Gold Districts in Placer County

Gold Run
The biggest source of gold in the district of Gold Run is the Tertiary channel gravels. There are certain areas here where the gravels are about one mile in width. The blue gravels that can be found on the bedrock are the best to after since they are the richest. The first thing to be mined in this area were the placers in 1848 and later on large scale mining was done. Gold Run is located four miles west of Monte Vista.

Hambug Canyon
The district of Hambug Canyon is not actually a gold district but it used to be a rich placer mining area during the gold rush. This place is a branch of the South Branch of the North Fork of the American River and is positioned northeast of Michican Bluff. In the past Hambug Camp was known as Hambug Bar.

Iowa Hill
The district of Iowa Hill still has a good amount of gold in it and one of the best places to go in this district is in Shirttail Canyon. Iowa Hill is a rich district and in the past it produced up to $100,000 in a matter of a week in 1856.

The gold in this area can be found in the American River and in the streams and creeks in the area. Gold can also be found in the Tertiary channel gravels that this place has. Iowa Hill is mostly a placer mining district and besides that some gold quartz veins have been worked on in the area. The deep channel gravels have yielded up to half an ounce per yard at one point. To get to Iowa Hill you will need to take the Colfax Iowa Hill Road out of Colfax.

Last Chance
The district of Last Chance got its interesting name when a prospector that was starving to death used his last bullet to kill a deer. Last Chance is a placer miner district and gold in this area has been found in Tertiary channel gravels in a number of the canyons. The deposits in this place were at first worked on at the beginning of the 1850’s. if you are interested in getting to the district of Last Chance you will need to take the Foresthill Road east out of Foresthill to the Deadwood Road. Once you reach this, turn right on the road to get to the area of Last Chance.