Gold Mining in Oregon and South Dakota

Gold Mining in Oregon
The key gold mining regions in Oregon can be found in the north-eastern part of the State. These areas have both lode and placer gold. Placer gold in this state occurs in a good number of streams. The tributaries of the Rogue River and the nearby streams in the Klamath Mountains have been the sources of placer gold. Some of the greatest producing areas in this area are the Greenback district in Josephine County and the Applegate district in Jackson County. Placer gold can be found in a number of streams that gully the Blue Mountains and Wallows. One of the best producing areas in the area is located in the area of Sumpter on the higher Powder River. The Burnt River and the tributaries in the areas have produced gold. Towards the west, placer mining has been done for a number of years in the John Day River valley.

Mining in South Dakota
Gold was found in South Dakota in 1874 by two miners close to General Custer’s force. This was then found out and in 1876 a gold rush occurred in the Black Hills, overcoming the gold rush that occurred in 1894 in California. Ever since that time California has been a constant producer of gold; the Homestake Mine in Lawrence County was one of the biggest and richest gold producers in the United States until it closed its doors in 2001. Almost all of South Dakota’s production of gold was located in the somewhat small area that is known as the Black Hills and is located on the southwestern corner of the state of South Dakota. Some of the places to consider finding out about gold and places where gold has been found are, Several Black Hills streams in that are due west of Rapid City, from Custer in the South to Lead and Deadwood in the North area. An interesting area is Castle Creek, Hoodoo Gulch, Crooked Gulch, and Chinese Hill all of which are near Mystic. One can look in Rapid Creek, which is located near Placerville and Rockerville, and are both southwest of Rapid City. Along the banks of French Creek in Custer County. The Homestake mine in South Dakota closed in 2002, however before it closed down Homestake Gold Mine was the oldest, largest and deepest mine in the Western Hemisphere, reaching more than 8000 feet below the town of Lead. Even though the placer operations are not the most essential in the gold production of the other mining states in the west, the Black Hills area, mainly in the Deadwood are and on the French Creek, has proven to be better mining areas.