Placer County Gold Districts

Colfax
A very important part of the rich history of Colfax was the placer mining that took place in this area during the 1800s. Hydraulic mining used to be done in this area but in 1884 Federal district Court Judge Lorenzo Sawyer issued a resolution that put an end to hydraulic mining in California, however before they were stopped the mines made up an important part of the landscape. The washing away of the earth that was done night and day in the foolish rush to recover the gold buried in the ancient stream beds gave rise to gigantic placer mines that left very bad marks in the earth that can be seen today. The close by areas of Gold Run and Dutch Flat are also other places where this destruction can be seen. Tons of earth was washed down the American and Bear Rivers.

Colfax is located on Highway 80 east of Auburn.

Damascus
A lot of gold was once taken from the streams in the Damascus district during the time of the gold rush. Part of the Big Blue channel gravels was also located in this area. This district is located south of Monte Vista off of Highway 80.

Duncan Peak
Duncan Peak is a placer mining district. The gold in this area has been found in Tertiary channel gravels and there were some rich spots in the area. The gold that can be found in this area is normally very coarse.

A lot of the deposits that can be found are in Duncan Canyon on the south of Duncan Peak. To get here you will need to take Foresthill Road east off of Highway 49 close to three miles before you get to Auburn. Just keep on going on this road. Four miles after Foresthill the road turns into the Baker Ranch Soda Springs Road. Duncan Peak can be located on the right at the junction with the Robertson Flat Road.

Dutch Flat
Dutch Flat is a placer mining district that can be gotten to off of Highway 80. This is one of the camps that still remain well preserved. The placers in this area were once worked on in 1849 by a group of miners that were German.

Emigrant Gap
The district of Emigrant Gap is a placer and lode gold district. This area includes the area of the Blue Canyon and you can get to it by taking Highway 80. The quartz veins of gold in this area occur in slate and schist.

Foresthill
The district of Foresthill is mainly a placer mining place. This area also includes the Yankee Jim and Dardanelles area. The first gold to have been found in this area was in 1852. Hydraulic mining was also done in the area at Yankee Jims in 1852. To get to Foresthill take the Auburn Foresthill Road east out of Auburn.