Return to El Dorado - 9th June 2023

The Golden State, California, shines true to its name, harkening back to its golden days when prospectors flocked to the state in the first gold rush in 1849, in their quest for gold.

Following a long drought, the runoff from a torrential downpour has eroded much of the soil and rock, depositing El Dorado's bounty into rivers, igniting this renewed quest.

Geologist Barron Brandon explains.

Barron Brandon: "And now we're talking about flood gold. So when you have a huge rain event, big rains come and they wash all the sides of the rivers down into the river basin again, and bring gold with it as it happens. And that's how the deposits occur down in the river."

Although contemporary prospectors rely on state-of-the-art tools such as metal detectors and wetsuits to enhance their quest for the precious metal, certain gold-finding methods from 1849 persist.

Albert Fausel: "There you go, that's easy, that's good guys."

Donning a wetsuit, Albert Fausel inspects a hole anticipating the discovery of more gold nuggets.

Albert Fausel: "I got a hole down there that I haven't even gotten to the bottom of and I got this much gold. It's like, there's got to be more gold in the bottom of that hole. Will I ever get to it? I might not."

Since the historic gold rush of 1849, stringent measures have been put in place to curb lawlessness and conserve the environment. State parks enforce the 'hands and pans' policy, restricting the use of shovels for digging and permitting only manual tools like hands and pans.

However, on public property, individuals can still 'stake a claim' akin to the practices of 1849. Nevertheless, irrespective of the location, all gold seekers are obligated to adhere to the country code, prioritise environmental preservation and promptly report discoveries to the respective landowners.

Albert Fausel: "Dude, that's killing it right there. That's good, that's good."

With water levels dropping in June, riverbeds will yield higher returns on the gold quest. Brandon is convinced there remains a plethora of gold to be uncovered.

Barron Brandon: "There's claims that only about 80% of the gold in California has been found. But recent claims are that it's much less than that. I think if you really took it all into consideration, probably 15% has been found."