 Gold Panning in Alabama |
Alabama Gold Mines, Prospecting, Panning, Treasure Hunting and Rockhounding
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The gold region of Alabama is laced with gold-bearing streams where prospecting and panning for gold is done for outdoor recreation. Treasure hunters use metal detectors in hopes of finding a gold nugget and they metal detect for coins and jewelry at the rural churches and schools. They also detect Civil War relics. Rockhounds and mineral collectors search for garnets and black tourmaline gem stones. Numerous placers occur in the gold mining and prospecting region of the state.
Big Ten’s map of Alabama gold shows 140 gold mines and gold prospects from official geological records of the State of Alabama and the federal government. Gold sites are shown in these 7 Alabama counties:
Chilton Clay Clebourne
Coosa Randolph Talladega
Tallapoosa
Gold sites continue on the Georgia Map
In addition, gold has been found in Gold Branch, a creek in the northeast corner of Elmore county. Alabama Highway 229 crosses Gold Branch between Kent and Red Hill. Gold Branch flows into the Tallapoosa River about five miles downstream of the dam at Martin Lake. The deposit appears to be a continuation of the trend of gold mining sites shown along Martin Lake on the Alabama Gold Map.
| Gold Panning in Alabama |
Gold Mines in Alabama
Alabama Gold Mining History
Note: History information herein was obtained from research of geological records of the Alabama Geological Survey, the U. S. Bureau of Mines, the U.S. Geological Survey and similar documents as pertains to gold mines, gold prospecting areas and mineral and gem stone occurrences in Alabama. Prior work by Thomas A. Simpson, Thornton L. Neathery and George I. Adams is acknowledged.
Alabama geological documents state that it is generally agreed by historians that the Indians and Spanish explorers did not find gold in Alabama. There is no way to confirm the exact year of discovery of gold in Alabama; however, it is accepted to have been about 1830.
After the gold discoveries in Georgia in 1828, gold prospectors expanded their search for gold into Alabama. Intruders prospected for gold on lands belonging to the Creek Indians, who held the area that included the gold deposits. A treaty was negotiated by the United States for the lands of the Creeks. The treaty was signed in 1832; but, before the removal of the Indians was accomplished, the state legislature formed the lands into counties and settlers flocked in.
Further research of gold history as recorded in geological reports, reveals that about 1836 there was a great deal of excitement in the gold fields of Alabama. One of the early gold districts, Arbacoochee, is said to have given employment to 600 men and in 1845 had a contributory population of 5,000 inhabitants. Goldville, another Alabama gold district, was said to have had 14 stores and the population in the locality was at least 3,000. Goldville later became a cross roads without a store.
Most gold miners left the state to join the California Gold Rush in 1849. Gold prospecting in Alabama revived when Cornish miners came from Tennessee in 1853-1854 to search for copper. There was another revival of gold mining in the 1880’s and cyaniding was introduced in Alabama in 1903. Some gold mines were in operation at various times up to 1916. Another spurt in panning and prospecting for gold took place during the depression when people were out of work and the price of gold was increased to $35 per ounce. Gold pans and sluice boxes were widely used to recover gold from placers.
The gold sites continue on the adjoining map of Georgia.
RECREATIONAL GOLD PROSPECTING, GOLD PANNING, TREASURE HUNTING AND ROCKHOUNDING ARE FUN!
Gold Mining in: Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Alabama California
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[ HOME PAGE ] [ GOLD PROSPECTING ] [ GOLD PANNING ] [ EASTERN GOLD ]
[ CALIFORNIA GOLD ] [ REQUESTING GOLD MAPS ] [
GOLD LINKS ]
[METAL
DETECTING RESOURCES]
[ANCIENT RIVERS OF GOLD]
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