Wildfires and rain cause 'Gold Rush 2.0' in California's Central Valley as people scour area
COLOMA, CALIFRONIA: In California's Central Valley, recent wildfires and rain have sparked a "Gold Rush 2.0," resulting in some people discovering gold pieces. Only 10 to 15% of California's gold has been discovered, according to historian Ed Allen of the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park near Coloma.
In pursuit of the remaining 85% of the gold, amateur miners are returning to "Gold Country," a region on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, some 175 years after the initial gold rush. Among the people looking for gold is Albert Fausel, who found a tiny piece of gold in a creek in Placerville after searching for just 20 minutes, per the New York Times.
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Finders keepers
The small piece of gold Fausel found was estimated to be about $100. A lot of people have started scouring the area, hoping they too can get their hands on the metal. While gold used to cost $20 an ounce in 1850, the same amount is approximately $1,900 now, as per reports.
Allen told KCRA in February, "We just had a flood here last month, and that brought down gold. People are still looking for gold," adding that he was "always looking" for gold, even at the age of 75.
The recent severe rains in the Sacramento Valley caused many of the streams and rivers to flood. It also pushed gold from the mountains down into the valley, causing a mini-gold rush. The wildfires helped in loosening up the soil.
Reading the ground
Nick Prebalick, also known as "Nugget Nick," searches for gold with his son, Nate, and his father, Terry, in Wood's Creek, Jamestown. He owns a business called California Gold Panning. Speaking to KCRA, he said, "I've found quite a few nuggets. This is the good stuff, and the best stuff will be in this box at the end of the day." In Jamestown, Prebalick's family rented a 500-yard claim along Wood's Creek to hunt for gold. Speaking about his work, Prebalick said, "This is like the best office ever."
Jim Eakin, the owner of a local firewood business, says he found a nugget four years ago that was so big he could buy a brand-new pickup truck with cash. He considered himself among the top as he was among a group of gold hunters who could "read the ground" and profit from the favorable winter weather.
According to members of the The Gold Country Treasure Seekers Club, there has been a significant increase in gold during the past few months. Club member Mark Dayton, who discovered $750 of gold in April, claimed that "there was $50,000 of gold up at that table," per the Daily Mail.
Marshall Gold Discovery State Park is steeped in history as it was here that the first nugget was discovered in 1848. The fever caused by that event more than a century ago has not gone still.
