The
Mother Lode runs through El Dorado County ... and the Historic
Marshall Gold Discovery Park in Coloma was the location
of the 1998 World Gold Panning Championship.
Successful panners enjoy mining on most
of the forks and creeks flowing into the American and Cosumnes
Rivers. The photo to the right is a Chinese Prospector on
the American River ...
Strike
It Rich Adventures www.strikeitrichadventures.com
Phone: (530) 333-2558 Email
They provide gold panning lessons and underground mine tours
for groups of 6 or more. They teach mining history using hands-on
demonstrations, and their instructors dress in period costume.
They guarantee everyone will find real gold to take home as
a souvenir. Tours by reservation only.
Some facts and findings on gold panning
...
PANNING
FOR GOLD:
Any kind of flat pan will do but the best is the regular
pan you can buy at local shops.
Fill
the pan with sand and small gravel. Fill
with water and mix thoroughly. Rotate
the pan in a fast circular motion to settle the gold.
While
keeping the pan level and continuing the circular motion,
slightly tip the pan to get the lighter material to the
top. Take
your thumb and scrape the lighter and larger pieces out
of the pan. Repeat
the process over and over until only a small part of the
pan is covered with concentrate. Leave
just enough water to feather the tailings as you lightly
swirl the material. The
heavier material (gold) will be at the tail of the feather.
The
Mother Lode runs through El Dorado County ... and the 
Fill
the pan with sand and small gravel. 