THERE’S STILL GOLD IN THEM THAR HILLS!

Yosemite Gold Country

In 1849 gold was found in northern California and prospectors came from around the globe. Just 2 ½ hours from San Francisco they hit the jackpot and left their mark. Prospectors from Sonora, Mexico named their community Sonora (now the county seat of Tuolumne County, California) and just a few minutes away the town of Chinese Camp still stands in memory of the prospectors from China.

 Despite having taken hundreds of millions of dollars in gold out of the ground in the 1850’s; estimates are most of it is still there in the ground – just a little harder to get. If you’re ready to search for gold the way it was done in the old west, visit California’s Gold Rush Country and try your hand at gold panning. Just picture yourself sifting gold with your pan from the rushing water in a stream (or sluice box) leaving behind its precious treasure.

The area’s mining companies can provide costumed guides to take you out to one of the creeks or streams where people are still finding gold for a fun filled adventure designed to please the entire family. Enjoy it for an afternoon or spend a few days in the back country and who knows…maybe you’ll be the next gold baron. You’ll also learn about the local history – who struck it rich finding gold, who struck it rich selling to the miners who found gold and those that stayed on to establish a frontier society in the American West.

To find out more about the different kind of experiences awaiting you, contact Jamestown Gold Panning (www.jamestowngoldpanning.com) , Gold Prospecting Adventures (www.goldprospecting.com/) or California Gold Company (www.goldfun.com) – all located in Jamestown, California or 49er Mining Supplies (www.49erminingsupplies.com) and Hidden Treasure Gold Mine & Matelot Gulch Mine Supply Store (www.tcvb.com/showrecord.asp?id=343); both in Columbia, California.

Don’t forget to visit the wonderful museum dedicated to the “49ers” (as they were called) at Ironstone Vineyards in nearby Murphys. As one of the most beautiful vineyards in California, it provides the perfect setting for the museum dedicated to gold rush and houses one of the largest gold nuggets ever found in California.

Gold Country in Tuolumne County is truly the stuff legends are made of – don’t miss your opportunity to be a part of that rich history.

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USA

Contact: Sandy Gordon, tcvbmarketing@mlode.com, 209-533-4420 or 800-466-1333

YOSEMITE GOLD COUNTRY

Tuolumne County Visitors Bureau

PO Box 4020

Sonora, CA 95370-4020