Albert Faustel has been digging the riverbeds of Placerville in search of gold for decades. But after the torrential rains that swept across California this winter, the task of amateur prospecting has never been easier.
“There are a lot of new places (where you can find gold) this year,” this forty-something told AFP, armed with a wet suit, a snorkel and a small shovel. “Mother Nature has done a good job through all of these floods… moving new materials. »
After exploring the bottom of the torrent downstream from the Sierra Nevada for 10 minutes, small shiny particles suddenly appear in the middle of the clay soil, which he sifts into a small plastic bowl.
Not enough to get rich a million times over with those few sequins, which the corner prospectors call “fly droppings”.
It’s maybe fifty bucks, just enough to butter the spinach. But the treasure hunt continues.
“It’s a good cache” near the bank, says Mr. Fausel happily and collects the loot with a kind of suction pump before he dives back. “In the middle of the river, larger and heavier pieces will probably have found their way. »
Photo Frederic J. BROWN / AFP
flow away
California is recovering from an unusually rainy winter in which numerous storms, sometimes very close together, brought record amounts of precipitation to certain regions.
In addition to the damage and flooding that was caused at the time, those billions of gallons of water that fell from the sky permanently swelled many torrents and rivers that have been severely depleted by the drought that has ravaged the American West for 20 years.
Enough to seep away any gold still present in the ground and revive the memory of the rush for the precious metal that the region experienced in the 19th and 20th centuries.
“Now we’re talking flood gold,” says Barron Brandon, who runs Cosumnes Ranch near the Cosumnes River.
“When it rains heavily, they clean the banks of the rivers and flow under them, bringing the gold,” explains the trained geologist.
This year, Placerville, in the heart of El Dorado County, about 45 miles from Sacramento, is reviving the vein that made its reputation.
In the city, all shops play on this promise of gold: be it the “Gold Insurance”, the “Gold Artists Nation Gallery” or the jewelry store “Antique Gold Jewelers”. One of the main hotels still preserves the saloon atmosphere of the pioneer days and their dreams of happiness.
Photo Frederic J. BROWN / AFP
Albert Faustel
Newly curious
A memory that allows the region to still live from tourism. Local amateur prospectors are not afraid of competition.
“Come to California!” Give yourself a chance to find some gold, there’s something for everyone here,” says Mr. Fausel, who runs a hardware store that also sells small personalized gold vials as souvenirs.
Most of the precious metal was mined during the heyday. However, according to Mark Dayton, a professional prospector with more than 20,000 YouTube subscribers, the recent rains are attracting new curious people to the city.
“As kids, we were all fascinated by pirate treasures,” he says, saying some of his followers took the plunge “because they heard about the upcoming rains and the gold.”
Photo Frederic J. BROWN / AFP
Visited by dozens of school groups, the Placerville Museum reminds young and old alike that finding Eldorado was never easy. Between violence, alcohol and scams, many expats in the region died penniless.
“We’re trying to tell them the true story, not the Hollywood version of the gold rush,” smiles tour guide Pat Layne, who has been in the mining industry for a long time.
But beyond hypothetical clanging and stumbling prey, hobby hunters uncover other treasures: the shades of green and blue that form the rivers at the foot of the Sierra Nevada peaks.
As Mr. Brandon sums it up at his ranch, “The real gold is here.”