California Gold Panning

It was said that during the 1849 gold rush a man could earn a weeks wages walking along Woods Creek, prying gold out of the cracks in the bed rock with a knife on his way to pick up supplies.The year was 1848, a party of miners led by Benjamin Woods arrived at a creek to be later named after him.   On our claim, Benjamin Woods and his party set up the first gold mining camp in what is now known as Tuolumne County. At Jamestown Gold Panning you can pan for gold where the original Woods Creek miners first stood. Walk in the foot steps of Reverend Woods, James Savage, J.H. Rider and Charles Bassett. Step back in history and dig for gold in the same conditions they did.  Our claims gives you a view into the past of what these brave men saw when the reached Woods Creek. It is alleged that Grizzly Adams operated a saloon and trading post on the east bank of our creek.    Our instructors are seasoned prospectors.  Having over 80 years of combined experience, they will teach you where, why, and how gold is deposited. They can answer all of  the  questions you may have about gold prospecting.  Our goal is to give you a affordable alternative to other pay to pan places. We here at Jamestown Gold Panning look forward to bringing you into the past and into the rich history of the gold rush days which made California the great state that it is. Your children will love getting their hands into the dirt, the look on their faces when they find their first piece of gold is priceless. How many people can  actually say the pulled a piece of gold out of the earth that has been buried for millions of years? When you leave Jamestown Gold Panning, we want you to be able to have the confidence to prospect on your own and we hope you have a better understanding of the history of the 1849 California gold rush and the important part Woods Creek played.