Where can I dredge for gold?

Asked by: Randy Elliott

Rogue River Rapids. Oregon has always allowed suction dredge gold mining on its rivers. It’s the modernized version of panning by hand for gold, which was quite common in some areas of the U.S. in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One of the areas well known for gold mining is the southwest Oregon coast.

Where can I dredge for gold in the US?

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.

Is it legal to dredge in the Rogue River?

Suction-dredge mining would be banned from streams running through private lands throughout the Rogue River Basin and much of Western Oregon and limited on federal lands under a new state framework proposed to govern mining rules in 2016 and beyond.

Where can you find dredging?

Dredges are normally used in rivers, creeks, and streams. They can also be used in ponds and lakes with a water source inlet like a stream or waterfall, though this usually requires more specialized equipment, such as scuba gear, and submersible dredge. Of course, not every river or creek you find will bare gold.

Where is the easiest place to find gold?

10 Best Places for Gold Prospecting Or Mine Tours

• Eldorado Canyon, Nevada. …
• Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, California. …
• Old Hundred Gold Mine in Silverton, Colorado. …
• Queen Mine in Bisbee, Arizona. …
• Liarsville Gold Rush Camp, Alaska. …
• Lackawanna Coal Mine, Pennsylvania. …
• Cracker Creek Mining Camp in Sumpter, Oregon.

Where can I mine gold for free?

10 Free Gold Panning Areas in California

• Auburn State Recreation Area. …
• Butte Recreation Area. …
• Columbia State Historic Park. …
• Keyesville Recreational Mining Area. …
• Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park. …
• Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. …
• Merced River. …
• South Yuba River State Park.

Can gold be found anywhere?

California. It’s likely no surprise to anyone that California is one of the best states to find gold. The extent of the gold found throughout the Sierra Nevada Mountains is unlike anywhere else in the country.

Can I dredge for gold in Oregon?

The Oregon law in question, adopted as Senate Bill 3, limits the use of suction dredges, which are operated like a vacuum. Miners use these dredges to get gold from beds of rivers and streams. Backers of Oregon’s law say the practice is harmful to salmon, trout and steelhead habitat.

Where can I gold dredge in Oregon?

The Sumpter Valley Gold Dredge is a historic gold dredge located in Sumpter, in the U.S. state of Oregon.

Where do you pan for gold in the Rogue River?

For gold panning, the Rogue River is a great place. We’ve seen many people panning for gold along the lower Rogue around Grave Creek (just past the little town of Galice… take the Merlin Exit of I-5 north of Grants Pass). You can pan on any public land stretch of river, and 1/4 a mile up any tributary.

How do I find gold in my backyard?

https://youtu.be/izCBlLC9_N8
Gold is an extremely dense element and will most generally be found on bedrock or in stream beds where is deposited by the current. If your back garden has no exposed bedrock.

How hard is it to find gold?

Unlike diamonds, gold cannot be manufactured. It can only be found where it naturally exists. Finding those rare places where gold concentrations in the Earth’s crust are high is difficult, and such discoveries have had enormous impacts on human civilization and history.

Can you find gold in any river?

Every river in the world contains gold. However, some rivers contain so little gold that one could pan and sieve for years and not find even one small flake. The amateur prospector will not be able to determine whether gold is contained within an outcrop of rocks.

Does every creek have gold?

Not every creek and river out there has gold. From a practical sense it would be fair to say that most of them don’t have any gold, or there is so little gold that it would be a waste of time trying to find it. Taking some extra time to research good locations is time well-invested.

Where can I find gold in small creeks?

For gold. Yeah just remember that the smaller creeks aren't as predictable as the big rivers.

Is there gold in every stream?

Remember that the amount or concentration of gold varies in every place. So not every creek is flowing with gold. Sometimes, there isn’t even any gold to find. So even before you start mapping, know which places have a reported high concentration of gold.

Does Black Sand mean gold?

Black sands (mostly iron) can be and usually is an indicator of gold, but not always. Rule of thumb is you will generally find black sand with gold, but not always gold with black sand. However if you are finding gold and getting black sands with it, it would be worthwhile to try some and see what happens.

Is there gold in Ireland’s rivers?

THERE IS MORE gold and platinum in rivers and streams in the southeast of Ireland than previously thought. The Geological Survey of Ireland’s (GSI) Tellus programme made the discovery by applying modern testing methods to stream samples collected in the 1980s.

Where do you find gold in rivers and creeks?

So what you're gonna do is when you come to these inside bands. You're gonna look for that you're gonna look for those big heavy stones. Big stones big gold little stones little gold.

What are the signs of gold in the ground?

Here are some man-made indicators of previous prospecting that you can look for in your quest for gold.

• Ground cuts. …
• Stacked rocks. …
• Piles of rocks. …
• Areas stripped of their ground cover and top soils. …
• Ponds and dams. …
• Dry wash (dry blow) piles. …
• Potholes and shallow diggings.

Can you find gold in sand?

There are some pretty rich beach deposits out there though. In fact, some prospectors specialize in mining gold from beach sands. It is particularly rich at certain beaches in Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.

How do you find gold in a stream?

When prospecting in a river, you will want to look for both fast and slow-moving water. The bends in the river where the gold can get trapped. Gold is found where water flow is altered by obstacles such as boulders and logs or by watercourse contours, such as bends in river.

What kind of ground is gold found in?

Gold is primarily found as the pure, native metal. Sylvanite and calaverite are gold-bearing minerals. Gold is usually found embedded in quartz veins, or placer stream gravel. It is mined in South Africa, the USA (Nevada, Alaska), Russia, Australia and Canada.

Is there gold in the River Swale?

The Northern Pennines: A wealth of minerals, including gold, has been found here. Nenthead and the River Swale have both had reports of gold finds.