We still have gold to be panned for in Georgia. Danlonega is a favorite place for tourists but check out the little creek you see every day. You might find a little gold in your pan.

Thar is gold in them thar hills. Benjamin Parks discovered gold near the Chestatee River in 1828.Two years later at the peak of the gold rush, an estimated 6,000 to 10,000 prospectors worked the Georgia hills, creeks. and rivers for gold. Prospectors came to Georgia from all over the U. S.and the world. Tent cities sprang up, hotels were built, saloons abounded and the last of the Cherokee Indians were marched off to Oklahoma. Their land was given away by lottery.

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Dahlonega, taken from the Indian word talonga which means gold, is where the federal government opened a mint in1838. In 1861 the mint had made 12.3 tons of Georgia gold into $1, $2.50, $3,and 5 dollar coins, but by 1900 the gold began to peter out and prospectors loaded up their gear and went home or off a brighter territory in California.

But that doesn’t mean we in Georgia aren’t still panning for gold. Dahlonega’s newspaper, The Nugget, still brings in tourists from all over looking for gold. There is the Crisson Gold Mine which attracts many visitors from Atlanta and surrounding areas. You can buy a five gallon bucket of crushed rock for $12.00 and try separating the gold from the sludge. Or you can join The Weekend Gold Miners who charge a basic $90.membership that allows access to three leased properties in Lumpkin,and White counties.

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Some prospectors who have lost their paying jobs will camp out all summer along the creeks and rivers panning for gold and hoping to make a little money for their families to live on. To others it’s like gambling, seeing that flash of gold in the pan starts a fever that’s hard to put out. They come again and again for the excitement and exhilaration of the hunt.

With the price of gold at $940.an ounce panning for gold can be a paying proposition. A few people say they have made $100. dollars a day but they say if you do find gold keep it to yourself. Or you will have other prospectors breathing down your neck. And what you want is a lonely stretch of a river or creek all to yourself.

In this time of a bad economy gold is taking on a new shin. As gold prices go higher the creeks and rivers in Georgia will be more crowded. With the stock market crashes people are looking to gold as a safer place to put their money. And as the demand rises so does the price of gold.

As a fun project you might take the kids to a sandy creek you know and try your hand at panning for gold. You might find a few flakes of the shiny stuff and if not you will still have a great day spent in the fresh air and sunshine having fun  with the kids.