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CALIFORNIA GOLD (Statewide) (Mexican Border to Oregon state line)
 

 Southern California Gold Prospecting Map 1 (eastern part-adjacent to AZ and NV-Death Valley to Yuma)
 

 Southern California Gold Prospecting Map 2 (San Diego, Escondido, Santa Ana, Riverside, Palm Springs, Salton Sea)
 

 Southern California Gold Prospecting Map 3 (Ventura, Los Angeles, Lancaster, San Bernardino, Big Bear Lake, Victorville, Barstow, Twentynine Palms)
 

 Southern California Gold Prospecting Map 4 (Bakersfield, Randsburg east to Death Valley, Trona, Porterville, Visalia, Fresno)
 

 Northern California Gold Prospecting Map 5 (Mother Lode- Yosemite, San Andreas, Columbia, Sacramento, Grass Valley, Lake Tahoe, Oroville, Magalia, Downieville)
 

 Northern California Gold Prospecting Map 6 (N. edge of Map 5 to Oregon state line- Greenville, Susanville, Redding, Weaverville, Trinity Center, Yreka, Happy Camp, Crescent City)
 

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North Carolina Gold Mines, Prospecting, Panning, Treasure Hunting and Rockhounding

Rockhounding for gems and minerals, panning and prospecting for gold, treasure hunting for coins, jewelry and gold nuggets, are popular hobbies in North Carolina. North Carolina’s gold prospecting and panning region includes gem stones such as rubies, sapphires, garnets, and emeralds. A diamond is occasionally found. Take your gold pan, sluice box, metal detector or dredge and get started prospecting and panning for gold and gem stones. A good gift.

Prior work by P. Albert Carpenter, III is acknowledged. Gold mining and gold panning and prospecting sites range across North Carolina from Clay and Swain counties in the west to Nash, Halifax and Franklin counties in the east. Many prospecting and panning sites are accessible from primary and secondary roads.

When gold prospecting and panning in North Carolina you will be surprised at the number of small gem stones, mainly garnets, that appear in your gold pan. If you have a metal detector for treasure hunting, be sure to detect for gold nuggets. Also, metal detect at rural churches and schools for coins and jewelry. Old rural churches had "dinner on the grounds" at which parishioners lost coins and jewelry. 

Franklin, North Carolina is famous for it’s rubies. You will be able to pan for rubies at several "pan for fee" locations there. 

A geological report mentions that a North Carolina farmer shot deer with golden bullets molded from gold found on his property.

WHERE TO LOOK FOR AND FIND GOLD IN NORTH CAROLINA

Big Ten, Inc.'s North Carolina Gold Prospecting and Panning Map shows places where to look to find gold near:

Albemarle, Andrews, Asheboro, Belmont, Boone, Brevard, Burlington, Cashiers, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Concord, Durham, Forest City, Fort Mill, Franklin, Gastonia, Greensboro, Halifax, Hendersonville, Hickory, High Point, Kannapolis, Kings Mountain, Lenoir, Lexington, Lincolnton, Linville, Marion, Mocksville, Monroe, Morganton, Murphy, Robbins, Roxboro, Rutherfordton, Salisbury, Shelby, Siler City, Statesville, Thomasville and Trion.

It shows three hundred (300) gold mines and prospecting and panning locations from official geological records of the State of North Carolina and the federal government. Locations for finding gold are shown within 15 miles of each of the above listed places. These gold deposit locations, which show where gold has been found in the past, are clearly marked.

The map is done in color. The margin of the map has text that tells where to look for gold in a streambed, how to tell "fools gold" from real gold and gives step-by-step gold panning instructions. You can quickly learn to pan by following the instructions on the map.

Comments on Mining of Gold, Gold Prospecting, Gold Panning, Treasure Hunting and Rockhounding in North Carolina

Site of first discovery of gold in the U.S.-Little Meadow Creek at the Reed Gold Mine, North Carolina.
Little Meadow Creek at Reed Gold Mine, site of first discovery of gold in the U.S.

Large gold nuggets have been found at North Carolina gold mines. Many large gold nuggets were found at Little Meadow Creek, on the Reed Gold Mine property, starting with a l7 pound nugget. So many gold nuggets were found at this creek that the area next to the creek was called "The Potato Patch", the digging of nuggets having been likened to digging up potatoes. Much of North Carolina is covered by National Forests which have beautiful streams where families can enjoy panning and prospecting for gold and gems. When gold prospecting and panning, treasure hunting or collecting gems and minerals, don’t worry if the stream is small. Little streams often have gold or other minerals of interest.

