gold Country’ – an area on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada – in search of the remaining 85 percent.
In an interview with the New York Times, Albert Fausel showed off the gold he located in a creek in Placerville after just 20 minutes of searching.
‘Woooo-hoo-hoooo!’ the man said of his find – a piece of gold just big enough to pinch between your fingers that is worth around $100.
The hunt is on for anyone looking for nuggets of the pricey metal. In 1850, a nugget of gold went for $20 an ounce. Today, an ounce will fetch you around $1,900.
Recent wildfires and rain have caused a ‘Gold Rush 2.0’ in California’s Central Valley where some have located pieces of gold that were unearthed by the natural events
The hunt is on for anyone looking for nuggets of the pricey metal. In 1850, a nugget of gold went for $20 an ounce. Today, an ounce will fetch you around $1,900
‘We just had a flood here last month and that brought down gold,’ Allen said in a February interview with KCRA. ‘People are still looking for gold.
He claims he is ‘always looking’ for gold, even at the age of 75.
The second rush of gold seekers was caused by the rain and the melt that comes after California experienced historic rain and snow, which is now beginning to melt.
The situation is also helped by the wildfires from the past several years, which have helped to loosen the area’s soil.
‘I’ve found quite a few nuggets,’ said Nick Prebalick, who spoke with KCRA.
‘This is the good stuff, and the best stuff will be in this box at the end of the day,’
Prebalick’s family was leasing a 500-yard claim along Wood’s Creek in Jamestown to search for gold.
‘It’s pretty easy to get hooked,’ Prebalick said. ‘This is like the best office ever.’
Unidentified gold miners pan for gold, 1890, El Dorado County, California
‘We just had a flood here last month and that brought down gold,’ Ed Allen, historian at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in Coloma, said in a February interview with KCRA
The second rush of gold seekers was caused by the rain and the melt that comes after California experienced historic rain and snow, which is now beginning to melt
The situation is also helped by the wildfires from the past several years, which have helped to loosen the area’s soil
Those who have had continued success during the search are now reluctant to give up information on where they got lucky.
‘Somewhere north of Los Angeles, south of Seattle and west of Denver,’ said Jim Eakin, describing where found the piece of gold he claims was large enough to let him purchase a brand-new Ford F-150.
Eakin, speaking with The New York Times while wearing a chunk of gold around his neck, said he tries to stay on top of gold in the area any way he can.
‘Anytime you can stand next to a river, and you hear the boulders tumbling, you know the gold is moving, too,’ Eakin said.
‘It’s going to be a magnificent year,’ said Tony Watley, president of the Gold Country Treasure Seekers club.
‘Everywhere we are seeing new erosion,’ Watley told The Times.
The Gold Country Treasure Seekers club has seen a major boost in gold over the past several months, according to members.
‘There was $50,000 of gold up at that table,’ said Mark Dayton, a member of the club who found $750 worth of gold in April.
The Gold Country Treasure Seekers club has seen a major boost in gold over the past several months, according to members
‘I’ve found quite a few nuggets,’ said Nick Prebalick, who spoke with KCRA
California state law doesn’t allow miners to use big machinery when searching for gold so the ‘new 49ers’ are left to search with their hands or old-fashioned equipment, the same as their predecessors
‘We’ve had more gold in the last two meetings than I’ve seen in the last two years,’ Dayton said.
Dayton, along with other gold seekers, say the best is yet to come as the river levels continue to recede.
California state law doesn’t allow miners to use big machinery when searching for gold so the ‘new 49ers’ are left to search with their hands, or the same equipment used by their predecessors.
‘The more earth you move the more gold you’ll probably get,’ Marshall Gold Discovery State Park employee James Holman said.
‘If you don’t move any earth, you don’t get any gold.’