North Carolina Gold 

Prior work by P. Albert Carpenter, III is acknowledged. Gold mining and gold panning and prospecting sites range across North Carolina from Clay and Swain counties in the west to Nash, Halifax and Franklin counties in the east. Many mining, prospecting and panning sites are accessible from primary and secondary roads.

The material herein under the headings "First Discovery of Gold in the United States", "Origin of Gold Mining at the Reed Mine" and "Spread of Placer and Lode Gold Mining" is quoted from "Reed Gold Mine, Site of the First Documented Discovery of Gold in the United States". (North Carolina Division of Archives and History)

FIRST DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN THE UNITED STATES

Reed Gold Mine is the site of the first documented gold find in the United States. From this discovery, gold mining spread gradually to nearby counties and eventually into other southern states. During its peak years gold mining was second only to farming in the number of North Carolinians it employed. The estimated value of gold recovered reached over a million dollars a year. North Carolina led the nation in gold production until 1848, when it was eclipsed by the great rush to California.

ORIGIN OF GOLD MINING AT THE REED MINE

John Reed (Johannes Reith) was a Hessian soldier who left the British army near the conclusion of the Revolutionary War and came to settle near fellow Germans living in the lower Piedmont of North Carolina. Most of the people dwelt on modest family-run farms in rural areas, where they raised small grain crops such as corn and wheat.

The life of farmer John Reed would have been long forgotten had it not been for a chance event one Sunday in 1799. On that day Reed’s son Conrad found a large yellow rock in Little Meadow Creek on the Reed farm in Cabarrus County. This rock reportedly weighed seventeen pounds and for three years was used as a doorstop at the Reed house. In 1802 a Fayetteville jeweler identified the gold nugget. He purchased it from Reed for the asked-for price of $3.50.

The following year John Reed began his mining operation by forming a partnership with three local men. The partners supplied equipment and workers to dig for gold in the creek bed, while Reed provided the land. The returns were to be divided equally. The men mined mainly in the off-season from farming, giving first priority to raising their crops. Before the end of the first year, a slave named Peter had unearthed a twenty-eight-pound nugget. Using only pans and rockers to wash the creek gravel, the part-time miners recovered an estimated yield of one hundred thousand dollars by 1824.

SPREAD OF PLACER AND LODE GOLD MINING

Hearing of Reed’s good fortune, other Piedmont farmers began exploring their creeks and finding gold. Men and women, both young and old, worked in the gold fields. Outsiders joined them, including the skilled Cornishmen from England.

Placer gold mining led to underground mining when it was learned in 1825 that the metal also existed in the veins of white quartz rock. The search for underground gold required much more money, labor, and machinery. Underground work at Reed was not begun until 1831. Four years later a family squabble resulted in a court injunction that closed the mine for a decade.

John Reed was a wealthy man when he died in 1845. Soon the Reed mine was sold at public auction. The mine changed hands many times through the years until 1911, when the last underground work took place there. Placer miners found the last large nugget at Reed in 1896. That nugget weighed approximately twenty-three pounds.

THE BECHTLER GOLD COIN MINT AT RUTHERFORDTON, N.C.

C. Bechtler began operation of a private gold coin mint in 1831 at Rutherfordton, North Carolina. Gold mines and prospectors supplied gold to the mint. Bechtler’s gold coins were widely accepted in trade and are now highly prized by coin collectors. C. Bechtler operated his mint until 1838 and then his son, A. Bechtler, operated it until 1857. In the meantime the U.S. had established mints at Dahlonega, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina; yet the private operations of Bechtler were not interfered with, for the reason, it was said, that the Bechtler coins were found to equal or exceed the federal standards of fineness and weight.

 NORTH CAROLINA GOLD MAP

There are extensive national forests in North Carolina with beautiful streams where you may pan for gold. The national forests are shown on your gold map. Three hundred gold mines and prospect locations are shown in 34 North Carolina counties. Some gold nuggets found in North Carolina were: 28 pounds, 25 pounds, 17 pounds and 15 pounds.

To request gold maps please go to REQUESTING GOLD MAPS .

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